你会说中文吗？

Learning Chinese: How to Ask "Can You Speak Chinese?"

Chinese Characters: 你会说中文吗？
Pinyin: Nǐ huì shuō Zhōngwén ma?
Pronunciation: ni3 hui4 shuo1 zhong1wen2 ma5
English Translation: Can you speak Chinese?

Usage:

"你会说中文吗？ (Nǐ huì shuō Zhōngwén ma?)" is a polite way to ask someone if they can speak Chinese. It is commonly used when meeting someone for the first time or when you are unsure if they speak Chinese.

Example:

Chinese: 你会说中文吗？
Pinyin: Nǐ huì shuō Zhōngwén ma?
English: Can you speak Chinese?

Variations:

There are a few variations of "你会说中文吗？ (Nǐ huì shuō Zhōngwén ma?)" that you may hear:

你讲中文吗？(Nǐ jiǎng Zhōngwén ma?): A more informal way to ask the same question.
你能说中文吗？(Nǐ néng shuō Zhōngwén ma?): Another informal variation.

Tips for Learning:

Practice saying "你会说中文吗？ (Nǐ huì shuō Zhōngwén ma?)" out loud to improve your pronunciation.
Listen to native Chinese speakers asking this question to get a sense of the natural rhythm and intonation.
Use "你会说中文吗？ (Nǐ huì shuō Zhōngwén ma?)" in your daily conversations to practice using it in context.

Additional Notes:

"你会说中文吗？ (Nǐ huì shuō Zhōngwén ma?)" is a relatively straightforward question to ask.
If the person you are asking does not speak Chinese, they may respond with "不会 (bú huì)", which means "no."
If the person you are asking speaks Chinese, they may respond with "会 (huì)", which means "yes."