In today’s survival phrase lesson, we will take a look at at different ways how to say “Can friend speak English?” in Japanese. If you can start your conversation through a Japanese expression like this the will assist a lot not to scare far the Japanese person you would favor to talk to.

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To ask someone in Japanese if they have the right to speak English you use the phrase “Eigo o hanaesmasu ka?” (英語を話せますか). “Eigo” is the Japanese word for “English” and also “…o hanasemasu ka?” way “Can (you) speak …?”. To sound also politer friend can include “Sumimasen” (すみません) at the beginning of the sentence.Below friend will discover a pair of various other ways just how you can ask if someone speaks English and the possible responses you could get. I have also added the translations of a couple of related phrases choose for example “Do friend speak…?” or “I can’t speak…” and a vocabulary list with other beneficial words for this situation.

How come Say “Can girlfriend Speak English?” in Japanese

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Now the you understand the most basic phrase to ask if someone speak English is “Eigo o hanaesmasu ka?” (英語を話せますか) in Japanese, stop look in ~ some various other ways just how you deserve to ask this. All of the phrases listed below generally average the same. They are just other herbal ways exactly how you can frame the same question.“Can you speak English?” in JapaneseEigo ga hanasemasu ka?Can you speak English?英語が話せますか?えいご が はなせます か?Eigo ga wakarimasu ka?Do you recognize English?英語が分かりますか?えいご が わかります か?Eigo o hanasu koto ga dekimasu ka?Can you speak English?英語を話すことが出来ますか?えいご を はなすことができます か?In order to start the conversation more politely I would always include the word “Sumimasen” (すみません) in ~ the beginning. It method “Excuse me” and also is usually supplied when you start talking to who you don’t know or when you have to ask for a favor, etc. It deserve to be added to every one of the sentences mentioned above.Ask an ext politely by adding “Sumimasen”Sumimasen, eigo o hanasemasu ka?Excuse me, can you speak English?すみません、英語を話せますか?すみません、えいご を はなせます か?Sumimasen, eigo ga wakarimasu ka?Excuse me, have the right to you know English?すみません、英語が分かりますかか?すみません、えいご が わかります か?If girlfriend have had Japanese lessons before or if you room taking class right currently you could be wondering why the “Anata wa” (あなたは, you) is missing. Well, two reasons. It is not really polite to use “anata” specifically when talk to a stranger and in Japanese the subject is normally omitted as soon as it is clear. For this reason while “Anata wa eigo o hanasemasu ka?” (あなたは英語を話せますか) is grammatically exactly it is just not natural.The most usual responses girlfriend will acquire are more than likely “I nothing speak English” or “Yes“. However, simply in case the human answers in Japanese you could want to recognize that “Hanasemasu” or “Hai/Ee hansemasu” method they deserve to speak English. While “Hanasemasen” or “Iie, hanasemasen“, ~ above the various other hand, means they nothing speak English. Girlfriend might likewise hear “Sukoshi hanasemasu” which method that they deserve to speak English a little, yet we will certainly learn an ext about the in the next section.

Related phrases & valuable Words

Instead of concentrating on just one phrase, I thought it might be valuable if we can integrate it with related survival phrases. So right here are a couple of various other phrases that might come increase in the very same situation. The an initial one the the examples is normally an less complicated one for beginners, while the other ones room a bit longer and also could it is in a bit much more complicated.

Do friend Speak (English/Japanese/…)?

This is very easy to remember because it is basically the same phrase. “Eigo o hanashimasu ka?” (英語を話しますか) is the actual direct translation, but nobody claims this. So just stick to the expression we have learned a minute back with hanasemasu (話せます).If somebody wants to understand if you speak Japanese they will ask “Nihongo o hanasemasu ka?” (日本語を話せますか). So any type of time you desire to ask about another language just replace “Eigo” through the Japanese word for the other language.Eigo o hanasemasu ka?Kanji: (英語)を話せますか?Kana: (えいご)を はなせます か?Meaning: carry out you speak (English)?Nihongo o hanasemasu ka?Kanji: (日本語)を話せますか?Kana: (にほんご)を はなせます か?Meaning: do you speak (Japanese)?

Yes, ns (Can) Speak (English/Japanese ….)

“Hai, hanasemasu” (はい、話せます) or the less natural phrase “Hai, eigo o hanasemasu” (はい、英語を話せます) median “Yes, ns speak English” or “Yes, I have the right to speak English”. Similar to “you” the is clear the you room talking about “English” or the beforementioned language so over there is no need to repeat that.A very comparable phrase is “… koto ga dekimasu” (…ことが出来ます) which means “can execute ….” or “able to do…”. So as soon as you say “Nihongo o hanasu koto ga dekimasu” it also means “I deserve to speak Japanese”.Hai, hanasemasu.Kanji: はい、話せます。Kana: はい、はなせます。Meaning: Yes, i speak (English/Japanese/…).Hai, (nihongo o) hanasemasu.Kanji: はい、(日本語を)話せます。Kana: はい、(にほんご を)はなせます。Meaning: Yes, ns speak (Japanese).Hai, (eigo o) hanasu koto ga dekimasu.Kanji: はい、(英語を)話すことができます。Kana: はい、(えいご を)はなす こと が できます。Meaning: Yes, I can speak (English).

No, ns Don’t/Can’t Speak (Japanese/English/…)

To say the you nothing or can’t speak English girlfriend just have actually to change the verb hanasemasu (話せます) right into its negative form which is hanasemasen (話せません). You perform this by just replacing “masu” (ます) v “masen” (ません).In the same way, you can adjust other verbs prefer for instance dekimasu (出来ます, able come do) or wakarimasu (分かります, understand) right into their an adverse form. Let’s shot it!Iie, hanashimasen.Kanji: いいえ、話せません。Kana: いいえ、はなせません。Meaning: No, ns don’t speak (language).Iie, (nihongo ga) wakarimasen.Kanji: いいえ、(日本語が)分かりません。Kana: いいえ、(にほんご が)わかりません。Meaning: No, ns don’t understand (Japanese).Iie, (eigo o) hanasu koto ga dekimasen.Kanji: いいえ、(英語を)話すことが出来ません。Kana: いいえ、(えいご を)はなす こと が できません。Meaning: No, ns can’t speak (English).

I deserve to Speak a small (Japanese/English/…)

You deserve to say this by making use of “Sukoshi dake nihongo o hanasemasu” (少しだけ日本語を話せます). Sukoshi (少し) means “a little” or “a bit” and also dake (だけ) way “only” or “just” for this reason when combined Sukoshi dake the emphasizes “just a little” or “only a bit”.Sukoshi dake nihongo o hanasemasu.Kanji: 少しだけ日本語を話せます。Kana: すこし だけ にほんご を はなせます。Meaning: I deserve to speak a tiny Japanese.Sukoshi dake nihongo o hanasu koto ga dekimasu.Kanji: 少しだけ英語を話すことが出来ます。Kana: すこし だけ えいご を はなす こと が できます。Meaning: I deserve to speak just a little bit of Japanese.

I’m sorry, I only Speak (English/Japanese/…)?

To respond a little bit politer in instance you can’t speak or recognize a language you deserve to use the expression “Sumimasen, eigo shika hanasemasen” (すみません、英語しか話せません) which method “I’m sorry, ns (can) just speak English”. Shika (しか) method “only” or “nothing but” and it is constantly used in addition to a negative type like for example “masen”. Over there are also some other even politer phrases to say “I’m sorry”, but let’s stick through Sumimasen for now.Sumimasen, eigo shika hanasemasen.Kanji: すみません、英語しか話せません。Kana: すみません、えいご しか はなせません。Meaning: ns sorry, I only speak English.Sumimasen, nihongo shika wakarimasen.Kanji: すみません、日本語しか分かりません。Kana: すみません、にほんご しか わかりません。Meaning: ns sorry, i only recognize English.

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I’m sorry, can You speak This in (English/Japanese/…)?

If you want someone to repeat what they simply said in English you deserve to say “Sumimasen, eigo de itte moraemasu ka?” (すみません、英語で言ってもらえますか). Itte (言って) is the te-form that the verb iu (言う, to say) and Moraemasu (もらえます) originates from the polite verb Morau (もらう, come receive, to get someone to perform something) and means “can you (do …) for me”. So, in this case, it way “can you to speak … for me”. Eigo de (英語で) translates as “in English”.You can additionally combine it with the expression Mou ikkai (もう一回, one an ext time). For this reason “Sorry, can you to speak this one an ext time in English?” is “Sumimasen, mou ikkai eigo de itte moraemasu ka?” (すみません、もう一回英語で言ってもらえますか) in Japanese.Sumimasen, eigo de itte moraemasu ka?Kanji: すみません、(英語)で言ってもらえますか?Kana: すみません、(えいご) で いって もらえます か?Meaning: i’m sorry, can you speak this in English?Sumimasen, mou ikkai eigo de itte moraemasu ka?Kanji: すみません、もう一回(英語)で言ってもらえますか?Kana: すみません、もう いっかい(えいご) で いって もらえます か?Meaning: i’m sorry, deserve to you speak this one much more time in English?

Useful native & Vocabulary List

to speak話すはなすhanasucan speak話せますはなせますhanaserucan’t speak話せませんはなせませんhanasemasento understand分かるわかるwakaruunderstandcan understand分かりますわかりますwakarimasudon’t understandcan’t understand分かりませんわかりませんwakarimasento have the ability to do出来るできるdekiruable come do出来ますできますdekimasunot able to do出来ませんできませんdekimasento talk喋るしゃべるshaberucan talk喋られますしゃべられますshaberaremasucan’t talk喋られませんしゃべられませんshaberaremasento say言ういうiuEnglish (language)英語えいごeigoJapanese (language)日本語にほんごnihon-goSpanish (language)スペイン語スペインごsupein-goPortuguese (language)ポルトガル語ポルトガルごporutogaru-goGerman (language)ドイツ語ドイツ語doitsu-goItalian (language)イタリア語イタリアごitaria-goDutch (language)オランダ語オランダごoranda-goRussian (language)ロシア語ロシアごroshia-goChinese (language)中国語ちゅうごくごchuugoku-goKorean (language)韓国語かんこくごkankoku-goHindi (language)ヒンディー語ヒンディーごhindii-goArabic (language)アラビア語アラビアごarabia-goBengali (language)ベンガル語ベンガルごbengaru-goLahnda (language)ラフンダー語ラフンダーごrafundaa-go
“Can girlfriend Speak English” – Vocabulary List