What it means

Do you speak English? 会 marks a learned skill, so it's the right verb here.

When to use it

Swap 英语 for any language: 日语 (Japanese), 法语 (French). A lifesaver in a pinch.

What Chinese people actually say

Say this instead: 你会说中文吗?(nǐ huì shuō Zhōngwén ma?)

Worth knowing the direction of this question. Inside China, asking a random person 你会说英语吗 will usually get you a polite no. The more useful move is to be ready for the reverse question — 你会说中文吗? — and to have 一点点 (a little bit) handy.

Examples

nǐ你huì会shuō说yīng英yǔ语ma吗?wǒ我bù不tài太huì会shuō说zhōng中wén文。

Do you speak English? I can't really speak Chinese.

qǐng请wèn问,nǐ你huì会shuō说yīng英yǔ语ma吗?

Excuse me, do you speak English?

tā他huì会shuō说sān三zhǒng种yǔ语yán言。

He speaks three languages.

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The full set of survival phrases for greetings, dining, shopping, and getting around, each with audio.