Learn how to ask, "Do you speak English?"
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| Introduction |
| Eric: Welcome to 3-Minute Vietnamese Season 1, Lesson 7 - Do You Speak English? In this lesson, you’ll learn how to ask and answer the question “Do you speak English?” in Vietnamese. |
| Body |
| Eric: Here's the informal way to ask "Do you speak English?" in Vietnamese. |
| Hoang Anh: [Normal] Bạn biết nói tiếng Anh không? |
| Eric: First is a pronoun meaning "you" |
| Hoang Anh: [Normal] bạn [Slow] bạn |
| Eric: Next is the verb meaning "to know" |
| Hoang Anh: [Normal] biết [Slow] biết |
| Eric: Next is the verb meaning "to speak" |
| Hoang Anh: [Normal] nói [Slow] nói |
| Eric: Next is the noun meaning "English" |
| Hoang Anh: [Normal] tiếng Anh [Slow] tiếng Anh |
| Eric: Last is the question word meaning "no, not" |
| Hoang Anh: [Normal] không [Slow] không |
| Eric: Note the rising intonation. Listen again to the informal question meaning "Do you speak English?" |
| Hoang Anh: [Slow] Bạn biết nói tiếng Anh không? [Normal] Bạn biết nói tiếng Anh không? |
| Eric: Now, imagine you're speaking to a stranger. Here's the formal way to ask, "Do you speak English?" |
| Hoang Anh: [Normal] Anh biết nói tiếng Anh không? |
| Eric: First is a word meaning "you” for a man. |
| Hoang Anh: [Normal] anh [Slow] anh |
| Eric: Next is the verb meaning "to know" |
| Hoang Anh: [Normal] biết [Slow] biết |
| Eric: Next is the verb meaning "to speak" |
| Hoang Anh: [Normal] nói [Slow] nói |
| Eric: Next is the noun meaning "English" |
| Hoang Anh: [Normal] tiếng Anh [Slow] tiếng Anh |
| Eric: Last is the question word meaning "no, not" |
| Hoang Anh: [Normal] không [Slow] không |
| Eric: Note again the rising intonation. Listen again to the formal question meaning "Do you speak English?" |
| Hoang Anh: [Slow] Anh biết nói tiếng Anh không? [Normal] Anh biết nói tiếng Anh không? |
| Eric: Please note that you can only use this question when the other person is male. |
| Hoang Anh: If it’s a woman, simply replace Anh with chị and say… Chị biết nói tiếng Anh không? |
| Eric: “Do you speak English?” |
| Eric: Here's a response meaning "Yes, I speak English." |
| Hoang Anh: [Normal] Có, tôi biết nói tiếng Anh. |
| Eric: First is an interjection meaning "yes" |
| Hoang Anh: [Normal] có [Slow] có |
| Eric: Next is the pronoun meaning "I" |
| Hoang Anh: [Normal] tôi [Slow] tôi |
| Eric: Next is the verb meaning "to know" |
| Hoang Anh: [Normal] biết [Slow] biết |
| Eric: Next is the verb meaning "to speak" |
| Hoang Anh: [Normal] nói [Slow] nói |
| Eric: Last is the noun meaning "English" |
| Hoang Anh: [Normal] tiếng Anh [Slow] tiếng Anh |
| Eric: Listen again to the response meaning "Yes, I speak English." |
| Hoang Anh: [Slow] Có, tôi biết nói tiếng Anh. [Normal] Có, tôi biết nói tiếng Anh. |
| Eric: Here's a response meaning, "No, I don"t speak English." |
| Hoang Anh: [Normal] Không, tôi không biết nói tiếng Anh. |
| Eric: First is an interjection meaning "no, not" |
| Hoang Anh: [Normal] không [Slow] không |
| Eric: Next is the pronoun meaning "I" |
| Hoang Anh: [Normal] tôi [Slow] tôi |
| Eric: Next is the verb meaning "don’t know" |
| Hoang Anh: [Normal] không biết [Slow] không biết |
| Eric: Next is the verb meaning "to speak" |
| Hoang Anh: [Normal] nói [Slow] nói |
| Eric: Last is the noun meaning "English" |
| Hoang Anh: [Normal] tiếng Anh [Slow] tiếng Anh |
| Eric: Listen again to the response meaning "No, I don"t speak English." |
| Hoang Anh: [Slow] Không, tôi không biết nói tiếng Anh. [Normal] Không, tôi không biết nói tiếng Anh. |
| Cultural Insight |
| Eric: Now it's time for a quick cultural insight. |
| Hoang Anh: Many Vietnamese people can’t speak English but they’re not afraid of foreigners. So, it’s totally fine to ask a Vietnamese person on the street about something. You may not get the answer, but you won't receive unfriendly treatment. Some people will even find a way to help you out. One tip is to ask a younger person because they’re more likely to speak some English. |
Outro |
|---|
| Eric: And that’s all for this lesson. Don’t forget to check out the lesson notes, and we’ll see you in the next lesson! |
| Hoang Anh: Tạm biệt. |
3 Comments
HideTry using this phrase to ask about a different language!
Hi Mao,
Though "tôi không nói tiếng anh" is how we usually translate for "không nói", we hardly use that in Vietnamese.
If you say "tôi không nói" (literally translated from I don't speak), the listener will understand that you know, but you don't want to speak.
When you say "tôi không biết nói tiếng Anh" (I can't speak English), they will simply understand that you can't.
Hope that it can help.
Best,
Chi
Team VietnamesePod101.com
hi Can you say:
tôi không nói tiếng anh