How to Say ‘Can you speak it?’ in Japanese
話せますか？
hanase masu ka
[hah-nah-seh mahs kah]
💬 Usage Tip: Adding か to the end of a polite sentence turns it into a question. There's no word-order change, just a rising tone.
Phrase Breakdown
話せ
hanase
[hah-nah-seh]
can speak
From 話せる, meaning to be able to speak. Very useful for language questions.
英語を話せますか、通訳はいますか。
Can you speak English? Is there an interpreter?
ます
masu
[mahs]
polite verb ending
A standard polite ending added to verbs, often used in customer service and formal speech.
予約を確認し ます。
I will confirm the reservation.
か
ka
[kah]
question marker
Placed at the end of a sentence to make it a question.
A席はありますか。
Are there A seats available?
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