你会说中文吗？

Chapter Overview and Learning Objectives

Communication Scenario

Where This Chapter Fits

Chapter 11 opens Unit III. It is the first chapter to introduce new productive grammar since Chapter 9, since Chapter 10 was a review-only assessment chapter. This chapter adds a new communicative domain — ability and communication — while continuing to recycle everything from Chapters 1-9.

Core Vocabulary

These words are productive: you should be able to recognize, type, and use them in the tasks below. Neutral-tone syllables are marked with no tone mark, following standard Pinyin convention.

Receptive only, glossed in context: 语言交流会 (yǔyán jiāoliú huì, "language exchange event") appears in this chapter's scenario for cultural context. You are not required to produce it independently.

Pronunciation and Listening Focus

This chapter reinforces tones you already know and adds one new listening skill: recognizing the aspirated/unaspirated contrast in a pair of frequent syllables you will now use often.

• 会 (huì, 4th tone) vs 能 (néng, 2nd tone) vs 可以 (kěyǐ, 3rd + 3rd, becoming 2nd + 3rd in connected speech). Listen for these three distinct contours; confusing them changes meaning, not just pronunciation.
• 可以 third-tone sandhi: two third-tone syllables in a row — the first (可) is pronounced as a rising (second) tone before the second third-tone syllable (以). Say it as ké-yǐ, not kě-yǐ.
• 怎么 (zěnme): the second syllable is neutral tone — short and light, with no tone mark.
• 请 (qǐng) vs 情/清 family: practice the aspirated q sound, distinct from English "ch" or "k."

Repeat each modal verb and the repair phrases aloud at least five times before moving to the dialogue below, focusing on tone accuracy rather than speed.

Grammar and Sentence Patterns

会, 能, and 可以: three different kinds of "can"

Mandarin does not have one all-purpose word for "can." Instead, three modal verbs cover different meanings. All three appear directly before the main verb.

In many everyday situations, native speakers accept some overlap between 能 and 可以. For this chapter, use 会 only for learned skills (languages, instruments, driving), and use 能 or 可以 for circumstances or permission. Do not treat the three as fully interchangeable synonyms of English "can."

怎么 — asking how

怎么 asks about method or manner and, like other question words in Mandarin, stays in the position where the answer would go — it does not move to the front of the sentence.

Repair phrases for real conversation

You will not always catch every word. These formulaic phrases let you stay in the conversation instead of stopping it.

These are treated as formulaic expressions in this chapter. You may use them fully before analyzing every internal grammar point — but note that they already use structures you know: 请 + verb, 再 + verb + 一次, and the 怎么 pattern above.

Model Dialogue

Gloss: Xiao Lin asks Anna whether she can speak Chinese; Anna says she can speak a little, but slowly, and asks Xiao Lin to slow down. Xiao Lin agrees and asks whether Anna speaks English. Anna confirms she is American and asks the same back. When Xiao Lin doesn't understand a word Anna just used, he asks what it means and how to say "exchange" in Chinese; Anna teaches him 交流, and he confirms he now understands.

Listening Practice

Ask a partner, instructor, or fluent speaker to read the passage below aloud twice at a natural pace before answering.

If no speaker is available, this is a Listening Script for Independent Use. Read it aloud yourself, slowly at first, then at a natural pace. Any spoken model should be verified by a fluent Mandarin speaker before being treated as a pronunciation standard.

听力任务 — Listening task:

Reading Practice

Read the short message below and answer the comprehension questions.

理解问题 — Comprehension questions:

1. 莎拉可以帮小林做什么？ (What can Sarah help Xiao Lin with?)
2. 莎拉会做中国菜吗？为什么？ (Can Sarah make Chinese food? Why/why not?)
3. 莎拉想请小林教她什么？ (What does Sarah want Xiao Lin to teach her?)

Writing Workshop

Write a short exchange of five to seven sentences about ability and permission, using only vocabulary and grammar from Chapters 1-11.

写作任务 — Writing task: Type your sentences with Pinyin input if possible, or copy/handwrite the characters you have already been assigned for handwriting. Your writing must include:

1. A skill statement. Say what you can or cannot do using 会.
2. A circumstance statement. Say what you can or cannot do today using 能.
3. A permission question. Ask permission for something using 可以.
4. A "how" question. Ask how to do or say something using 怎么.
5. A repair phrase. Include at least one phrase for asking someone to repeat or slow down.

修改清单 — Editing checklist:

• 会, 能, and 可以 are not used interchangeably without regard to meaning.
• The modal verb comes directly before the main verb, not after.
• 怎么 stays in the position where the answer would go.
• A Chinese period (。) or question mark (？) ends each sentence.

Speaking Practice

Culture and Communication

Common Mistakes

• Using 会 for temporary circumstances: *我今天会去，因为我很忙 is incorrect logic — busyness is a circumstance, not a lack of skill. Use 能: 我今天不能去，因为我很忙。
• Placing 怎么 at the front of the sentence by analogy with English: avoid *怎么你去学校？. Keep it before the verb: 你怎么去学校？ (How do you get to school?)
• Mispronouncing 可以 as kě-yǐ instead of ké-yǐ: remember third-tone sandhi applies here just as it does in 你好.
• Treating repair phrases as rude: 请再说一次 is polite and expected, not an interruption.

Chapter Review

Practical Performance Task

Looking Ahead