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Teo Posted 20 years ago
Grammar

Do/Can you speak English?

01. Do you speak English?02br
02br
002. Can you speak English?02br
02br
00What's the the difference between the above sentences?0-
  

Top answer

0Hi,02br 02br 01font 001. 02font 02br 02br 01font 002. 02font 02br 02br 01font 00What's the the difference between the above sentences?

— Clive

  • 0Hi,02br 02br 01font 001.
  • 02font 02br 02br 01font 002.
  • 02font 02br 02br 01font 00What's the the difference between the above sentences?
  • 02font 00In everyday speech, they are often used with the same meaning.
  • 00However, #1 really refers to habit/custom/everyday routine, while #2 refers to ability.
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24 Answers
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0Hi,02br
02br
01font001. Do you speak English?02font02br
02br
01font002. Can you speak English?02font02br
02br
01font00What's the the difference between the above sentences? 02font00In everyday speech, they are often used w
0
0
0 Approaching a stranger in a foreign country, and hoping to be able to communicate with him or her in English, we say "Do you speak English?"02br
02br
00 In a discussion of our abilities and the abilities of our friends, classmates, etc., we would say "Can you speak English?" For example,02br
02br
00 -- Paula can speak Italian and Spanish.02br
0
0
1font00Approaching a stranger in a foreign country, and hoping to be able to communicate with him or her in English, we say "Do you speak English?"02font02br
02br
00I would agree. And the reason is because 'do you' sound more polite than 'can you'.0-
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0 01blockquote
01cite10Danyoo12cite12br
11font10Approaching a stranger in a foreign country, and hoping to be able to communicate with him or her in English, we say "Do you speak English?"12font12br
12br
10I would agree. And the reason is because 'do you' sound more polite than 'can you'
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0Hi Krish, thanks for pointing out my error.02br
02br
00I should rewrite my sentence as:02br
00And the reason is that 'do you' sound more polite than 'can you.'02br
00And it's because 'do you' sound more polite than 'can you.'02br
02br
00[y]0-
0
0
0 Hi,Danyoo!R u from Korea? 0-
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0 1.means do u know how to speak english 0-
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0Hepburngeng, yes I was born in Korea. But my parents immigrated to America when I was 13 years old. I've been living in the U.S. since.02br
02br
00[H]0-
0
0
0 01blockquote
01cite10Danyoo12cite12br
10Hi Krish, thanks for pointing out my error.12br
12br
10I should rewrite my sentence as:12br
10And the reason is that 'do you' sound more polite than 'can you.'12br
10And it's because 'do you' sound more polite than 'can you.'12br
12br
10[y]
0
0
0 01blockquote
00because 'do you' sound[ s ] more polite than 'can you'.12blockquote
12br
00 To me they sound equally polite. I think the reason we don't use "can" is that if we want to communicate with the person we are not really interested in their 01u00ability02u00 to speak English as some sort of inert skill they have
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