# can + language



## ayupshiplad

Evening all 

I was wondering what verb you use in Russian for 'can' when using it with languages? I only ask because other languages can be a bit funny with it! (For example (generally) French: arriver/savoir, Portuguese: conseguir/saber, Italian: riuscire (and perhaps sapere, though I don't know!)) 

For example:

I can't really speak Russian.
I can't really understand Russian.

Should I use 'мочь' because I'm expressing an ability? Or is there a more 'exotic' verb?

Thanks!


----------



## jazyk

It's not that other languages are funny about this, it's English that's defective in this aspect.


----------



## Maroseika

ayupshiplad said:


> Evening all
> 
> I was wondering what verb you use in Russian for 'can' when using it with languages? I only ask because other languages can be a bit funny with it! (For example (generally) French: arriver/savoir, Portuguese: conseguir/saber, Italian: riuscire (and perhaps sapere, though I don't know!))
> 
> For example:
> 
> I can't really speak Russian.
> I can't really understand Russian.
> 
> Should I use 'мочь' because I'm expressing an ability? Or is there a more 'exotic' verb?
> 
> Thanks!


Я не могу говорить по-русски rather means that you know Russian but something doesn't let you speak it.
If you mean you don't know Russian and that's why you can't speak it, better to say:
Я не умею говорить по-русски or 
Я не знаю русского, 
something like that.
Or it may be a part of a composite sentence:
Я не могу говорить по-русски так же свободно, как по-чукотски.


----------



## palomnik

ayupshiplad said:


> I can't really understand Russian.


 
I'm not really sure whether you would say this in English, although there's nothing grammatically wrong with it, and I'm almost certain that you wouldn't say the literal equivalent in Russian. 

It seems to me that Я не могу понимать русский would mean that you were incapable of understanding Russian - forever.

Я не могу понять русский would mean that you've somehow lost the ability to understand Russian.

Я не умею понимать русский means "I don't know how to understand Russian", which sounds a little ridiculous.

_ I have always felt that Russian has a tendency toward precision that English lacks, at least in spoken English. Sometimes that means you can say things in English that make no sense in Russian. For example, how can you say "do your thing" in Russian?

Moved here._


----------



## Brian P

Maroseika said:


> Я не могу говорить по-русски rather means that you know Russian but something doesn't let you speak it.
> If you mean you don't know Russian and that's why you can't speak it, better to say:
> Я не умею говорить по-русски or
> Я не знаю русского,
> something like that.
> Or it may be a part of a composite sentence:
> Я не могу говорить по-русски так же свободно, как по-чукотски.


 
Что значит 'как по-чукотски'? Я его не нахожу в словаре


----------



## papillon

Чукотский язык: язык чукчей.


----------



## Ptak

The most simple variants are:

Я не говорю по-русски.
Я не понимаю по-русски.

"Я не умею говорить по-русски" seams a bit odd to me. It's grammatically correct, but... in 99% one would say "Я не говорю по-русски / английски/ французски / etc"


----------



## Q-cumber

Ptak said:


> The most simple variants are:
> 
> Я не говорю по-русски.
> Я не понимаю по-русски.
> 
> "Я не умею говорить по-русски" seams a bit odd to me. It's grammatically correct, but... in 99% one would say "Я не говорю по-русски / английски/ французски / etc"



Well, it depends. What about "Как жалко, я не умею говорить по-русски (по-английски, по-немецки)!"?


----------



## Ptak

Q-cumber said:


> What about "Как жалко, я не умею говорить по-русски (по-английски, по-немецки)!"?


It's 1%!


----------



## Sandra723

In this meaning 'can' is better to use 'уметь' "владеть", "понимать".


----------



## ayupshiplad

Evening all and thanks for your replies! 



Q-cumber said:


> Well, it depends. What about "Как жалко, я не умею говорить по-русски (по-английски, по-немецки)!"?


 
Should I just ignore this '1%' for now? It's not that I don't want to learn the intricacies of Russian, but I only have it once a week and never really speak it (both because of inability and lack of Russian speaking people to talk to, not because of no inclination to do so ), so should I just stick to "Я не говорю по-русски"?


(





palomnik said:


> I'm not really sure whether you would say this (I can't understand Russian) in English, although there's nothing grammatically wrong with it..._._


 
What else would you say in English?  )


----------



## Ptak

ayupshiplad said:


> so should I just stick to "Я не говорю по-русски"?


If you want just to say "I don't speak Russian" or "I can't (speak) Russian" than yes, you should stick "*Я не говорю по-русски*". In this case "Я _не умею говорить_ по-русски" wouldn't sound very good to me...


----------



## Sandra723

Ptak said:


> If you want just to say "I don't speak Russian" or "I can't (speak) Russian" than yes, you should stick "*Я не говорю по-русски*". In this case "Я _не умею говорить_ по-русски" wouldn't sound very good to me...


No, that one would definitely be a  vivid signal of your being a foreigner


----------



## ayupshiplad

Sandra723 said:


> No, that one would definitely be a vivid signal of your being a foreigner


 
Ha I don't really think I am really concerned about that, apart from pronouncing 'zdrastvooytse' properly I think it will be blatantly obvious that I am foreign! 

Is there no other verb I could really use and it sound natural? I mean, "I can't really speak Russian" would mean that I can speak some Russian, but not a lot, whereas "I don't speak Russian" would mean I speak no Russian...I would like to strike a balance between sounding natural and getting my full meaning across if possible! 

(May I congratulate you on your English by the way! The vast majority of people (including natives) would say: "...a vivid signal of you being a foreigner" )


----------



## Sandra723

What are you talking about?  "Really" IS a signal, that's not insufficiently, it IS enough.


----------



## Ptak

You can say *Я почти не говорю по-русски*.
(почти=almost)


----------



## palomnik

ayupshiplad said:


> What else would you say in English?  )


 
How about "I don't understand Russian?"


----------



## ayupshiplad

palomnik said:


> How about "I don't understand Russian?"


 
I think I would still always say can't! Even in other languages I think I would naturally say "Je n'arrive pas à comprendre...", "Não consigo entender..." etc etc instead of simply negating the word speak. Perhaps it's just a personal preference 

Thanks for your suggestion, Ptak, so obvious and yet I never thought of it!


----------



## Sandra723

palomnik said:


> How about "I don't understand Russian?"


"Я не понимаю по-русски" - use indicative mood instead.


----------

