The Focus Of This Lesson Is Expressing Ability Using có thể ("can").
Em có thể nói tiếng Anh không?
"Can you speak English?"

Using có thể to Talk About Abilities

Main structure: Subject + có thể + main verb + object + (adverb)

Có thể is a verb which means "can/ to be able to." It is followed by a main verb indicating the action/activity that the subject is able to do.

This structure applies to all types of subjects (singular or plural, first person or third person), which means the verb có thể and the main verb stays the same (without any change in their form) regardless of the subjects. The adverb is optional and can be put before or after the object.

Sample sentences from the dialogue:

1. Em có thể nói tiếng Anh trôi chảy.
   "I can speak English fluently."
2. Em có thể làm vào các buổi chiều thứ hai, thứ tư và thứ bảy.
   "I can work on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday afternoons."

More examples:

1. Anh ấy có thể ăn hết 5 bát mì trong vòng 10 phút.
   "He can eat five bowls of noodles in ten minutes."
2. Tôi có thể chơi game suốt ngày đêm.
   "I can play games all day and night."
3. Cô ấy có thể chơi đàn piano và ghi ta.
   "She can play the piano and guitar."

Negative form of có thể

To express something that one cannot do, we replace có thể with không thể ("cannot/not be able to"), the other parts remain the same.

Main structure: Subject + không thể + main verb + object + (adverb)

For example:

1. Em không thể nói tiếng Anh trôi chảy.
   "I can't speak English fluently."
2. Tôi không thể chơi game suốt ngày đêm.
   "I can't play games all day and night."
3. Cô ấy không thể chơi đàn piano và ghi ta.
   "She can't play the piano or guitar."

Question form of có thể

To ask if someone can do something or not, simply add không to the end of the affirmative sentence có thể, the other parts remain the same. If the subject of the affirmative sentence is the first person pronoun, change that pronoun into the second person pronoun in the question (tôi → bạn/ anh/ chị etc)

Main structure: Subject + có thể + main verb + object + (adverb) + không?

The answer to this question is:

+ Có/ Có thể: Yes.

+ Không/ Không thể: No

Sample sentences from the dialogue:

1. Em có thể nói tiếng Anh không?
   "Can you speak English?"

More examples:

1. Anh ấy có thể ăn hết 5 bát mì trong vòng 10 phút không? - Có, anh ấy có thể.
   "Can he eat five bowls of noodles in ten minutes?" - "Yes, he can."
2. Bạn có thể chơi game suốt ngày đêm không? - Không, tôi không thể.
   "Can you play games all day and night?" - "No, I can't."

Ask WHAT one can do

Main structure: Subject + có thể + làm gì? (làm gì means "do what")

For example:

1. Anh ấy có thể làm gì? - Anh ấy có thể ăn hết 5 bát mì trong vòng 10 phút.
   "What can he do?" - "He can eat five bowls of noodles in ten minutes."
2. Cô ấy có thể làm gì? - Cô ấy có thể chơi đàn piano và ghi ta.
   "What can she do?" - "She can play the piano and guitar."

Listing Several Nouns in a Sentence

When there are two nouns, connect them with the conjunction và ("and"). When there are more than two nouns, connect the nouns before the last noun with commas, and add và ("and") before the last noun.

Sample sentences from the dialogue:

1. Điểm mạnh của em là khả năng tiếng Anh tốt, nhiệt tình và tinh thần trách nhiệm cao ạ.
   "My strengths
   are my good English ability, enthusiasm, and a strong sense of responsibility."
2. Em có thể làm vào các buổi chiều thứ hai, thứ tư và thứ bảy.
   "I can work on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday afternoons."

More examples:

1. Tôi và anh ấy là đồng nghiệp.
   "He and I are colleagues."
2. Trong phòng có bàn, ghế, giá sách và đồng hồ.
   "There is a table, a chair, a bookshelf, and a clock in the room.""
3. Cô ấy đã đi Pháp, Anh và Mỹ.
   "She has been to France, England and America."

Using dạ to reply to an older person

We have learned ừ and vâng, which mean "yes" to reply to another person. Dạ is another way to say "yes" but it is used to talk to an older person and/or someone we respect. Dạ is the same as vâng and they can be used interchangeably. In the north of Vietnam, some people use both of them together to make dạ vâng.

Sample sentences from the dialogue:

1. Dạ, em đã có một năm kinh nghiệm ạ.
   "Yes, I have one year of experience."
2. Dạ có ạ, Em có thể nói tiếng Anh trôi chảy.
   "Yes, I can speak English fluently." (Dạ có ạ in this sentence is to emphasize "Yes, I can.")

More examples:

1. A: Em làm xong báo cáo chưa? -B: Dạ, em làm xong rồi ạ.
   A: "Have you finished the report?" -B: "Yes, I've already finished it."
2. A: Tối nay nhớ về sớm nhé. -B: Dạ.
   A: "Remember to return home early tonight." -B: "Yes."

Examples from the dialogue:

1. Dạ có ạ, Em có thể nói tiếng Anh trôi chảy.
   "I can speak English fluently."
2. Em có thể làm vào các buổi chiều thứ hai, thứ tư và thứ bảy ạ.
   "I can work on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday afternoons."

Sample Sentences

1. Anh ấy có thể ăn hết 5 bát mì trong vòng 10 phút.
   "He can eat five bowls of noodles in ten minutes."
2. Tôi có thể chơi game suốt ngày đêm.
   "I can play games all day and night."
3. Cô ấy có thể chơi đàn piano và ghi ta.
   "She can play the piano and guitar."

em ("I, me"; a pronoun used to talk with a slightly older person)"

This word originally means "younger brother/sister" but it is also used as a pronoun to address the other speaker if he/she is a few years younger (meaning "you") or to call yourself (meaning "I/me") if the other speaker is a few years older.

Not only can it be used in informal conversation with close people but it can also be used in many formal situations such as in interviews, in a company, or even in some business meetings. Sometimes it is hard to tell if the other speaker is younger or older just at a glance. So in the first meeting, it is important to pay attention to the other speaker's attitude and talking style to see if he/she is strict or flexible. If he/she seems to be a strict person, it's better to use tôi (the general way to say "I or me") and call him/her bạn/anh/chị ("you") instead, because they are more formal than em ("you").

The safest way is to ask the other speaker politely how you should address him or her if you are not sure at first.

For example:

1. Chào em, anh là Nam, giám đốc công ty Sony. Rất vui được gặp em.
   "Hi, I'm Nam, director of Sony. Nice to meet you. (He is saying hello to a younger woman in a business situation)"

bản thân ("self (yourself, myself etc)")

bản thân means "oneself" or "one's own." It can be used both as a noun and an adjective.

It is used before a pronoun or noun, as the equivalent of "myself/ yourself/ ourselves/ himself/herself etc" in English. It can also mean "itself" if the mentioned subject is a thing (not a person). When used as an adjective, it means "my/our/his .. own/personal" (added before the noun).

For example:

1. Bản thân tôi không đồng ý với ý kiến này.
   "I myself don't agree with this idea."
2. Anh ta chỉ lo cho bản thân anh ta thôi.
   "He does nothing but take care of himself."
3. Bản thân sự việc này rất phức tạp.
   "This matter itself is very complicated."

khả năng ("ability")

khả năng means "ability." It is often used in the fixed phrase có khả năng + verb, which means "to be able to do something." The phrase có khả năng itself, when used alone without a verb, means "to be capable/talented/potential." Khả năng can also be followed by a noun to mean "the ability to do something"

khả năng is often followed by a verb or noun that refers to professional competence such as khả năng dịch thuật ("translation ability"), khả năng làm việc nhóm ("teamwork ability"), khả năng thích nghi ("adaptability"), khả năng ngoại ngữ ("foreign language ability") khả năng is hardly ever followed by a verb or noun that refers to daily activities such as "to eat, drink, sleep" etc

khả năng also means "possibility"

For example:

1. Tôi có khả năng làm việc độc lập.
   "I have the ability/am able to work independently."
2. Khả năng ngoại ngữ của cô ấy rất tốt.
   "Her foreign language ability is very good."
3. 3. Cậu ấy rất có khả năng.
   "He is very talented."

Vietnamese People's English Ability

Most Vietnamese people can't speak English. Though English is taught as early as elementary school, not many young people can communicate well in English. According to a Switzerland-based international education company called Education First, Vietnam ranks among the lowest levels of English proficiency in the world (ranked 33/63 of countries and territories around the globe and 9/14 in Asia in 2014). English education is mainly based on text books, with a heavy focus on grammar and writing, and a lack of an environment for communication practice is believed to be the main cause.

English proficiency is an important factor for a good career in Vietnam. A survey by Jobstreet revealed that 95% of employers believe that English proficiency has an effect on work performance and efficiency. Those who are good at English can work for foreign companies and organizations in Vietnam with a salary 3-5 times higher than those who don't know English.