"我爷爷会说英语。"
Translation:My grandfather can speak English.
20 CommentsThis discussion is locked.
1359
Correct. He speaks English=he has the ability (he can speak). He is speaking English=he's talking now and using English. In this sentence can is optional and the meaning is essentially identical.
116
This is "paternal grandfather." In our family, everybody has a different title, with aunts and uncles etc. assigned names and numbers depending on whether they are on the husband's father's side, wife's father's side etc.
Yes, Chinese has different worda for every type of relation: mother's side, father's side, older, younger, married in, etc. 爷爷 is paternal grandfather. 姥爷 is materal grandfather. There are actually 5 different ways to say "aunt". In a strict interpretation, 阿姨 means mother's younger sister. It is also the word for someone who takes care of young children, like "nanny" in English.
Duplingo mkst always uses 会 to mean "will," but 要 can also mean "will." I was taught that 要 is appropriate for future events that will be the result of the subjects actions/agency, whereas 会 appropriate for future events that occur on their own, without someone's influence.
I think that 要 makes more sense as "will" for a future action if this will be a special exception to how Grandpa normally speaks. But if you are describing a habitual action (let's say Grandpa lives in Miami: he speaks English with me, but Spanish with most people on his street), in that case I think 会 would fit better for the "will" in a habitual action that will continue in the future.
525
Previously when I put Grandfather as my answer it was not accepted. So now I put Grandpa... it's not accepted now....