"Ĉu vi scipovas paroli Esperanton?"

Translation: Do you know how to speak Esperanto?

[dnepropedrovsk]

Didn't know you could do that with verbs, too. Esperanto is truly a Lego language.

[pepefuentest]

You can do everything here. You will surprise with some verbs that are just some affixes with the termination -i, like iĝi, igi, eki, disi, emi, etc :)

[Tomicxo]

You can have compound verbs in English too, just that they are exceptionally rare. For example, "kickstart" is a compound verb.

[nictheman]

Okay, I'm a bit confused between scii, povi and scipovi!

[jxetkubo]

Scii is about the knowledge, povi about having the strength, skill or ability which is necessary to do something. Scipovi is when the ability is based on the knowledge. And don’t forget the word "kapabli" when it is about the general capability.

[johnclover]

Yeah "scii" + "povi" = "scipovi" as in like "have the knowledge so you can do it"

[Elisabeth3789]

Perfect explanation. Thank you! Have a lingot!

[AusPole]

It's like the Polish umieć, or Mandarin 会 (hui4); it's something you have to study or learn to be able to do, i.e. swim, surf, ski, speak a language, read, cook etc.

I gave the Polish and Mandarin examples in case you would like to directly translate those specific words and find an equivalent to a language you're already familiar with, which I see there are quite a few!

[drownloader]

"Scipovo" seems almost perfectly equivalent to the American English "know-how," and "scipovi" would be the verb form.

[OsiatSimbe]

But can we say also "Ĉu vi scias kiel paroli Esperanton?" ?

[LouisSepdekdu]

You could say it, but it wouldn't mean the same thing.

[Rippler]

Know-can you speak Esperanto?

Jes, kaj mi amas gxin!

[AcerMapleB]

Ne, sed mi lernas

[butisitbeautiful]

Kiel vi diras "kind of"?

[jxetkubo]

La tutan frazon mi petas.

[butisitbeautiful]

"I kind of know Esperanto"? It's like "a doubtful yes".

[jxetkubo]

Mi scias iom da Esperanto. au Mi scietas Esperanton.

[FumuCxiuta]

Mi sxatas vian trian okulojn.

[DWYato]

The new speaker knows how to speak Esperanto, just does not know how to enunciate as clearly as the original translations.

[HEdcs]

How would you say "Did you know how to speak Esperanto?". The past-tense in "paroli" confused me.

[jxetkubo]

Paroli is the infinitive. There is no past tense in it.

As always you change from -as to -is to get past tense: Ĉu vi scipovis paroli Esperanton?