Can You Speak English? by Molly Hakes
There are a number of people who are dying for a chance to practice what they have learned in school, so you may be accosted by eager English-speakers in bars, grocery stores, schools, and on the street. These potential conversationalists may require a little probing from you:
Eigo o wakarimasu ka.
Do you understand English?
This is a straightforward way to get the ball rolling. But even if the person you're talking to has passed the highest level of the proficiency exam with flying colors, she may deny her ability:
Eigo ga dekimasen.
I cannot (speak) English.
Eigo ga wakarimasen.
I do not understand English.
Somone with a little self-esteem may reply:
Eigo wa hon-no sukoshi shika wakaranai.
I only understand a little English.
If you want the potential form of most verbs, like yomimasu (“to read”), just change the second syllable to its correspond e form: yomemasu (“can read”). But with the verb shimasu (“to do”), the potential form is actually a totally different verb: dekimasu (“can do”). People often use the negative construction dekinai when speaking of their ability — or lack thereof — to speak English.
The word shika (“only,” “nothing to do but …”) followed by a verb is a way of stating something in the negative. It communicates an inability or a lack of something. The phrasing may seem rather roundabout, much like a double negative in English. Directly translated, Eigo wa hon-no sukoshi shika wakaranai means “English just a little only cannot understand.” This way of stating a negative is very, very common in everyday conversations.
Watashi wa kono jikan shika nai.
I only have this time right now.
Kono heya ni wa go nin shika inai.
There are only five people in this room.
Saifu no naka ni wa ni-sen en shika nai.
I only have 2,000 yen in my wallet.
This same phrase is also used to make a recommendation, or when reconciling oneself to a lack of options.
Yaru shika nai ne.
I have no choice but to do it.
Kiru shika nai.
There is nothing to do but cut it.
Uru shika nai.
There is nothing to do but sell it.
The final verb in each of these examples ends with the suffix -nai. Nai is the negative form of the verb arimasu. These statements are all fairly casual. To make them more formal, you must replace the -nai with arimasen, but this form of the verb is much less common.
