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So, in English, we tend to use phrases like "Do you speak English?" when what
we're really talking about is ability -- i.e. " _Can_ you speak English?"

My question is, does this work in Japanese? The impression I get is no, but I
want to make sure. Like, if someone were to ask "日本語しゃべるの?", it wouldn't be
"Do you speak Japanese?" as in "Can you speak Japanese?", it would be "Do you
speak Japanese?" as in "Do you ever speak Japanese?", or possibly "Are you
going to speak Japanese?", right? To ask about ability, I have to actually use
a potential form of the verb -- しゃべれる. Right?
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2014-10-22T07:31:14.080
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2014-10-22T09:09:56.833
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usage
Asking "Do you speak Japanese?" in Japanese
The most common form is 「日本語ができますか？」 or 「日本語(を)喋れますか？」. It's completely OK to
directly ask someone's ability in this case.

I usually make "indirect" questions like 「日本語をお話しになりますか？」 only when I talk to
someone who is far higher than me and have to be super polite.

「日本語しゃべるの？」 sounds a bit weird to me, because 「しゃべるの？」 is a casual expression
but the speaker is asking too indirectly. 「日本語しゃべれる(の)？」 or 「日本語できるの？」 is
better when you are talking to your friend.

In certain situations, as you suspected, 「日本語しゃべるの？」 can mean "Are you gonna
speak Japanese (e.g. in the meeting tomorrow?)".

Likewise, "Do you drink?" is "お酒飲める?" (casual) or "お酒はお飲みになりますか?" (polite) in
Japanese.
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2014-10-22T08:39:16.457
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Naruto's answer has good advice on politeness; 「日本語しゃべるの？」is extremely casual
and could result in problems if used in the wrong situation.

Beyond that, one point: verbs have different conjugations, one of these is the
_potential_ form which implies "capability to become".

日本語をしゃべれますか？ literally means "CAN you speak Japanese", while 日本語をしゃべりますか would
mean "DO you speak Japanese" as you ask. In context it's unlikely anyone will
mark a difference between them.
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2014-10-22T09:09:56.833
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