Question

If you wanted to say:

I can speak English.

Would it be correct to say?

Ich kann Englisch sprechen.

Answer

No! That is incorrect.

Ich kann Englisch.

Well, it is technically correct. It is a grammatically correct sentence and anyone could understand you. However, this is not the proper way to say you speak a language.

If you said Ich kann Deutsch sprechen, people would think 'No, actually you cant.'

The proper way to say this - Ich kann (language). Why? No special reason. This short cut has become the common way to say. If you think of speaking a language as a skill, I guess it no different than saying you can swim or cycle or read. 'Englishing' is just a skill you can perform.

Examples

Ich kann Spanisch. (I can speak Spanish)

Ich kann Russisch. (I can speak Russia)

Ich kann Französische. (I can speak French)