Difference between revisions of "Comparing "hui," "neng," "keyi""
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| − | This is one of the trickiest comparisons, as 会, 能, and 可以 are often translated as "can." Sometimes they are explained as: 会 means "know how to", 能 means "to be able to", and 可以 means "to have permission to." Actually, they overlap a little bit. In this article, we will look at their differences. | + | This is one of the trickiest comparisons, as 会, 能, and 可以 are often translated as "can." Sometimes they are explained as: 会 means "know how to", 能 means "to be able to", and 可以 means "to have permission to." Actually, they overlap a little bit. In this article, we will look at their differences. |
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== 会 can mean "know how to" == | == 会 can mean "know how to" == | ||
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== Sources and further reading == | == Sources and further reading == | ||
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| + | For a good visualiztion on how these three overlap, check out the [http://www.sinosplice.com/life/archives/2009/10/13/chinese-modal-verb-venn-diagram| Chinese Modal Verb Venn Diagram]. | ||
=== Books === | === Books === | ||
Revision as of 03:10, 15 March 2013
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Keywords
This is one of the trickiest comparisons, as 会, 能, and 可以 are often translated as "can." Sometimes they are explained as: 会 means "know how to", 能 means "to be able to", and 可以 means "to have permission to." Actually, they overlap a little bit. In this article, we will look at their differences.
Contents
会 can mean "know how to"
会 can express an action that you had to learn or be trained in to do.
Structure
会 + Verb
Examples
- 他 会 修 电脑。
- 我 会 跳舞。
- 我 学 了 两 年 才 会 说 一点 汉语。
会 can also mean something is gonna to happen
会 can express something in the future will happen. It is often used to express trends or possibilities.
Structure
会 + Verb
Examples
- 明天 你 会 来 吗？
- 你 太 过分 了，没 有 人 会 这么 做。
- 一会儿 会 下雨 吗？
很会 means 'to be good at"
很会 expresses being very skillful at something, or doing something very well. It can be translated as "really can", as in "you can really speak Chinese!", in other words, "you are good at speaking Chinese."
Structure
很会 + Verb
Examples
- 这 个 女 孩子 很 会 唱歌。
- 我 的 妈妈 很 会 做 饭。
- 他 很 会 骗 人。
能 means "to be able to"
能 expresses having a certain ability or having obtained a certain requirement.
Structure
能 + Verb
Examples
- 你 能 吃 三 碗 米饭 吗？
- 你 能 记 住 所有 国家 的 名字 吗？
- 三 个 月 的 小 孩子 不 能 走路。
可以 means "to have permission to"
可以 expresses having another person's permission. I can be thought of in the context of "allowed or not allowed".
Structure
可以 + Verb
Examples
- 我 可以 进来 吗？
- 你 可以 帮 我 一下 吗？
- 不 可以 带 危险 物品 上车。
Examples of similar expressions, but with different meanings
- 我 现在 能 跳舞 了，我 的 脚 伤 好 了。
- 我 现在 会 跳舞 了，我 学 了 两 个 月。
- 我 现在 可以 跳舞 了，我 爸爸 同意 了。
Example dialog
- A: 我 可以 和 他们 一起 踢 足球 吗？
- B: 你 的 腿 还 没 好，现在 你 不 能 踢。
- A: 它 会 好 吗？
- B: 很 快 就 会 好 的。
See also
- Auxiliary verb "hui" for "will"
- Expressing a learned skill
- Expressing ability or possibility
- Expressing permission
Sources and further reading
For a good visualiztion on how these three overlap, check out the Chinese Modal Verb Venn Diagram.
Books
- 对外汉语教学语法释疑201例 (p.55,p.65) →buy
Dictionaries
- 现代汉语词典（第5版） (能p.989， 可以p.773，会p.610) →buy
Websites
