Expressing ability or possibility with "neng"

能 (néng) is one of several Chinese words that is normally translated as "can" in English. However, 能 (néng) is used to emphasize one's ability or the possibility of something happening.

Expressing Ability

能 (néng) indicates ability when used with activities that are not consciously learned or studied.

Structure

The structure to use 能 (néng) to express "ability" is:

Subj. + 能 + Verb + Obj.

Examples

• 我 能 吃 四 十 个 饺子。Wǒ néng chī sìshí gè jiǎozi.I can eat 40 dumplings.
• 他 能 工作 24 个 小时。Tā néng gōngzuò èrshísì gè xiǎoshí.He can work 24 hours.
• 你 能 帮 我 找到 他 吗？ Nǐ néng bāng wǒ zhǎo dào tā ma?Can you help me find him?
• 你 的 手机 能 上网 吗？Nǐ de shǒujī néng shàngwǎng ma?Can your cellphone go on the internet?
• 一 岁 的 宝宝 能 说话 吗？Yī suì de bǎobǎo néng shuōhuà ma?Can a one year old baby talk?

Expressing Possibility

When used with activities that are consciously learned or studied, 能 (néng) generally means that circumstances do not allow execution of the action. In other words, it's not possible.

Structure

The structure to use 能 (néng) to express possibility is exactly the same:

Subj. + 能 + Verb + Obj.

Examples

• 开车 一 个 小时 能 到 家 吗？Kāi chē yī gè xiǎoshí néng dàojiā ma?Is it possible to drive home in one hour?
• 他们 明天 能 早点 来 吗？ Tāmen míngtiān néng zǎodiǎn lái ma?Would it be possible for them to come a little earlier tomorrow?
• 你们 能 小声 一点 吗？Nǐmen néng xiǎo shēng yīdiǎn ma?Could you all lower your voices a bit?
• 你 能 告诉 我 她的 手机 号码 吗 ？Nǐ néng gàosù wǒ tā de shǒujī hàomǎ ma?Could you tell me her cell phone number?
• 一 千 块 能 买 一 个 手机 吗？Yīqiān kuài néng mǎi yīgè shǒujī ma?Is it possible to buy a cell phone with one thousand RMB?

Other usages

From these examples we can see such circumstances might be pertaining to getting someone's consent or reliant on the speaker's health. 会 (huì) can be used instead if the speaker wishes to express that they are able to execute an action requiring a consciously studied skill.

Because 能 (néng) can express possibility, it is often used to form polite questions, something like "would it be possible" in English:

Examples

• 我 能 问 你 一 个 问题 吗？Wǒ néng wèn nǐ yī gè wèntí ma?Could I ask you a question?
• 我 能 坐 在 这里 吗？Wǒ néng zuò zài zhèlǐ ma?Could I sit here?
• 这里 不 能 游泳。(it's not allowed, or not possible for other reasons)Zhèlǐ bù néng yóuyǒng.You can't swim here.
• 上课 的 时候 不 能 说 英文。 (my teacher has forbidden me from speaking English.)Shàngkè de shíhou bù néng shuō Yīngwén.In class, you can't speak English.
• 工作 的 时候 不 能 玩 手机。Gōngzuò de shíhou bù néng wán shǒujī.When working, you can't play with your cell phone.

See also

• Expressing permission with "keyi"
• Expressing a learned skill with "hui"
• Comparing "hui" "neng" "keyi"

Sources and further reading

Websites

• Sinosplice: Chinese Modal Verb Venn Diagram

Books

• Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed) (pp. 219-20)　→buy
• New Practical Chinese Reader 1 (新实用汉语课本1) (pp. 160-1) →buy
• New Practical Chinese Reader 1 (新实用汉语课本1)(2nd ed) (pp. 185-7) →buy