Hui, neng, and keyi
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会(huì), 能(néng), and 可以 (kěyǐ) are often mixed up by many people who are just beginning to learn Chinese. They all generally mean "can," but there are differences in how they are used. This article is going to compare them and clear up some of the confusion surrounding these three very similar, but different words.
Contents
会 Meanings in General
Positive sentences
Ability, acquired skill, required by learning
- 我妈妈真会做饭。
- 他会说汉语。
Possibility in general
- 春节的时候，大家都会吃饺子。
Future
- 他不会来。
- 明年一定会很顺利。
Negative sentences
I do not know how to
- 我不会喝酒。
能 Meanings in General
Positive sentences
Physical ability, skill, inborn ability
- 她能把桌子搬到他办公室里。
Loose or regain certain ability. It is not possible to use 会 or 可以 in this sentence.
- 他的手受伤了，不能打篮球。
- 他的手受伤了，不可以打篮球。
- 他的手好了，能打篮球了。
- 他的手好了，会打篮球了。
Expressing possibility. In sense of something permitted by objective conditions.
- 明天晚上你能来吗？
- 对不起，我现在不能过去。
Negative sentences
Can not
- 她到底爱不爱你，我不能告诉你。
可以 Meanings in General
Positive sentences
Physical ability, knowladge base ability
- 她已经四岁，可以开始学英语。
Permission
- 我妈妈说我可以嫁给你。
Can. Something can be possibly caused as a result
- 学习外语可以扩大你的视野。
Negative sentences
Prohibition, not allowed
- 你太年轻，你不可以喝酒。
Main differences
会 - can be used also as a verb by itself, others can not:
- 这样做，我不会。
- 我样做，我不能。
- 这样做，我不可以。
会 - can be followed also by complement or object, others can not:
- 你会什么？
- 你能什么？
- 你可以什么？
Only 能，可以 can express a certain level of efficiency
- 他的朋友很能吃，他一分钟能吃掉12个包子。
- 他的朋友很能吃，他一分钟会吃掉12个包子。
可以，会 can serve also as predicate
- 这样说也可以。
- 他会乐器。
- 这样说也能。
会 and 能 can be modified with intensifiers
- 他很会跳舞。
- 他很能吃苦
- 他很可以跳舞
能／可以 - express possesion of skills in general/permission and prohibition. 能emphasizes ability, 可以 possibility
能／会 When they express “being good at doing something”, 会 emphasizes "skill“, 能 emphasizes "ability“:
- 他很会吃，你想知道哪里有好吃的，他就知道在哪儿可以买到。(Skillful)
- 他很能吃，给他10碗米饭吃，也吃不饱。(can eat a lot)
Common rules
None of them can be followed by 了，着 or 过.
- 他会做饭。
- 他会过做饭。
We can use the modal verb solo, to answer the question, but not the lexical verb solo.
- 你明天会来吗？
- 会！
- 来！
Modal verbs should be used before prepositional phrases and descriptive adverbial modifiers:
- 对 － 你应该把课本再看一次，看完以后再来考试。
- 错 － 你把课本应该再看一次， 看完以后再来考试。
- 对 － 他们得努力地读一读。
- 错 － 他们努力地得读一读。
See also
Sources and further reading
Books
- Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical Guide (pp.69 - 75, 224) →buy
- Chinese Grammar - Broken down into 100 items - Basic and Intermediate Levels (汉语语法百项讲练 - 初中级) (pp. 10 - 12)→buy
- Practicing HSK Grammar (语法精讲精炼) (pp. 142-144) →buy
- Chinese Grammar Without Tears (简明汉语语法学习手册) (pp. 239 - 244) →buy
