Difference between revisions of "Expressing ability or possibility with "neng""
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* 上课 的 时候 不 <em>能</em> 说 英文。<span class="expl"> (my teacher has forbidden me from speaking English.)</span><span class="pinyin">Shàngkè de shíhou bù <em>néng</em> shuō Yīngwén.</span><span class="trans">In class, you can't speak English.</span> | * 上课 的 时候 不 <em>能</em> 说 英文。<span class="expl"> (my teacher has forbidden me from speaking English.)</span><span class="pinyin">Shàngkè de shíhou bù <em>néng</em> shuō Yīngwén.</span><span class="trans">In class, you can't speak English.</span> | ||
| − | * | + | * 这里 不 <em>能</em> 游泳。<span class="expl">(it's not allowed, or not possible for other reasons)</span><span class="pinyin">Zhèlǐ bù <em>néng</em> yóuyǒng.</span><span class="trans">You can't swim here.</span> |
| − | * | + | * 开会 的 时候 不 <em>能</em> 玩 手机。<span class="pinyin"> Kāihuì de shíhòu bù <em>néng</em> wán shǒujī.</span><span class="trans">During the meeting, you can't play with cellphone.</span> |
| − | + | * 办公室 里 不 <em>能</em> 抽烟。<span class="pinyin"> Bàngōngshì lǐ bù <em>néng</em> chōuyān.</span><span class="trans">In the office, you can't smoke.</span> | |
| − | * | + | * 老板 说，在公司 不 <em>能</em> 吃 东西。<span class="pinyin">Lǎobǎn shuō, zài gōngsī bù <em>néng</em> chī dōngxi.</span><span class="trans">The boss said, in the office, you can't eat.</span> |
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Revision as of 07:35, 18 September 2015
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能 (néng) is another Chinese word that is often translated as "can." However, it has a slightly different meaning than the others. 能 (néng) is used to express ability or possibility of doing something. This article will further explain its use.
Contents
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。I can eat 40 dumplings.
- 我 的 老板 能 工作 24 个 小时。My boss can work 24 hours.
- 你 能 帮 我 买 个 东西 吗？Can you help me buy something?
- 你 的 手机 能 上网 吗？Can your cellphone go on the internet?
- 一 岁 的 宝宝 能 说话 吗？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. Sometimes this is a bit of an exaggeration and actually just means it's "not allowed."
Structure
The structure to use 能 (néng) to express possibility is exactly the same:
Subj. + 能 + Verb + Obj.
Examples
- 上课 的 时候 不 能 说 英文。 (my teacher has forbidden me from speaking English.)In class, you can't speak English.
- 这里 不 能 游泳。(it's not allowed, or not possible for other reasons)You can't swim here.
- 开会 的 时候 不 能 玩 手机。During the meeting, you can't play with cellphone.
- 办公室 里 不 能 抽烟。In the office, you can't smoke.
- 老板 说，在公司 不 能 吃 东西。The boss said, in the office, you can't eat.
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
- 你 能 帮 我 吗?Could you help me?
- 你 能 不 能 给 我 那 本书？Could you give me that book?
- 我 能 问 你 一 个 问题 吗？Could I ask you a question?
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
