Difference between revisions of "Hui, neng, and keyi"

Line 17: Line 17:
  
 
<div class="liju">
 
<div class="liju">
 +
 
*春节的时候,大家都会吃饺子。During the spring festival, everybody would be eating dumplings.
 
*春节的时候,大家都会吃饺子。During the spring festival, everybody would be eating dumplings.
 +
 
</div>
 
</div>
  
 
Future
 
Future
 +
 
<div class="liju">
 
<div class="liju">
 +
 
*他不会来。- He will not come.
 
*他不会来。- He will not come.
 
*明年一定会很顺利。- Next year will be succesfull.
 
*明年一定会很顺利。- Next year will be succesfull.
 +
 
</div>
 
</div>
  
Line 29: Line 34:
  
 
I do not know how to
 
I do not know how to
 +
 
<div class="liju">
 
<div class="liju">
 +
 
*我不会喝酒。 - I do not know how to drink (Used as only “acceptable” reason why to say no to an invitation for a drink)
 
*我不会喝酒。 - I do not know how to drink (Used as only “acceptable” reason why to say no to an invitation for a drink)
 +
 
</div>
 
</div>
  
Line 38: Line 46:
  
 
Physical ability, skill, inborn ability,  
 
Physical ability, skill, inborn ability,  
 +
 
<div class="liju">
 
<div class="liju">
 +
 
*她能把桌子搬到他办公室里。- He can move his table to his office.
 
*她能把桌子搬到他办公室里。- He can move his table to his office.
 +
 
</div>
 
</div>
  
Line 101: Line 112:
  
 
</div>
 
</div>
 +
  
 
==== Negative sentences ====
 
==== Negative sentences ====

Revision as of 06:38, 31 May 2012

Meanings in General

Positive sentences

Ability, acquired skill, required by learning

  • 我妈妈真会做饭。- My mum really knows how to cook.
  • 他会说汉语。- He can speak chinese.

Possibility in general

  • 春节的时候,大家都会吃饺子。During the spring festival, everybody would be eating dumplings.

Future

  • 他不会来。- He will not come.
  • 明年一定会很顺利。- Next year will be succesfull.

Negative sentences

I do not know how to

  • 我不会喝酒。 - I do not know how to drink (Used as only “acceptable” reason why to say no to an invitation for a drink)

Positive sentences

Physical ability, skill, inborn ability,

  • 她能把桌子搬到他办公室里。- He can move his table to his office.

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。- He hurt his hand, he can not play basketball.
  • 他的手受伤了,不可以打篮球。
  • - 他的手好了,能打篮球了。- His hand is OK now, he can play basketball again.
  • - 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? - Will you be able to come tomorrow evening? 对不起,我现在不能过去。- I am sorry, I can not come now.

Negative sentences

Can not

她到底爱不爱你,我不能告诉你。- If she loves you or doesn’t, I really can not tell you.

可以

Positive sentences

Physical ability, knowladge base ability

她已经四岁,可以开始学英语。- She is already fout years old, she can start to learn english.

Permision

我妈妈说我可以嫁给你。- My mum says, I can marry you.

Can - something can be possibly caused as a result

学习外语可以扩大你的视野。- Studing foreign languages can expand you horizons.


Negative sentences

Prohibition, not allowed

你太年轻,你不可以喝酒。- You are too young, you can not drink alcohol.

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?

</dev>


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 predicade

  • 这样说也可以。
  • 他会乐器。
  • 这样说也能。

会 and 能 can be modified with intensificators

  • 他很会跳舞。
  • 他很能吃苦
  • 他很可以跳舞

</dev>

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 „skilll“, 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。- He knows how to eat, you want to eat something delicious, he will know where to buy it. (Skillful) 他很能吃,给他10碗米饭吃,也吃不饱。- He really can eat, you can give him 10 bowls of rice, but ho will still not be full. (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.

Question: 你明天会来吗?(不是“回来”,是“会来”) Answer:

  • 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