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

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== Meanings in General ==
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== Meanings in General ==
  
=== ===
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=== Positive sentences ===
  
==== Positive sentences ====
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==== Ability, acquired skill, required by learning ====
 
 
Ability, acquired skill, required by learning
 
  
 
<div class="liju">
 
<div class="liju">
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</div>
 
</div>
  
Possibility in general
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==== Possibility in general ====
  
 
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</div>
 
</div>
  
Future
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==== Future ====
  
 
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==== Negative sentences ====
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=== Negative sentences ===
  
I do not know how to
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==== I do not know how to ====
  
 
<div class="liju">
 
<div class="liju">
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=== 能 ===
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== 能 Meanings in General ==
  
==== Positive sentences ====
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=== Positive sentences ===
  
Physical ability, skill, inborn ability,
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==== Physical ability, skill, inborn ability ====
  
 
<div class="liju">
 
<div class="liju">
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</div>
 
</div>
  
Loose or regain certain ability (It is not possible to use 会 or 可以 in this sentence)
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==== Loose or regain certain ability ====
 +
 
 +
It is not possible to use 会 or 可以 in this sentence)
  
 
<div class="liju">
 
<div class="liju">
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<li class="o"> 他的手受伤了,不能打篮球。</li>
 
<li class="o"> 他的手受伤了,不能打篮球。</li>
 
<li class="x"> 他的手受伤了,不可以打篮球。</li>
 
<li class="x"> 他的手受伤了,不可以打篮球。</li>
<li class="o"> 他的手好了,能打篮球了。</li>
+
<li class="o"> 他的手好了,能打篮球了。</li>
<li class="x"> 他的手好了,会打篮球了。</li>
+
<li class="x"> 他的手好了,会打篮球了。</li>
 
</ul>
 
</ul>
  
 
</div>
 
</div>
  
Expressing possibility (in sense of something permitted by objective conditions)
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==== Expressing possibility ====
 +
 
 +
in sense of something permitted by objective conditions)
  
 
<div class="liju">
 
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</div>
 
</div>
  
==== Negative sentences ====
 
  
Can not
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=== Negative sentences ===
 +
 
 +
==== Can not ====
  
 
<div class="liju">
 
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</div>
 
</div>
  
=== 可以 ===
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== 可以 Meanings in General ==
  
==== Positive sentences ====
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=== Positive sentences ===
  
Physical ability, knowladge base ability
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==== Physical ability, knowladge base ability ====
  
 
<div class="liju">
 
<div class="liju">
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</div>
 
</div>
  
Permision
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==== Permision ====
  
 
<div class="liju">
 
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</div>
 
</div>
  
Can - something can be possibly caused as a result
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==== Can ====
 +
 
 +
Something can be possibly caused as a result
  
 
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</div>
 
</div>
  
 +
=== Negative sentences ===
  
==== Negative sentences ====
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==== Prohibition, not allowed =====
 
 
Prohibition, not allowed
 
  
 
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<div class="liju">
 
<div class="liju">
 +
 
<ul>
 
<ul>
  
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</ul>
 
</ul>
  
</dev>
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</div>
  
 
Only 能,可以 can express a certain level of efficiency
 
Only 能,可以 can express a certain level of efficiency
 +
 
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可以,会 can serve also as predicade
 
可以,会 can serve also as predicade
 +
 
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会 and 能 can be modified with intensificators
 
会 and 能 can be modified with intensificators
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<div class="liju">
  
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</ul>
 
</ul>
  
</dev>
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</div>
  
 
能/可以 - express possesion of skills in general/permission and prohibition. 能emphasizes ability, 可以 possibility
 
能/可以 - express possesion of skills in general/permission and prohibition. 能emphasizes ability, 可以 possibility
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None of them can be followed by 了,着 or 过.
 
None of them can be followed by 了,着 or 过.
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*Question:
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*你明天会来吗?
*你明天会来吗?(不是“回来”,是“会来”)
 
*Answer:
 
  
 
<ul>
 
<ul>

Revision as of 07:08, 31 May 2012

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。

Permision

  • 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 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

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。(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