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A2 Intermediate Modal & Auxiliary Verbs

会 vs 能 vs 可以: Three Ways to Say “Can”

Chinese splits English “can” into three: 会 (a learned skill), 能 (ability or circumstances), and 可以 (permission). Picking the right one is the whole game.

Why this trips learners up

English gets by with a single word — “can”. Chinese splits that one job across three modal verbs, and choosing between them is one of the most persistent puzzles for learners: 会, 能, and 可以. Say the wrong one and you'll still be understood, but you'll sound a little off — and now and then you'll mean something you didn't intend.

Here's the core split. 会 (huì) is about a learned skill — something you studied or trained for (我会开车, “I can drive”). 能 (néng) is about ability or circumstances — being physically up to it, or conditions allowing it (我今天不能来, “I can't come today”). 可以 (kěyǐ) is about permission — whether something is allowed (这里可以拍照吗？, “Can we take photos here?”). They overlap at the edges, but those three centres of gravity steer you right almost every time.

The structure

Subject 会/能/可以 huì/néng/kěyǐ Verb
Colour key

Each colour marks one grammatical role — and the same colour means the same role on every page in the Lab.

Pattern Subject Verb Object Time Place Negation Adverb Function word Adjective Question

Examples in context

Real-world sentences, easiest first. Toggle pinyin or the translation, tap any word to see its role, or play the audio.

Tap a word to see its grammatical role.

wǒ 我 Subject huì 会 Pattern yòng 用 Verb kuàizi 筷子 Object

I can use chopsticks.

míngtiān 明天 Time huì 会 Pattern gèng 更 Adverb lěng 冷 Adjective

Tomorrow will be even colder.

wǒ 我 Subject néng 能 Pattern pǎo 跑 Verb wǔ gōnglǐ 五公里 Object

I can run five kilometres.

wǒ 我 Subject jīntiān 今天 Time bù 不 Negation néng 能 Pattern jiābān 加班 Verb

I can't work overtime today.

zhèlǐ 这里 Place kěyǐ 可以 Pattern pāizhào 拍照 Verb ma 吗 Question

Is photography allowed here?

wǒ 我 Subject kěyǐ 可以 Pattern zuò 坐 Verb zhèr 这儿 Place ma 吗 Question

May I sit here?

nǐ 你 Subject néng 能 Pattern děng 等 Verb wǒ 我 Object wǔ fēnzhōng 五分钟 Time ma 吗 Question

Can you wait five minutes for me?

zhè zhǒng shì 这种事 Subject bú 不 Negation huì 会 Pattern zài 再 Adverb fāshēng 发生 Verb le 了 Function word

This kind of thing won't happen again.

Common mistakes

Avoid: 我能游泳。 wǒ néng yóuyǒng.
Say this: 我会游泳。 wǒ huì yóuyǒng.

Why it happens: For a skill you LEARNED, use 会, not 能. 我会游泳 means “I know how to swim” (you took lessons). 我能游泳 shifts the meaning to “I'm physically able to swim right now” — true, perhaps, but not what you meant.

Avoid: 我会走吗？ wǒ huì zǒu ma?
Say this: 我可以走吗？ wǒ kěyǐ zǒu ma?

Why it happens: Permission is 可以 (or 能), never 会. 会 is about skill and likelihood, so 我会走吗？sounds like “am I likely to walk?”. To ask whether you may leave, it's 我可以走吗？.

Avoid: 我喝酒了，不会开车。 wǒ hē jiǔ le, bú huì kāichē.
Say this: 我喝酒了，不能开车。 wǒ hē jiǔ le, bù néng kāichē.

Why it happens: The negatives split too. 不会开车 means “(I) don't know how to drive”. After a few drinks you know how perfectly well — you're just not allowed to, so it's 不能开车. Pick the negative that matches your meaning.

Avoid: 我的手好了，又会写字了。 wǒ de shǒu hǎo le, yòu huì xiězì le.
Say this: 我的手好了，又能写字了。 wǒ de shǒu hǎo le, yòu néng xiězì le.

Why it happens: When an ability is restored or depends on conditions, use 能, not 会. Once your hand heals, 我又能写字了 (“I can write again”) — 会 would be wrong, because you never un-learned how; only the circumstances changed.

Compare & contrast

会 — learned skill能 — ability / circumstance可以 — permissionThe difference
我会游泳。wǒ huì yóuyǒng.我能游一千米。wǒ néng yóu yìqiān mǐ.这里可以游泳。zhèlǐ kěyǐ yóuyǒng.会 = you learned how to swim. 能 = you're physically capable (here, a distance). 可以 = swimming is permitted here.
他会说日语。tā huì shuō Rìyǔ.我现在不能说话。wǒ xiànzài bù néng shuōhuà.可以说中文吗？kěyǐ shuō Zhōngwén ma?会 = a language you know. 能 = whether you're able to right now. 可以 = whether it's allowed.
—你能帮我吗？nǐ néng bāng wǒ ma?你可以帮我吗？nǐ kěyǐ bāng wǒ ma?To ask someone to do something, 能 and 可以 both work — but 会 doesn't, because it isn't about skill.
Rule of thumbThree quick tests. Did you LEARN it? → 会 (我会游泳). Are you ABLE right now / do conditions allow it? → 能 (我现在不能). Is it PERMITTED, or are you asking permission? → 可以 (可以坐这儿吗？). For a favour, 能 and 可以 are interchangeable; 会 never is.

Try it yourself

Say “I can speak a little Chinese” — tap the words into the right order.

Related patterns

要How to Say “Want To” with 要 (yào)

Another modal — 要 (want to / going to), and how it differs from 想.

 想How to Say “Would Like To” with 想 (xiǎng)

And 想 (would like to) — the gentle cousin of 要.

 应该应该 (yīnggāi): How to Say “Should” / “Ought To”

One more modal — 应该 (“should / ought to”), the advice-giving member of the family.

 不用How to Say “Don't Need To” with 不用 (bùyòng)

A neighbouring modal on a different axis: 会 / 能 / 可以 cover ability and permission (“can”), while 不用 covers necessity (“needn't”). 你可以走了 (“you may go”) beside 你不用走 (“you don't have to go”).

 不Negating with 不 (bù): “Don't” & “Isn't”

Negate all three with 不: 不会 / 不能 / 不可以 — each a different kind of “can't”.

 我吃饭How to Build a Basic Chinese Sentence

A modal sits between the subject and the main verb in the basic frame.

 好吧好吧 / 行吧: How to Concede with 吧 (“Fine Then”)

好吧 / 行吧 is how you reluctantly say yes to a 能 / 可以 request (“can you…?”).

 给我一本书Give Someone Something: Verbs with Two Objects

These modals front the polite requests double-object verbs love: 可以问你吗？(“may I ask you?”), 能借我吗？(“can you lend me?”).

 看不懂How to Say “I Can’t Understand” (看不懂, 听不懂)

Resist 不能/不会 for “can't understand” — comprehension uses the potential complement 看不懂 instead.

 这样How to Say “In This Way” with 这样 (zhèyàng)

The consequence 这样 leans on 会 or 才能: 这样会更好, 这样才能学会 (“this way it’ll be better, only this way can you learn it”).

 会好的How to Show Certainty with Sentence-Final 的 (de)

会 often closes with a certainty 的: 他会来的 (“he'll definitely come”) wraps the prediction in a reassuring sentence-final 的.

 吃得完How to Say “Can” and “Can’t” with 得 / 不 (Potential Complements)

The “can” that isn’t a modal: whether an action reaches its result is the potential complement (吃不完, 买不到), not 能 / 不能. Know which “can” you mean.

 不是……吗How to Ask Rhetorical Questions in Chinese (不是……吗, 怎么会, 谁让你)

The same 能 and 会 power two rhetorical frames: 能不……吗 (“how could … not …?”, 能不累吗？) and 怎么会…… (“how could that possibly be?”). Here they carry attitude, not a real question about ability.

 不会不来Double Negatives in Chinese (不会不, 不是不, 没有一个不)

Sandwich a modal between two negatives for emphasis: 不会不 (“is bound to”), 不能不 (“has to”), 不可能不 (“must certainly”). The double negative turns 会 / 能 / 可能 into insistence.
Quick reference card
Merry Mandarin 会 vs 能 vs 可以: Three Ways to Say “Can” grammar.merrymandarin.com

A pocket summary — print it and keep it by your desk.

Structure
Subject + 会/能/可以 + Verb
Example
我会用筷子
I can use chopsticks.
Watch out
✗ 我能游泳。  →  ✓ 我会游泳。