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Daily lessons · Day 17 of 90

Can, and the three words for it

Ability, possibility and permission

English uses can for three different ideas. Chinese keeps them apart, and picking the wrong one is the most common mistake at this stage. The distinction is simple once you see what each word is actually about.

会 is a learned skill

Something you know how to do because you learned it.

我会说中文wǒ huì shuō ZhōngwénI can speak Chinese
我不会开车wǒ bú huì kāichēI can't driveNever learned, rather than not allowed.
你会用微信吗nǐ huì yòng Wēixìn mado you know how to use WeChat?
我会一点儿wǒ huì yìdiǎnrI can do a bit

Why it works

会 is about knowledge that had to be acquired: languages, driving, swimming, cooking, an instrument. If a small child could not do it without being taught, 会 is probably the right word. It also has a second life as will, for things that are likely to happen, which day 29 comes back to.

能 is about circumstances

You have the skill, and the question is whether you are able right now.

我今天不能去wǒ jīntiān bù néng qùI can't go todaySomething is in the way.
你能帮我吗nǐ néng bāng wǒ macould you help me?
这儿能抽烟吗zhèr néng chōuyān macan you smoke here?
我能听懂一点儿wǒ néng tīngdǒng yìdiǎnrI can follow a little

Why it works

能 asks whether the conditions allow it. A driver with a broken leg 会开车 but 不能开车: the skill is intact and the circumstances are not. This is also the polite word for asking someone to do something, because it asks whether they are able rather than whether they will.

可以 is permission

Whether the rules, or the person you are asking, allow it.

可以进来吗kěyǐ jìnlái mamay I come in?
可以刷卡吗kěyǐ shuā kǎ macan I pay by card?
当然可以dāngrán kěyǐof course you can
不可以bù kěyǐno, that's not allowedFirmer than 不能.

Why it works

可以 and 能 overlap in practice and people use them loosely, but the flavour differs. 这儿不能抽烟 suggests it is not possible or not sensible; 这儿不可以抽烟 says it is against the rules. When you are asking for permission, 可以 is the safest of the three. 可以 already turned up on day 6, in asking whether you could pay a particular way. This is the same word doing the same job.

Everything runs through one app

WeChat is a messaging app, a payment system, a social feed and the front door to booking trains, hailing taxis and paying a market stall. Asking 你会用微信吗 is not a technology question, it is close to asking whether someone has a phone. Foreign cards can now be linked, though the setup is easier done before you arrive than at a counter.

Carried over from earlier days

Say each one out loud before you look at the English.

我不太喜欢辣的wǒ bú tài xǐhuan là deI'm not that keen on spicy food
我住在市中心wǒ zhù zài shìzhōngxīnI live in the city centre
我七点起床wǒ qī diǎn qǐchuángI get up at seven
请说慢一点儿qǐng shuō màn yìdiǎnrplease speak a bit slower

Today’s words 12

我会说中文wǒ huì shuō ZhōngwénI can speak Chinese
我不会开车wǒ bú huì kāichēI can't drive
你会用微信吗nǐ huì yòng Wēixìn mado you know how to use WeChat?
我会一点儿wǒ huì yìdiǎnrI can do a bit
我今天不能去wǒ jīntiān bù néng qùI can't go today
你能帮我吗nǐ néng bāng wǒ macould you help me?
这儿能抽烟吗zhèr néng chōuyān macan you smoke here?
我能听懂一点儿wǒ néng tīngdǒng yìdiǎnrI can follow a little
可以进来吗kěyǐ jìnlái mamay I come in?
可以刷卡吗kěyǐ shuā kǎ macan I pay by card?
当然可以dāngrán kěyǐof course you can
不可以bù kěyǐno, that's not allowed

Check yourself

8 questions. Get 6 right to finish the day.

  1. Which word do you use for a skill you learned?

    • 会 huì
    • 能 néng
    • 可以 kěyǐ
    • 要 yào
    Show the answer

    会 huì 会 covers languages, driving, swimming, cooking.

  2. Type I can't drive in pinyin.

    Show the answer

    wǒ bú huì kāichē 不会 means never learned. 不能 would mean something is stopping you today.

  3. A driver with a broken leg. Which is true?

    • 会开车 but 不能开车
    • 不会开车 but 能开车
    • 不会开车 and 不能开车
    • 会开车 and 能开车
    Show the answer

    会开车 but 不能开车 The skill is intact, the circumstances are not.

  4. Which is the safest word for asking permission?

    • 可以 kěyǐ
    • 会 huì
    • 要 yào
    • 想 xiǎng
    Show the answer

    可以 kěyǐ 可以 is directly about whether something is allowed.

  5. What is the difference between 这儿不能抽烟 and 这儿不可以抽烟?

    • the first suggests it is not possible or sensible, the second that it is against the rules
    • there is no difference at all
    • the first is a question
    • the second is ungrammatical
    Show the answer

    the first suggests it is not possible or sensible, the second that it is against the rules They overlap in practice, but the flavour differs.

  6. Why is 你能帮我吗 polite?

    • it asks whether the person is able, rather than whether they will
    • it uses a formal pronoun
    • it includes 请
    • 能 is an honorific
    Show the answer

    it asks whether the person is able, rather than whether they will Asking about ability leaves them an easy way out.

  7. Which means of course you can?

    • 当然可以 dāngrán kěyǐ
    • 不可以 bù kěyǐ
    • 可以吗 kěyǐ ma
    • 不太可以 bú tài kěyǐ
    Show the answer

    当然可以 dāngrán kěyǐ 当然 is of course.

  8. Type can I pay by card in pinyin.

    Show the answer

    kěyǐ shuā kǎ ma 刷卡 is to swipe a card. Scanning a code is 扫码.

Writing practice optional

Every character from today, in the order it came up. Watch it, trace it, then write it from memory.

Press Watch to see the stroke order.

Stroke order from Make Me a Hanzi via Hanzi Writer, Arphic Public License.

Character 1 of 34

Learn and practise writing here

This lesson is written by an English speaker who learned Mandarin as a second language, and it is waiting on a check by a native speaker. If you spot something off, please tell us and we will fix it.