How to say can in Chinese: 能 (néng), 会 (huì), 可以 (kěyǐ)

In this post we look at the three different ways of saying “can” in Chinese: 能néng, 会huì and 可kě以yǐ.

Let’s look at the difference:

• 能néng means “to be able to” and emphasises the ability or possibility of doing an action.
• 会huì means “to know how to” and emphasises something you have learned to do.
• 可kě以yǐ means “to have permission to” and emphasises that something is allowed or permitted.

Let’s look at a simple example:

你nǐ能néng参cān加jiā吗ma？?
Can (are you able to) you join us?

你nǐ可kě以yǐ参cān加jiā吗ma？?
Can you (are you permitted) join us?

我wǒ会huì说shuō中Zhōng文wén
I can (know how to) speak Chinese.

How to use 能 (néng) in Chinese

能néng means you have the ability or capability to do something, but does not refer to something you’ve learned to do. Here are some examples:

Chinese	English
你nǐ能néng帮bāng我wǒ马mǎ？?	Can you help me?
你nǐ能néng帮bāng我wǒ一yī个gè忙máng？?	Can you do me a favour?
你nǐ能néng游yóu多duō远yuǎn？?	How far can you swim?
你nǐ能néng帮bāng我wǒ拿ná这zhè个ge吗ma？?	Can you carry this?

How to answer a 能 (néng) question

To answer a 你nǐ能néng。.。.。. question, the answer is either “I able to” 我wǒ能néng or “I’m not able to” 我wǒ不bù能néng.

你nǐ能néng帮bāng我wǒ马mǎ？?

我wǒ能néng。.
I can.

Or alternatively

我wǒ不bù能néng。.
I cannot.

How to use 会 (huì) in Chinese

Chinese	English
我wǒ会huì说shuō中Zhōng文wén	I can speak Chinese
你nǐ能néng帮bāng我wǒ一yī个gè忙máng??	Can you do me a favour? Literally:
你nǐ会huì爱ài我wǒ吗ma？?	Could you love me?
你nǐ会huì跟gēn我wǒ一yī起qǐ走zǒu吗ma？?	Can you come with me?
你nǐ会huì跟gēn我wǒ一yī起qǐ唱chàng吗ma？?	Can you sing with me?

How to answer a 会 (huì) question

As with man questions in Chinese, there is no “yes” or “no” but rather using the verb used in the original question. To respond to a 你nǐ会huì。.。.。. question, the answer is either “I can” 我wǒ会huì or “I cannot” 我wǒ不bù会huì.

你nǐ会huì说shuō中Zhōng文wén？?
Can you speak Chinese?

我wǒ会huì。.
I can.

Or alternatively

我wǒ不bù会huì。.
I cannot.

How to use 可以 (kěyǐ) in Chinese

可kě以yǐ means “to have permission to do something”, and so does not refer to having the skill or ability to undertake an action.

Chinese	English
你nǐ可kě以yǐ去qù吗ma？?	Can you go?
我wǒ可kě以yǐ帮bāng助zhù你nǐ吗ma？?	Can I help you?
我wǒ可kě以yǐ跟gēn你nǐ约yuē个gè时shí间jiān吗ma？?	Can I schedule an appointment with you?
我wǒ可kě以yǐ在zài这zhè里lǐ停tíng几jǐ分fēn钟zhōng吗ma？?	Can I stop here for a few minutes?

How to answer a 可以 (kěyǐ) question

As with man questions in Chinese, there is no “yes” or “no” but rather using the verb used in the original question. To respond to a 你nǐ可kě以yǐ。.。.。. question, the answer is either “I can” 我wǒ可kě以yǐ or simply “can” 我wǒ可kě以yǐ; to answer in the negative you would say “I can not” 我wǒ不bù可kě以yǐ or simply “can not” 不bù可kě以yǐ.

你nǐ可kě以yǐ去qù吗ma？?
Can you go?

我wǒ可kě以yǐ。.
I can.

Or

可kě以yǐ。.
Can.

Or alternatively

我wǒ不bù可kě以yǐ。.
I cannot.