Chinese Grammar Bank
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN 能 AND 会
会 (huì) and 能 (néng) are modal verbs, all of which can be translated as “can” in English.
- 会 means “know how to” and expresses an action that you had to learn or be trained to do.
- 能 means “to be able to” and expresses having a certain ability or having obtained a certain requirement.
EXPRESSING ABILITY WITH 能 AND 会
Both 会 and 能 can express the ability to do something.
会 is used to express a skill that has been learned or studied. In this case, it means “to know how to”.
能 is used to express natural ability, i.e. when talking about activities that are not consciously learned or studied. It means “being able to”.
PATTERN
Subject +（不）会/能 + Verb + Object
我会开车 (to know how to)，但是我今天喝酒了，不能开车 (being not able to)。
wǒ huì kāichē (to know how to), dànshì wǒ jīntiān hējiǔle, bùnéng kāichē (being not able to).
弟弟会游泳。
The younger brother can swim.他能帮你。
He can help you.View More Phrases
| chinese | pinyin | english |
|---|---|---|
| 他不会修手机。 | tā bù huì xiū shǒujī. | He doesn’t know how to repair mobile phones. |
| 你会说法语吗？ | nǐ huì shuō fǎyǔ ma? | Can you speak French? |
| 你会不会开车。 | nǐ huì bù huì kāichē. | Can you drive? |
| 我今天不能去上班。 | wǒ jīntiān bùnéng qù shàngbān. | I can’t go to work today. |
| 你能吃三个汉堡吗？ | nǐ néng chī sān gè hànbǎo ma? | Can you eat three burgers? |
| 你能不能帮我搬桌子？ | nǐ néng bùnéng bāng wǒ bān zhuōzi? | Can you help me move the table? |
EXPRESSING PERMISSION WITH 能 AND 会
能 can be used to ask for permission, but 会 can not.
When a question is asked using 能, it can be answered with 不能 or 不可以 when giving a negative reply.
It is not common for Chinese to answer with 能 when it comes to permission though. It is better to use 可以.
PATTERN
Subject + 能 + Verb + 吗？
| A: |
医院里能抽烟吗？
yīyuàn lǐ néng chōuyān ma? Can I smoke in the hospital? |
餐厅里能抽烟吗？
cāntīng lǐ néng chōuyān ma? Can I smoke in the restaurant? |
| B: |
不能/不可以。
bùnéng/bù kěyǐ. (you) can’t. |
可以。
kěyǐ (you) can. |
EXPRESSING POSSIBILITY WITH 能 AND 会
能 and 会 can also be used to express possibility, 不能 means it’s not possible (not allowed or not capable of).
会 is often used to express trends or possibilities with the meaning that something is going to happen.
会 is regarded as a near future, and closer in meaning to “be going to”or “will”.
PATTERN
Subject + 会/能 + Verb + Object
| 我星期天能去看电影。 | 我星期天会去看电影。 |
| wǒ xīngqítiān néng qù kàn diànyǐng. | wǒ xīngqítiān huì qù kàn diànyǐng. |
| I can go to see a movie this Sunday. | I will go to see a movie this Sunday. |
| = It is possible for me to go and see a movie this Sunday. | = I am sure that I will go to see a movie this Sunday. |
明天我能早到学校。
I can get to school early tomorrow.明天我会早到学校。
I will arrive at school early tomorrow.📣 Only 会 can be used to mean something is going to happen.
PATTERN
Subj. + 会 + Verb
|
今天会下雨吗？
jīntiān huì xià yǔ ma? Will it rain today? |
|
这样穿会好看吗?
zhèyàng chuān huì hǎokàn ma? Will it look good this way? |
PATTERN
Subj. + 会 + Adj.
|
我看不会。
wǒ kàn bù huì. I don’t think so. |
|
那样穿会好看。
nàyàng chuān huì hǎokàn. It will look good in that way. |
能 AND 会 AS EMPHASIS WITH ADVERBS
会 with an adverb (很，真，太，这么, 那么 etc) is commonly used to mean “to be good at” and expresses being very skillful at something.
能 with an adverb (很，真，太，这么, 那么 etc) expresses a surprised tone on the action.
PATTERN
很/真/太/这么/那么 + 会 + Verb
这个小姑娘这么会说话。
The little girl is very good at speaking.View More Phrases
| CHINESE | PINYIN | ENGLISH |
|---|---|---|
| 我妻子很会做饭。 | wǒ qīzi hěn huì zuò fàn. | My wife is really good at cooking. |
| 我女儿真会唱歌！ | wǒ nǚ’ér zhēn huì chànggē! | My daughter sings very well. |
| 小王太会称赞别人了。 | xiǎo wángtàihuì chēngzàn biérénle. | Xiaowang is really good at praising others. |
PATTERN
很/真/太/这么/那么 + 能 + Verb
没想到你这么能吃苦。
I didn’t expect that you are able to handle so much hardship.View More Phrases
| CHINESE | PINYIN | ENGLISH |
|---|---|---|
| 他太能睡了。 | tā tài néng shuìle. | It is surprise that he can sleep for such a long time. |
| 你真能吃! | nǐ zhēnnéng chī! | It is surprise to see that you can eat so much food. |
STRUCTURES SUMMARY
We covered a lot of various structures today, so here’s a quick sum up:
Expressing Ability
| STRUCTURE | CHINESE | PINYIN | ENGLISH |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subject +（不）会/能 + Verb + Object | 弟弟会游泳。 | dìdì huì yóuyǒng | The younger brother can swim. |
| Subject +（不）会/能 + Verb +Object | 他能帮你。 | tā néng bāng nǐ. | He can help you. |
Expressing Permission
| STRUCTURE | CHINESE | PINYIN | ENGLISH |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subject + 能 + Verb + 吗? | 我能进来吗？ 可以。 不能/不可以。 | wǒ néng jìnlái ma? kěyǐ. bùnéng/bù kěyǐ. | May I come? (you) can. (you) can’t. |
Expressing Possibility
| STRUCTURE | CHINESE | PINYIN | ENGLISH |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subject + 能 + Verb + Object | 我星期天能去看电影。 | wǒ xīngqítiān néng qù kàn diànyǐng. | I can go to the movies on Sunday. |
| Subject + 会 + Verb + Object | 我星期天会去看电影。 | wǒ xīngqítiān huì qù kàn diànyǐng. | I will go to the movies on Sunday. |
Referring to the future
| STRUCTURE | CHINESE | PINYIN | ENGLISH |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subject + 会 + Verb | 明天会下雨。 | míngtiān huì xià yǔ. | It will rain tomorrow. |
| Subject + 会 + Adjective | 那样穿会好看。 | nàyàng chuān huì hǎokàn. | It will look good in that way. |
Emphasis with adverbs
| STRUCTURE | CHINESE | PINYIN | ENGLISH |
|---|---|---|---|
| 很/真/太/这么/那么 + 会 + Verb | 我妻子很会做饭。 | wǒ qīzi hěn huì zuò fàn. | My wife is really good at cooking. |
| 很/真/太/这么/那么 + 能 + Verb | 他太能睡了。 | tā tài néng shuìle. | It is surprise that he can sleep for such a long time. |
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FAQs
What is 会 and what does it mean?
会 (huì) is a modal verb and means “know how to” and expresses an action that you had to learn or be trained in to do.
What is 能 and what does it mean?
能 (néng) is a modal verb and means “to be able to” and expresses having a certain ability or having obtained a certain requirement.
What are some structures for 能 and 会?
Here are the 3 main sentence structures for 能 and 会.
To express ability: Subject +（不）会/能 + Verb + Object
To express permission (only 能): Subject + 能 + Verb + 吗?
To express possibility: Subject + 会/能 + Verb + Object
How to use 能 with an adverb?
能 with an adverb (很，真，太，这么, 那么 etc) expresses a surprised tone on the action.
很/真/太/这么/那么 + 能 + Verb
= 他太能睡了。 tā tài néng shuìle. It is surprise that he can sleep for such a long time.
How to use 会 with an adverb?
会 with an adverb (很，真，太，这么, 那么 etc) is commonly used to mean “to be good at” and expresses being very skillful at something.
很/真/太/这么/那么 + 会 + Verb
我妻子很会做饭。 wǒ qīzi hěn huì zuò fàn. My wife is really good at cooking.