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).
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. |
📣 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
PATTERN
很/真/太/这么/那么 + 能 + Verb
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.