Differences between 能，可以，会

[semantic nuance]

The rules are 可以 shows permissibility (permission):

會 shows ability: and 能 shows possibility.

a general rule, yes. But, there's still exception.

A. When you say--Can I go with you? You can either say 我可以跟你去嗎? or 我能跟你去嗎? (showing permissibility)

B. When you say--Is it possible that I don't go with you? 我可不可以不要跟你去? or 我能不能不要跟你去? (showing possibility)

Hope it helps!

[nipponman]

A. When you say--Can I go with you? You can either say 我可以跟你去嗎? or 我能跟你去嗎? (showing permissibility)

B. When you say--Is it possible that I don't go with you? 我可不可以不要跟你去? or 我能不能不要跟你去? (showing possibility)

I don't see how B. violates the rule. It seems to me that 我可不可以不要跟你去? would still ask for permission. "Do I have to go with you?" i.e. "do I have permission to stay here?" or if you use 能 "Is there any possibility that I can not go with you?"

P.s. "Is it possible that I don't go with you?" I don't like this sentence for some reason, it doesn't seem natural.

***edit***

I didn't read A fully, but I would think the same comments that I made above for B would still apply. It seems to me, but I'm not a native so I could be wrong, that when you use 能 in A above, you are asking about a possibility and 可以 is asking for permission, but in English both come out to possibility. Thats how it seems to me.

[semantic nuance]

Sorry for my unnatural English, for I'm not an English native speaker. I just tried to express it literally to show 'the possibility'. Perhaps I am not good at explaining. Sorry.

edit: Can you understand what I said? 我說的你能明白嗎? Does 能 here indicate 'possibility'? 我說的你可以明白嗎 ? Does '可以' show 'permission' here, meaning 'Are you allowed to understand what I said'? Both 2 sentences in Chinese mean the same thing.

[Ferno]

hmm.. it appears keyi' date=' not hui4, is used when you say "I can wear (it)" (wo keyi chuan) but not with stuff like "I can speak" etc...[/quote']The rules are 可以 shows permissibility (permission):

會 shows ability: and 能 shows possibility.

"i can wear it" as in, being able to fit in the clothes, not having permission

[nipponman]

"i can wear it" as in, being able to fit in the clothes, not having permissionp

How can you be sure? Do you have any context? Because you could be asking permission from your parents to wear it or something.

Sorry for my unnatural English' date=' for I'm not an English native speaker. I just tried to express it literally to show 'the possibility'. Perhaps I am not good at explaining. Sorry.

edit: Can you understand what I said? 我說的你能明白嗎? Does 能 here indicate 'possibility'? 我說的你可以明白嗎 ? Does '可以' show 'permission' here, meaning 'Are you allowed to understand what I said'? Both 2 sentences in Chinese mean the same thing. [/quote']

Heh, I didn't mean to sound condescending, I was just thinking out loud.

I don't think an argument for permission can be made for this sentence, thus it violates the rule. I think this sentence is incorrect, but thats only cause I'm not good at chinese.

[semantic nuance]

I think this sentence is incorrect

Can I ask what sentence is incorrect and why it is incorrect--My English sentence "Can you understand what I said'? or my Chinese translation of the English sentence?

[Ferno]

How can you be sure? Do you have any context? Because you could be asking permission from your parents to wear it or something.

http://www.chinarant.com/china_rant/2005/07/dont_supersize_.html

Is your sense of proportion and perception so bad that you have to call over others to exclaim' date=' "Ta hun shou! (she is thin) Ta [b']keyi[/b] chuan! (she can wear it!)" in amazement when I try something on in the correct size?

[nipponman]

Can I ask what sentence is incorrect and why it is incorrect--My English sentence "Can you understand what I said'? or my Chinese translation of the English sentence?

Your chinese is fine, semantic nuance. It is because of my lack of experience with the chinese language that I think this sentence 我說的你可以明白嗎 is incorrect. (Why would I need to be good at chinese to say your english is incorrect? )

Is your sense of proportion and perception so bad that you have to call over others to exclaim, "Ta hun shou! (she is thin) Ta keyi chuan! (she can wear it!)" in amazement when I try something on in the correct size?

It appears that context justifies your position. The simple rules I posted before, are apparently useless.

[Ferno]

sarcasm?

[nipponman]

sarcasm?

Are you so not used to someone admitting that they are wrong that you think I'm being sarcastic? No, I was not being sarcastic.

[semantic nuance]

(Why would I need to be good at chinese to say your english is incorrect? )

Hehe...Why would I need to be good at english to say your chinese is incorrect?

[L-F-J]

Another question regarding these. How about in these examples. Which is correct? Which is incorrect?

I hope my Chinese can be as good as your English.

我希望我的中文能和你的英文一样好。To have the possibility. (correct)

我希望我的中文会和你的英文一样好。To have the ability. (maybe correct, sounds more like "will be" though)

我希望我的中文可以和你的英文一样好。To have the permission. (incorrect)

[semantic nuance]

我希望我的中文能和你的英文一样好。and 我希望我的中文可以和你的英文一样好。are the same and sound natural.

我希望我的中文会和你的英文一样好。It doesn't sound natural. Maybe you should rewrite it as '我希望我的中文將來會像你的英文一样好。'

可以 does not only indicate 'permission'. It has other usages as well. For example?

這本書還可以吧?! (Is this book ok?)

嗯, 還可以. (hmmm...ok.)

Here, 可以 is not used to indicate 'permission'. It shows 'quality'.

Hope it helps!

[L-F-J]

I see, thank you! I didn't think the hui4 sentences sounded natural either. If you rearrange the sentence then it still has the same meaning desired as in the other two, right?

Question: 嗯 is written 'en', but this sounds unnatural to say. Isn't this pronounced "mm hai2 ke3 yi3"? I've heard people say this all the time but never "en" unless typing on a messenger or something in pinyin.

[semantic nuance]

Well, it depends.

我希望我的中文能和你的英文一样好。( It can be said to mean that I really hope that my chinese can be as good as your english. Or, it can mean 'I wish my chinese could be as good as your english, which implies my chinese is not so good as your english. 我希望我的中文能和你的英文一样好, 可是我的中文實在不好.)

我希望我的中文可以和你的英文一样好。(the same as above.)

我希望我的中文將來會像你的英文一样好。' It means I hope that my Chinese will be as good as your English someday.

嗯, though its pinyin is en as you said, is in fact an onomatopoeia. You're right about that, in reality, it's usually pronounced 'mm'.

If you rearrange the sentence then it still has the same meaning desired as in the other two, right?

Can you tell me how you'll rearrange it to make it have the same meaning desired as in the other two? Please write your rearranged sentence.

Hope it helps!

[L-F-J]

I guess I don't know what I wanted to say. I mean, why add 将来 for "one day"? Why not just 我希望我的中文会想你的英文一样好？Is it just as unnatural as -会和-? It seems like the meaning would still be the same as "I hope my Chinese can be as good as your English". Or is it that using 会 this way makes it sound like "will" and not "have the ability"?

[semantic nuance]

I added 將來(the future) in the sentence because 會 means 'will be', not 'have the ability'. Read the following sentence please:

我雖然會說中文, 但是我說的還不是很好. 我希望將來(有一天)我的中文會像你的英文ㄧ樣好.(Although I can speak Chinese, I don't do it very well. I hope someday my Chinese will be as good as your English.)

會=be able to , have the ability of doing something.

會= will/will be

Hope it helps!

[L-F-J]

So like I said it means "will" and not "to have the ability" in that case. So then in the sentence you recreated 我希望我的中文将来（有一天）会像你的英文一样好 it means the same as 我希望我的中文能和你的英文一样好 and 我希望我的中文可以和你的英文一样好.

If I want to say the sentence you created do I have to use 像 and not 和 for some reason? Just wondering why you chose to change it.

[HashiriKata]

...我的中文会想你的英文...(post #36)

This sounds like the two languages are in love with each other. 有可能吗？可以吗？不会吧！

[L-F-J]

lol No way! Who changed the character?