Differences between 能，可以，会

[bobdaun]

"neng" is to be physically able to do something.

"hui" is to know how to do something.

e.g. "wo bu neng lai" ( I cant come, something is physically preventing me, e.g. Im sick, Im in another country, I lost my legs in a car accident etc. etc. etc )

"wo hui shuo Yingyu" I know how to speak English.

[jestasgameland]

Here is another take on it that we learned in my college Chinese class:

会 usually means you are physically able to, know how, learned how, or have the ability to.

ex. 我会开车。 I can drive a car. (I know how to drive)

能 usually means you can do something in the present circumstances.

ex. 我跟你不能去，我得去上棵。 I cannot go with you because I have to go to class.

I hope I translated well, this is my first post and I just wanted to share what I know.

[adrianlondon]

You meant 课 (ke4) for class rather than 棵 (ke1) which according to Wenlin is a measure word for trees and cabbages! I thought 株 (zhu1) was the measure word for tree. Anyway ... I think your description from class is accurate.

Personally, I'd just end with 我得上课 and omit the 去. Would I be wrong to do that?

[muyongshi]

Personally, I'd just end with 我得上课 and omit the 去. Would I be wrong to do that?

You wouldn't be wrong but both are completely acceptable.

[huisheng]

It's actually wrong to say 我跟你不能去 but 我不能跟你去.

[jestasgameland]

cool, thanks for clearing up the word order, it always confuses me

[muyongshi]

yeah huisheng is right

(mental note to self: read all pertaining posts before reply to just one...)

[Kevin_D]

“能”和“会”有这么大区别吗？Is there really so great difference between these two words?

那么，能说会道，大家怎么理解呢？If there is, how should we understand "neng shuo hui dao"?

能写能画，会唱会跳呢？

The only reason that why chinese use 会 to modify people who can do this or that, just because the chinese "learn" means 学“会” not 学“能”.

Anything that require people to learn,even acquire, use chinese 会.

你会打篮球么？To play basketball,people must learn and practise.

你能送我回去吗？Accompanying some people do not require you to learn first. you born with it.

[SWWLiu]

Anything that require people to learn' date='even acquire, use chinese 会.

你会打篮球么？To play basketball,people must learn and practise.

你能送我回去吗？Accompanying some people do not require you to learn first. you born with it.

[/quote']

I haven't had the chance to follow the threads, but I am jumping in anyway ...

能 -- when you talk about ability/capability, whether learned or not

会 -- a matter of intention.

In exchanging the words in the above examples, we get instead:

你能打篮球么？ Can you play basketball (even though you sprained your right ankle and you are now wheelchair bound)?

你会送我回去吗？ Are you sure you will give me a ride home (even though you have no other passengers in your car)?

[Sam Addington]

那可能很会是这样子！

[monto]

"我能打篮球，但是我不会打篮球"

I understand it as:

"I fit for basketball play mentally and physically, but I don't have the skills or don't know the rules".

[morningdew]

I have several questions surrounding the usage of these three words. Is 会 most often reserved for abilities and the future tense? Is there any difference between 我会看得懂， 我能看得懂， and 我可以看得懂？Or is just best put as 我看得懂?

[Don_Horhe]

Consider the following:

-你会写汉字吗？ - Can you write characters? Do you have the ability and knowledge to write?

The answer to which would be either 我会 or 我不会.

-你能写多少汉字？ - How many characters can you write?

会 is, as you said, used for what might be translated into English as future tense. Strictly speaking, however, it means "there's a very high chance of something happening", although it is used in stating things that will happen in the future, i.e. 我们明天下午六点见面，我会在你宿舍前面等你。

我会看得懂 is wrong - understanding through reading/watching is an innate ability every normal, healthy human being has, it is not something we have to learn (what we learn is a specific language, not the ability to understand language in general)

我能看(得)懂 with or without the 得 is OK. 你觉得我能看得懂这本书吗? Can be roughly translated as "Do you think I will understand this book?" as in, for example, me asking my teacher whether she thinks my level of Chinese is enough for me to read the book, or as "Do you think I will understand this book's implications and deeper meaning." Kids and grown-ups can both understand the meaning of the words and sentences in a movie like Forrest Gump, but probably only adults will understand what the movie is trying to say.

我可以看得懂 is also wrong, as 可以 is usually used when asking for permission, and your ability to understand language by reading/watching is not something you can switch on or off in trying to conform to certain regulations.

Edited October 27, 2009 at 08:47 AM by Don_Horhe

[skylee]

我可以看得懂 is also wrong, as 可以 is usually used when asking for permission, and your ability to understand language by reading/watching is not something you can switch on or off in trying to conform to certain regulations.

Ah, I think I might sometimes say 我可以看得懂. But I know nothing about chinese grammar.

我会看得懂 is wrong - understanding through reading/watching is an innate ability every normal, healthy human being has, it is not something we have to learn (what we learn is a specific language, not the ability to understand language in general)

I can think of a situation where this might not be wrong. Say you've learnt French for a number of years and someone gives you something written in Italian and asks if you can read it. You might answer, "如果給我多點兒時間，我會看得懂的。“ I guess here 會 doesn't indicate ability, but indicates something that could happen. But as I said, I know nothing about chinese grammar.

[Don_Horhe]

Apparently, this time I was wrong - 我可以看得懂 is possible, as Google search indicates:oops:

As for with 会, it is possible, but, as skylee said, with 会, and thus the whole sentence, having a different meaning from 我能看得懂.

BTW, what is it with 'I know nothing about Chinese grammar'? You said that in the other thread as well, and I've been meaning to ask.

[HashiriKata]

BTW, what is it with 'I know nothing about Chinese grammar'?

It's probably just modesty. But I know nothing about skylee.

[skylee]

oh i think it's a defence tactic. i am a native speaker but at least one member of the forums despise native speakers, saying that many of them know so little about the language they are not as good as ABC / foreigners who have studied the language. and then there are many forums members who say from time to time "I am Chinese / a native speaker, so trust me". and because my mother tongue is cantonese I am afraid of being slighted by such native speakers. being a native cantonese speaker (doubly handicapped), i think it is a good idea to tell people that i know nothing about chinese grammar.

and very sadly saying all these irrelevant things on this thread might anger the admin.

[muyongshi]

but at least one member of the forums despise native speakers

此人站出来！我们把他毙了！

[flowertea]

 Both “会huì ” and “能néng “ can be translated into “can” in English, but there are differences of specific meanings and usages between the two words.

“会huì ” 

(1) It means you know how to do something; you are able to do something. It shows your abilities and skills.

• 我会开车。Wǒ huì kāichē。I can drive. (It means I know how to drive. I have this skill.)
• 你会说中文吗？Nǐ huì shuō Zhōngwén ma?  Can you speak Chinese? (It means whether you know how to speak this language or not.)
• 我爸爸不会用电脑。Wǒ bàba bú huì yòng diànnǎo。My father can’t use a computer. (It means he doesn’t have that skill.)

(2) “会huì” can be also used in a future tense of an expected situation if someone is very sure that

some things will happen. And we use the pattern “会...的” both in an affirmative sentence and a negative sentence in this kind of situations, but we don't speak  “的” in a “yes” or “no” question with “吗ma ” normally.

• 我会帮助你的。Wǒ huì bāngzhù nǐ de。I will help you. (I will help you definitely.)
• 他会来吗？Tā huì lái ma?    Will he come? (Will he come definitely?)
• 他不会来的。Tā bú huì lái de。 He will not come. (I am sure he will not come.)                          

(3) If you see two Chinese characters “很会” are together, that means do well in and be good at.

• 她很会做饭。Tā hěn huì zuòfàn。She is good at cooking.
• 他很会唱歌。Tā hěn huì chànggē。He is good at singing.
• 那个女孩很会说话。Nà ge nǚhái hěn huì shuōhuà。That girl always knows the right thing to say.  (note: It doesn't mean she is talktive. it means she has talent and wisdom when she speaks. )

“能néng ” means a possibility or a permission. Someone is allowed to do something.  

• 他八十多了，还能参加冬泳比赛。Tā bāshí duō le , hái néng cānjiā dōngyǒng bǐsài。He is over eighty, but he still can attend winter swimming competition. (This is a kind of possibility.)
• 你能帮我翻译一下这句话吗？Nǐ néng bāng wǒ fānyì yíxià zhè jù huà ma ? Can you help me translate this sentence? (This is permission.)
• 我不能跟你去，我得上课。Wǒ bù néng gēn nǐ qù ,wǒ děi shàngkè。I can’t go with you. I must have class. (This is a kind of possibility.)
• 你不能告诉他答案，他应该自己想。Nǐ bù néng gàosù tā dá’àn, tā yīnggāi zìjǐ xiǎng。You can’t tell him the answer. He should think by himself. (This is permission.)

 

• Now let’s put “会” and “能” in some short stories to compare differences.
• * 他会唱歌，但是今天他嗓子疼，不能唱。Tā huì chànggē ,dànshì jīntiān tā sǎngzi téng ,bù néng chàng。 (He can sing songs, but he has a sore throat, so he can’t sing today.)
• * 我会开车，但是我现在不能开车，因为我喝酒了。Wǒ huì kāichē ,dànshì wǒ (xiànzài bù néng kāichē ,yīnwèi wǒ hē jiǔ le。I can drive, but I can’t drive today, because I drank alcohol).

[roddy]

Flowertea, it's better if you look for specific questions or topics to respond to, instead of just posting new topics. I'll merge this with an existing topic.