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noah
What is the difference between" 可以 "," 能 "and " 会 "?
for instance, how to say cannot ? and how are these three words used in a sentence?
Mar 25, 2013 5:42 AM
Answers · 3
3
The differeces are subtle. But I can tell you the meanings of them.
可以- May, Can, Able
能- Able, Can
会- Will, Can
Hope it helps!
March 25, 2013
2
Generally they are interchangeable, particularly when you want to tell others that you have a certain skill . For instance,
wo hui you yong/ wo neng you yong/ wo ke yi you yong. (All of them are correct, meaning I can swim.)
Another example,
wo hui shuo hanyu/ wo neng shuo hanyu/ wo keyi shuo hanyu.(These sentences mean I can speak Chinese and they are surely all correct .)
However, compared to the verb"hui", "keyi" and" neng" are used more widely in some other situations, such as giving a permission or a ban. For example,
"ni keyi zai zhe li xi yan/ ni neng zai zhe li xi yan. " Either of them means smoking is ok here.
While, "ni bu ke yi zai zhe li xi yan/ ni bu neng zai zhe li xi yan. " means smoking is forbidden here. "hui" is not usually used this way. " hui" mainly emphasizes "skill" as well as "possibility " sometimes. Let's say " ta keneng hui qu na ge juhui." (she will go to the party.) In this case, neither" keyi" nor " neng" can replace the verb "hui" properly.
On a whole, each of these three verbs has a variety of meanings and functions. Identifying them according to the context could be a good idea in my oppinion.
March 25, 2013
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noah
Language Skills
Chinese (Mandarin), English, Japanese
Learning Language
Chinese (Mandarin)
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