Can I? May I? || 可以 vs 能 vs 会
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Most of us have memories of falling victim to the age-old teacher joke about grammar.
Student: "Can I go to the bathroom?"
Teacher, their voice dripping with sarcasm: "I don’t know, can you?"
Student, rolling their eyes: "MAY I go to the bathroom?"
Thankfully, sarcasm isn't as prominent in China as in many Western countries, so we shouldn't have to worry about being teased too much.
But you may get some head scratches and confused looks if you make a similar mistake in Chinese.
We're here to help avoid that!
The Three "Cans" in Chinese
In Chinese, there are three words that all have the meaning "can":
- kěyǐ
- néng
- huì
At times, their meanings will overlap, but there are some situations where one will work and the others just won’t.
In this article, we will make it easier for you to understand which word to use depending on the situation.
Can you use them all correctly?
I guess we'll find out!
Huì - Learned Skills
First up, let’s look at huì.
We mostly use huì to refer to skills that can be learned. This is a word we use to ask about something that is not instinctive, like making pancakes or knitting pajamas for dogs.
"Nǐ huì shuō zhōngwén ma?"
"Can you speak Chinese?"
Nobody comes out of the womb speaking a specific language; we have to learn how.
"Nǐ huì kāichē ma?"
"Can you drive a car?"
Again, it’s not a natural ability. It is something we have to learn.
No, this is not me giving you permission to use this phrasing to mock bad drivers! :P
Pretty straight forward, right?
Side Note: huì can also mean "will".
For more on that translation, stay tuned for our upcoming article || The many wants and wills of Chinese.
Néng - Ability/Possibility, Availability, and Permission
Next up, there’s néng.
Néng has three meanings:
- ability/possibility
- availability
- permission
Ability/Possibility
When I say ability, I mean like you are physically or legally able or it is possible for you to do something.
"Nǐ néng zǒulù ma?"
"Are you able to walk? "
You might ask this of an injured friend, or perhaps one who has had too many drinks.
It can also be a good question for toddlers who might still be committed to crawling and are currently undecided when it comes to walking. :P
"Nǐ néng chī jǐ kuài jīkuài? (bit of a tone tester here ;) )
"How many (pieces) of chicken nuggets are you able to eat?"*
Like, how many chicken nuggets is your stomach able to hold?
This may be a controversial statement, but we cannot use huì here because Chinese people don't consider chicken nugget eating a learned skill.
Sorry to all you talented eaters out there :/
But now you can finally challenge your Chinese friend to a chicken nugget eating contest! ;)
Availability
Sometimes this interesects with the meaning of "possibility".
But we often use néng to make polite requests.
"Nǐ néng bāng wǒ ma?"
"Are you available/able to help me?"
"Nǐ míngtiān néng lái ma?"
"Are you available/able to come tomorrow?"
Permission
The last meaning of néng is to request permission."Wǒ néng chī yī diǎn ma?"
"May I eat a bit?"
The speaker is asking for permission here.
Presumably, they are asking for permission to eat your chicken nuggets.
It is now up to you to defend your chicken nuggets with your life.
"Bù néng. "
"[You] may not."
This is what we must say to that one moocher friend we all have.
If you don’t have one, hate to break it to you...Nǐ shì moocher (You are the moocher).
Kěyǐ - Availability and Permission
Our last, and my personal favorite can word is kěyǐ.
Kěyǐ is basically like the super chill version of néng.
While it is not slang per se, it just feels a lot looser and less formal than néng. You would use it when talking with friends, pets, family members, or anyone else who you want to have a casual conversation with.
Availability
Just like with néng, kěyǐ can mean someone is available to do something or that something is feasible.
"Nǐ kěyǐ bāng wǒ ma?"
"Are you able to help me? "
"Nǐ míngtiān kěyǐ lái ma?"
"Are you able to come tomorrow?"
"Bù kěyǐ. Wǒ yǒu shì."
"I can’t. I have something [going on]."
In both cases, it has exactly the same meaning as néng.
Permission
The second meaning of kěyǐ is to request permission.
"Wǒ kěyǐ chī yī diǎn ma?"
"Can I eat some?"
Alas, the moocher is back, but more chill this time!
And you decide to be super chill back to them.
"Kěyǐ."
"Can". ("Sure.")"
Oh no!
Don’t encourage the moocher!
Too late...
Recap
- huì - learned ability
- néng - ability/possibility, availability, and permission
- kěyǐ - availability and permission
It's worth remembering that kěyǐ is the ONLY one that does not have the meaning of some form of ability.
And huì is limited to ONLY LEARNED abilities.
If you remember only these two points, you will be rock solid.
Final thoughts to leave you with
It's important to remember that language is often like the pirate code! (Any Pirates of the Caribbean fans out there?)
Grammar is more like guidelines than actual rules, and you may find that native speakers will sometimes break these rules.
But, you gotta learn the rules first before you can learn when to break them! ;)