Can – Skills 会 huì

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Grammar Point

会 huì — Learned Skills

當代中文 Contemporary Chinese

会 emphasizes a skill you’ve learned or been trained to do — closer to “knowing how” than “being physically able to.” Speaking a language, playing an instrument, driving — all learned abilities that take 会.

一 会 huì

我wǒ会huì开车kāichē
I can drive. (I know how to drive.)
我wǒ不会búhuì说shuō中文Zhōngwén
I can’t speak Chinese. (Because I haven’t learned it.)
我wǒ不会búhuì打dǎ篮球lánqiú
I don’t know how to play basketball.
那nà孩子háizi还hái不会búhuì走路zǒulù
That child still can’t walk. (He hasn’t learned yet.)
你nǐ会huì不会búhuì写xiě你的nǐde中文Zhōngwén名字míngzi？
Can you write your Chinese name?
他tā只zhǐ会huì抱怨bàoyuàn，不会búhuì做事zuòshì
He only knows how to complain and doesn’t know how to get things done.

二 能 néng and 会 huì

Both 能 and 会 can express “being good at something.” In this context, an adverb before the verb shows the degree — either word works here.

我wǒ非常fēicháng能néng/会huì吃chī辣là
I can eat very spicy food.
他tā很hěn能néng/会huì喝酒hējiǔ
He is really good at drinking!

三 Common Mistakes

❌ 那nà孩子háizi还hái不bù能néng走路zǒulù

✅ 那nà孩子háizi还hái不会búhuì走路zǒulù

Walking is a skill a child develops over time — that’s 会 territory, not 能.

❌ 你nǐ能néng不bù能néng寫xiě你的nǐde中文Zhōngwén名字míngzi

✅ 你nǐ会huì不会búhuì写xiě你的nǐde中文Zhōngwén名字míngzi

Writing your name in Chinese is a learned skill, not a physical capability — use 会‘s V-not-V form.

❌ 他tā只zhǐ能néng抱怨bàoyuàn，不bù能néng做事zuòshì

✅ 他tā只zhǐ会huì抱怨bàoyuàn，不会búhuì做事zuòshì

This describes someone’s habitual behavior/pattern — the “only knows how to…” framing calls for 会.

四 Practice

Translate each sentence into Chinese.

Question 1 of 10

“I know how to swim.”

Swimming is a learned skill — 会.

“She can’t ride a bike.” (she never learned)

Never having learned to ride a bike is 会, not 能. (Notice Taiwan says while the mainland says 自行车 — a real word difference.)

“Can you play the guitar?”

Playing an instrument is a learned skill, so the V-not-V form is 会不会, not 能不能.

“My dad knows how to cook.”

Cooking is a learned skill — 会.

“I don’t know how to use this app.”

Not knowing how to operate something is 会, not 能. (Also notice Taiwan says while the mainland says 软件.)

“I don’t know how to fold paper cranes.”

Origami is a learned skill — 会, not 能.

“Tiffany is very good at teaching Chinese.”

老师 (teacher) attaches right after the name as a title — 很会 comes after that, not squeezed in between the name and the title.

“I know how to fix computers.”

Repairing computers is a learned skill — 会.

“Can your sister drive?”

Knowing how to drive is 会, not 能.

“They don’t know how to dance.”

Dancing is a learned skill — 会, not 能.

Related Grammar

→More on saying “can” in ChineseHSK 1