Can Sparky the Dog (right) eat all those hotdogs？In Chinese, there are three words for can: 可以，能 and 会. Which one do we use to describe Sparky’s challenge? Read on to find out…
In Chinese 会(huì) and 能(néng) both have the meaning of be able to/can do something and indicate possibilities. However, there are several differences between them.
In the sense of “can and be able to”, 会 indicates that people have gained the ability via learning. Sometimes 会 is more frequently used in the ability in terms of intelligence and physical vigour. For example:
她会说汉语 (She can speak Chinese)
他会游泳 (He can swim)
能 refers to inherent physical abilities: 她有眼睛，她能看(She has eyes so she is able to look at things)
In the sentence: 他能去电影院吗？(Is he able to go to the cinema?) there is a connotation of physical ability. That is to say, you are asking whether he is physically able (i.e.: healthy enough) to go there. So, there could be some context or circumstance of sickness warranting the use of 能．
能 may also focus on people’s capacity and skill which has reached a certain degree. That is to say, if the ability is presented by concrete figures, 能 is more often used in this situation. For instance:
他一天能吃5个苹果 (He can eat five apples every day)
In the sense of “indicate possibility”, 会 has a subjective tendency, such as the phrase 我会想你的 (I will miss you). It indicates the action will definitely happen according to the subject’s perspective.
Compared with 会, 能 has a more objective trend and focuses on objective conditions (generally: time, climate, weather, and non-subjective actions). For example:
时间还早，我能走路回家 (It is still very early, I can walk back)
Have a great weekend!
Michael and Jing
mjchinese 