English has one word, can, for three different ideas, and Mandarin refuses to let them share a word. "I can swim" (I learned how), "I can swim across today" (the water's calm, I'm up to it), and "you can swim here" (it's allowed) are 会, 能, and 可以 respectively. This is the single most-asked question in Chinese grammar, and it has a clean answer: before you translate "can," decide which of three things you actually mean — a learned skill, a circumstantial capacity, or a permission. Make that one decision and the modal is forced. This page gives you the decision, the overlap zones where two modals both work, and the places where only one is possible.
The one-line rule for each
| Modal | Core meaning | English "can" = | Ask yourself… | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 会 (huì) | learned skill; prediction | know how to; will | Did I learn it? / Is it likely? | 我会游泳 (wǒ huì yóuyǒng) |
| 能 (néng) | capacity; circumstance; extent | am able to right now | Do the conditions allow it? | 我今天不能游泳 (wǒ jīntiān bù néng yóuyǒng) |
| 可以 (kěyǐ) | permission; option | am allowed to | Is it permitted? | 这里可以游泳 (zhèlǐ kěyǐ yóuyǒng) |
That's the whole engine. 会 = you learned it. 能 = the situation lets you. 可以 = you're allowed. Everything below is showing you the engine at work — first on one situation with all three, then in the two zones where they overlap, then where only one survives.
One situation, all three modals
The fastest way to feel the difference is to hold the action fixed and change only the modal. Take driving:
我会开车。
wǒ huì kāichē
I can drive. (informal) — I learned how; I have the skill and the licence. This is 会.
我喝酒了，不能开车。
wǒ hē jiǔ le, bù néng kāichē
I've been drinking, so I can't drive. (informal) — the skill is intact; the circumstance forbids it. This is 能.
这条路可以开车，那条是步行街。
zhè tiáo lù kěyǐ kāichē, nà tiáo shì bùxíngjiē
You can drive on this road; that one's a pedestrian street. (neutral) — a matter of what's permitted. This is 可以.
Read those three in order and the split becomes physical. Same verb, 开车, three completely different questions: Do you know how? Do the circumstances allow it? Is it permitted? Notice how happily 会 and 能 coexist — 我会开车，可是今天不能开 ("I can drive, but I can't today") is not a contradiction, because they answer different questions. The moment you catch yourself about to say "can," run those three questions and the choice makes itself.
Overlap zone 1: language ability (会 vs 能)
Talking about languages is where 会 and 能 rub shoulders, and where learners most often pick wrong. The rule: 会 states the skill exists (yes/no); 能 states you can perform to a needed extent or in a given situation.
我会说日语。
wǒ huì shuō Rìyǔ
I can speak Japanese. (neutral) — I have learned it; the skill exists. 会.
我能用日语开会。
wǒ néng yòng Rìyǔ kāihuì
I can run a meeting in Japanese. (neutral) — capable to that demanding extent; more than just knowing the language. 能.
我今天嗓子疼，不能说话。
wǒ jīntiān sǎngzi téng, bù néng shuōhuà
My throat hurts today, so I can't talk. (informal) — the skill of speaking is intact; a circumstance blocks it. 能.
So: 我会说中文 = "I can speak Chinese (I learned it)." 我能看中文报纸 = "I can (manage to) read a Chinese newspaper (my level is up to it)." 我不会说中文 = "I don't know any Chinese"; 我今天不能说话 = "I can't speak today (sore throat)." The skill-vs-extent line runs right through the middle of language talk, and 会 vs 能 tracks it exactly.
Overlap zone 2: permission (能 vs 可以)
For asking and giving permission, 能 and 可以 frequently both work, and beginners can safely use either. The nuance: 可以 asks "is it permitted?" (rules, social OK) while 能 asks "is it possible / OK given the circumstances?"
这里可以抽烟吗？
zhèlǐ kěyǐ chōuyān ma?
Can I smoke here? (informal) — is it allowed? Emphasis on the rule. 可以.
这里能抽烟吗？
zhèlǐ néng chōuyān ma?
Can I smoke here? (informal) — is it OK / possible here? Practically the same question. 能.
The two blur together in the positive. They separate in the negative, and this is worth memorising: 不可以 = not allowed (a rule forbids it); 不能 = can't/mustn't (a rule or a circumstance blocks it). So both work for "no parking here" (a rule), but only 不能 works when a plain circumstance is in the way.
这里不可以停车，会被罚款。
zhèlǐ bù kěyǐ tíngchē, huì bèi fákuǎn
You can't park here — you'll be fined. (neutral) — a rule forbids it, so 不可以 (or 不能).
我手机没电了，不能查地图。
wǒ shǒujī méi diàn le, bù néng chá dìtú
My phone's dead, so I can't check the map. (informal) — pure circumstance, no rule; only 不能 works here, never 不可以.
Where only one modal works
Overlap is real, but three zones are one-modal-only, and knowing them keeps you from over-thinking:
Learned skill → only 会. A pure "I know how to do X" is 会 and nothing else. 我会游泳 is right; ✗我可以游泳 means "I'm allowed to swim," and ✗我能游泳 pulls in an odd "conditions allow it today" reading you probably didn't intend.
Physical feat or extent → only 能. Strength, distance, quantity: 能 owns these. 我能搬这个箱子 (lift the box), 我能跑十公里 (run 10 km). ✗我会搬 / ✗我会跑十公里 wrongly treat them as learned skills.
Prediction → only 会. The "will" of forecasting is 会 exclusively — 能 and 可以 have no predictive job at all.
明天会下雨，别忘了带伞。
míngtiān huì xià yǔ, bié wàng le dài sǎn
It'll rain tomorrow — don't forget an umbrella. (informal) — a forecast; only 会 predicts. Not 能, not 可以.
Bare permission grant → 可以. "You may go now" is 你可以走了; 能 is possible but 可以 is what a native reaches for, and 会 is impossible.
面试结束了，你可以走了。
miànshì jiéshù le, nǐ kěyǐ zǒu le
The interview's over — you may go now. (neutral) — granting permission; 可以.
The three negatives, side by side
Because English collapses everything into "can't," the negatives are where transfer errors cluster. Keep them distinct:
| Negative | Means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 不会 (bú huì) | don't know how; won't (unlikely) | 我不会做饭 / 明天不会冷 |
| 不能 (bù néng) | unable (circumstance); mustn't | 我今天不能来 / 这里不能拍照 |
| 不可以 (bù kěyǐ) | not allowed (a rule forbids it) | 这里不可以拍照 |
我不会做饭，能不能去外面吃？
wǒ bú huì zuò fàn, néng bu néng qù wàimiàn chī?
I can't cook — can we eat out? (informal) — 不会 for the missing skill, 能不能 for the circumstantial request. Two different 'can'ts in one sentence.
Common Mistakes
1. Using 会 for a momentary inability. Being too tired, too busy, or otherwise blocked today is circumstance — 不能, never 不会.
❌ 我今天很累，不会跑步。
Wrong — you know how to run; today's tiredness is a circumstance. Use 不能跑步.
✅ 我今天很累，不能跑步。
wǒ jīntiān hěn lèi, bù néng pǎobù
I'm too tired to run today. — circumstance, so 不能.
2. Using 可以 or 能 for a learned skill. "I can swim / drive / cook" as a statement of competence is 会 only.
❌ 我可以游泳。
Wrong flavour — this says 'I'm allowed to swim'. To claim you know how, use 会游泳.
✅ 我会游泳。
wǒ huì yóuyǒng
I can swim. — a learned skill, so 会.
3. Using 不可以 to mean "unable." 不可以 is not allowed. A circumstance that blocks you is 不能.
❌ 我明天不可以来。
Wrong if you mean 'I can't make it' — 不可以 says you're forbidden to come. For a circumstance, use 不能来.
✅ 我明天不能来。
wǒ míngtiān bù néng lái
I can't come tomorrow. — circumstance, so 不能.
4. Using 能 or 可以 for a prediction. Forecasts are 会's job alone.
❌ 明天能下雨。
Wrong — 能 doesn't predict. A forecast is 明天会下雨.
✅ 明天会下雨。
míngtiān huì xià yǔ
It'll rain tomorrow. — prediction, so 会.
Key Takeaways
- English can hides three questions. Before you speak, decide: skill, circumstance, or permission? The answer forces the modal.
- 会 = learned skill (我会开车) and prediction (明天会下雨) — both "inside the mind."
- 能 = capacity, circumstance, and extent (我今天不能开车 / 我能跑十公里) — reacts to the situation.
- 可以 = permission and options (这条路可以开车 / 你可以走了) — is it allowed?
- Overlaps: 会/能 for language (skill vs extent); 能/可以 for permission (possible vs permitted).
- One-modal zones: learned skill → 会 only; physical feat/extent → 能 only; prediction → 会 only.
- Negatives split: 不会 (don't know how / won't), 不能 (unable / mustn't), 不可以 (not allowed). For the deeper nuance treatment, see the choosing group's 会 / 能 / 可以 page.
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- 会 (huì): Learned Ability and LikelihoodHSK 1 — 会 (huì) covers two ideas English keeps apart: a learned skill — 我会游泳 'I can swim' — and a confident prediction about the future — 明天会下雨 'it'll rain tomorrow'. Negated 不会.
- 能 (néng): Capability and CircumstanceHSK 1 — 能 (néng) is 'can' in the sense the conditions allow it right now — physical capacity (我能搬这个箱子), circumstance (今天我不能来), and extent (能游一千米). Negated 不能 also forbids.
- 可以 (kěyǐ): Permission and PossibilityHSK 1 — 可以 (kěyǐ) is 'can' in the sense you're allowed — permission and viable options: 你可以走了 'you may go', 这儿可以抽烟吗 'can I smoke here?'. Negated 不可以 means 'not allowed', never 'unable'.
- 会 vs 能 vs 可以 — Three Ways to Say 'Can'HSK 2 — English 'can' hides three different ideas that Chinese keeps separate. 会 (huì) = a LEARNED skill (我会游泳 'I can swim') — plus 'likely to' for predictions. 能 (néng) = CAPACITY or circumstance — able in this instance or up to a level (我今天不能来 'I can't make it today'). 可以 (kěyǐ) = PERMISSION or an available option (这儿可以抽烟吗 'can I smoke here?'). Decide by which 'can' you mean.