RealHSK

HSK 1Lesson 2 of 13 · 4 grammar points

Skills, intentions and permission

Ask three separate questions when reading a modal: does the person know how, do circumstances permit it, or do they want to act? These meanings overlap in everyday conversation, so use context rather than a one-word translation.

Learning goals (4)
  • Learned ability and practical ability.
  • Wanting: 想 and 要.
  • Permission with 可以.
  • Verb–object activity words.

会、能

Learned ability and practical ability

会 typically describes an acquired skill; 能 describes ability or circumstances allowing an action. Meanings overlap, so context matters.

我会开车，但今天不能开。

Wǒ huì kāi chē, dàn jīn tiān bù néng kāi.

I know how to drive, but I cannot drive today.

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Contrast 我会开车, a learned skill, with 我今天能开车, being able to drive today. A person can possess the skill but be unable to drive because of illness. 不会 can also express a prediction elsewhere; select this lesson only for the learned-skill sense.

Pitfall: Do not assume 能 always means permission or 会 always means future time.

想、要

Wanting: 想 and 要

想 often expresses a wish or intention; 要 can express a firmer intention or requesting something. Both precede a verb; 要 also takes a noun.

我想喝水。

Wǒ xiǎng hē shuǐ.

I would like to drink some water.

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我想去 expresses a wish or intention; 我要去 can state a firmer intention; 我要一杯水 requests an item. 不想去 means not wanting to go. 不要去 can instead tell someone not to go.

Pitfall: 想喝水 is a wish; 要一杯水 is a request for a glass of water.

可以

Permission with 可以

Put 可以 before the action to ask or grant permission. 不可以 forbids an action; 不用 says it is unnecessary.

我可以坐这里吗？

Wǒ kě yǐ zuò zhè lǐ ma?

May I sit here?

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Pitfall: 不可以 and 不用 do not mean the same thing.

睡觉

Verb–object activity words

Items such as 睡觉 and 看病 behave as activity units but contain an object. Added material may occur inside some units; learn their individual patterns.

孩子正在睡觉。

Hái zi zhèng zài shuì jiào.

The child is sleeping.

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看病 consult a doctor, 睡觉 sleep, 说话 talk, 上课 attend/teach class, 下课 finish class, 上班 go to/be at work, 下班 finish work, 生病 fall ill. Their internal grammar is not identical: 跟他说话 is natural, while 说话他 is not.

Pitfall: Say 跟他说话, not 说话他. Do not apply one separation rule to every listed item.

Source details (official syllabus)

  • Learned ability and practical ability

    Syllabus item
    会、能
    Category
    能愿动词
    Grammar ID
    grammar-L1-004
    PDF page
    386 (printed 383)

  • Wanting: 想 and 要

    Syllabus item
    想、要
    Category
    能愿动词
    Grammar ID
    grammar-L1-005
    PDF page
    386 (printed 383)

  • Permission with 可以

    Syllabus item
    可以
    Category
    能愿动词
    Grammar ID
    grammar-L1-006
    PDF page
    386 (printed 383)

  • Verb–object activity words

    Syllabus item
    看病、睡觉、说话、上课、下课、上班、下班、生病
    Category
    离合词
    Grammar ID
    grammar-L1-007
    PDF page
    386 (printed 383)