HSK 1 grammar · modal
能
能 — can / be able
Pattern
+ +
( ) can be left out · other words may come before, between and after
How it works
能 says you are able to do something in this situation — you have the capacity or the circumstances allow it. It differs from 会, which is about a learned skill.
Examples
你能帮我吗？
Nǐ néng bāng wǒ ma?
Can you help me?
我今天不能来。
Wǒ jīntiān bù néng lái.
I can't come today.
Related
See it in a story
In the app, 能 is underlined wherever it appears in the stories you read, and practised with sentences from them. Free.