HSK 4 grammar · modal
只能
只能 — can only / have no choice but to
Pattern
+ +
( ) can be left out · other words may come before, between and after
How it works
Expresses that the only available option is the stated action, often because circumstances leave no alternative. It combines 只 (only) with 能, conveying reluctant necessity — 'the sole thing one can do is...'.
Examples
没有公交车了，我们只能走路回家。
Méiyǒu gōngjiāochē le, wǒmen zhǐ néng zǒulù huí jiā.
There were no buses left, so we could only walk home.
他不接电话，我只能发短信。
Tā bù jiē diànhuà, wǒ zhǐ néng fā duǎnxìn.
He won't answer the phone, so I can only text him.
Related
See it in a story
In the app, 只能 is underlined wherever it appears in the stories you read, and practised with sentences from them. Free.