Level 4 · Lesson 11

能和可以
能 and 可以

学生可以借书。明天我有工作，不能参加。

能 for what circumstances allow, 可以 for what you are permitted to do.

听 · Listen

在图书馆
 安娜 —  李明，这本书我可以借吗？ 
Li Ming, may I borrow this book?  
 李明 —  可以。学生可以借图书馆的书。 
You may. Students are allowed to borrow the library's books.  
 安娜 —  谢谢！这儿可以抽烟吗？ 
Thank you! Is smoking allowed here?  
 李明 —  不可以。图书馆里不可以抽烟。 
No. Smoking is not allowed inside the library.  
 安娜 —  明天晚上有一个聚会，你能参加吗？ 
There's a get-together tomorrow evening. Can you come?  
 李明 —  明天我有工作，不能参加。 
I have work tomorrow, so I can't come.  
 安娜 —  后天呢？ 
What about the day after?  
 李明 —  后天可以。 
The day after is fine.  

讲解 · Explanation

我可以借这本书吗？

可以 is about permission: someone allows it, or a rule allows it. Put it straight before the verb — 我 + 可以 + 借 — and close the question with 吗. The shortest possible answer is the word itself: 可以 'you may', 不可以 'you may not'. Notice the pinyin: 不 keeps its full tone before a third tone, so it is bù kěyǐ, not bú kěyǐ.

明天我有工作，不能参加。

能 is about circumstances: whether the situation makes something possible. Li Ming is not forbidden to come to the party — he simply has work. So the answer is 不能, not 不可以. Use 能 whenever the obstacle is time, distance, weather, health or a busy day: 我今天不能去 (wǒ jīntiān bù néng qù) 'I can't go today'.

不能和不可以。

The two negatives differ in the same way. 不可以 refuses permission — a rule, a sign, a parent, a librarian says no. 不能 says the situation itself makes it impossible, and it is also the strong 'you must not' of a serious warning: 开车的时候不能喝酒 (kāichē de shíhou bù néng hē jiǔ). When you want to be polite about a rule, 不可以 is the softer of the two.

生词 · Vocabulary

词	Meaning	注 · Note
能	can, be able to	circumstances allow it: 我今天不能去
可以	may, be allowed to	permission: 可以 / 不可以 answers on its own
抽烟	to smoke	这儿不可以抽烟
参加	to take part in, attend	参加聚会 attend a get-together
借	to borrow; to lend	借书 borrow a book
聚会	get-together, party	一个聚会
后天	the day after tomorrow	昨天、今天、明天、后天

练习 · Practice

图书馆里 ______ 抽烟。 A sign on the wall forbids it. Which fits?

明天我有工作，______ 参加。 Nobody is forbidding you — your day is simply full.

学生 ______ 借图书馆的书。 The rule allows it. Fill in the two-syllable word.

排一排。 Arrange the words: 'May I borrow this book?'

能、可以、抽烟、参加、借 Match each word to its meaning.

用一用 · Use it

这儿可以抽烟吗？明天你能参加吗？

Ask three permission questions aloud about the room you are sitting in — 这儿可以吃饭吗？(zhèr kěyǐ chī fàn ma?) 这儿可以喝茶吗？这儿可以抽烟吗？ — and answer each one 可以 or 不可以. Then say two true sentences about your own week with 能: one thing you can do (明天我能去 míngtiān wǒ néng qù) and one you cannot, with the reason first (我有工作，不能参加 wǒ yǒu gōngzuò, bù néng cānjiā).