A colleague messages to ask if you can attend a meeting next week. You need to accept or explain why you can't. The Chinese verb 能 (néng) handles exactly this — it expresses what you are able to do based on your current circumstances, not a general skill.
Place 能 before a verb to talk about physical or circumstantial ability. The structure is simple: Subject + 能 + Verb. For example:
Use 不能 when something prevents you — a scheduling conflict, a physical barrier, or any circumstance that blocks the action. This differs from a general skill like speaking Chinese, where you would use a different verb.
This lesson, "Can You Make It?", is a live conversation with AI teacher Mei Lin. You talk out loud — no typing. Over roughly ten minutes, Mei Lin asks whether you can come, go, or help in various situations, and you respond using 能 and 不能. She corrects your grammar and pronunciation as you speak, adapting to your level.
Each lesson targets one grammar pattern so you build confidence with it before moving on. When you are ready for more, explore the full set of HSK 1 lessons or try another HSK 1 live lesson on chaining actions.
You can also print free handwriting worksheets to practice writing the characters from this lesson. The first lesson is free to start — just begin talking.
能 (néng) expresses physical or circumstantial ability — whether you are able to do something right now based on your current situation. You place it before a verb, as in 我今天不能去 (wǒ jīntiān bù néng qù) — I can't go today. It is not used for general skills you have learned over time.
In this live lesson you talk out loud with AI teacher Mei Lin for about ten minutes. She asks whether you can come, go, or help in different scenarios, and you answer using 能 and 不能. She corrects your grammar and pronunciation in real time as you speak.
能 (néng) states that you are able to do something, while 不能 says circumstances prevent you — a scheduling conflict, a physical barrier, or another obstacle. In the lesson Can You Make It? you practice both forms so you can accept or decline requests naturally.
Yes. You can print free handwriting worksheets using the Chinese Worksheet Generator to practice writing characters like 能 and 不能 by hand, reinforcing what you learned in the live conversation.