Chinese grammar: Expressing ability or possibility 能neng

能 (néng) is another Chinese word that is often translated as "can." However, it has a slightly different meaning than the others. 能 is used to express ability or possibility of doing something. This article will further explain its use.

Structure

Expressing Ability
The verb 能 is used to express either ability or possibility.

Examples
能 indicates ability when used with activities that are not consciously learned or studied.

Expressing Possibility
Examples
When used with activities that are consciously learned or studied, 能 generally means that circumstances do not allow execution of the action. In other words, it's not possible. Sometimes this is a bit of an exaggeration and actually just means it's "not allowed."