Using 会

会 (huì) before a verb means know how to / can.

Put 会 after the subject and before the action. The negative is 不会 (bú huì).

会 lets you talk about skills and abilities — languages, sports, instruments — anything you know how to do.

Structure

Subject + 会 + Verb + Object

我会说中文。 Wǒ huì shuō Zhōngwén. I can speak Chinese.

Subject + 不 + 会 + Verb + Object

我不会说中文。 Wǒ bú huì shuō Zhōngwén. I cannot speak Chinese.

When NOT to Use 会

会 marks a skill you learned through practice — languages, sports, driving. It does not mean "able to right now" because of circumstances.

✓ 我会游泳。 Wǒ huì yóuyǒng. (I can swim.) ✗ 现在太热，我不会喝茶。

✓ 现在太热，我不能喝茶。 Xiànzài tài rè, wǒ bù néng hē chá. (It's too hot right now, I can't drink tea.)

The tea being too hot isn't about a skill you never learned — it's a temporary situation. That calls for 能 (néng, able to / can), which you'll meet soon, not 会.

Examples

我会说中文。 Wǒ huì shuō Zhōngwén.

Breakdown: 我 (I) · 会 (can) · 说 (speak) · 中文 (Chinese)

→ I can speak Chinese.

我朋友会写英语，也会读英语。 Wǒ péngyou huì xiě Yīngyǔ, yě huì dú Yīngyǔ.

Breakdown: 我朋友 (my friend) · 会 (can) · 写 (write) · 英语 (English) · 也 (also) · 读 (read)

→ My friend can write English, and can also read English.

她不会说中文。 Tā bú huì shuō Zhōngwén.

Breakdown: 她 (she) · 不会 (cannot) · 说 (speak) · 中文 (Chinese)

→ She cannot speak Chinese.

你会听中文吗？ Nǐ huì tīng Zhōngwén ma?

Breakdown: 你 (you) · 会 (can) · 听 (listen/understand) · 中文 (Chinese) · 吗 (question particle)

→ Can you understand Chinese?

爸爸会开车，也会游泳。 Bàba huì kāichē, yě huì yóuyǒng.

Breakdown: 爸爸 (dad) · 会 (can) · 开车 (drive) · 也 (also) · 游泳 (swim)

→ Dad can drive, and he can also swim.

妈妈会做饭。 Māma huì zuòfàn.

Breakdown: 妈妈 (mom) · 会 (can) · 做饭 (cook)

→ Mom can cook.

Common Mistakes

Using 没 instead of 不 to negate 会

- Incorrect: 我没会说中文。 (Wǒ méi huì shuō Zhōngwén.) - Correct: 我不会说中文。 (Wǒ bú huì shuō Zhōngwén.) — I cannot speak Chinese.

没 negates 有 and completed actions, not 会. Always use 不 to negate 会.

Using 会 for a temporary inability, not a missing skill

- Incorrect: 现在太热，我不会喝茶。 (Xiànzài tài rè, wǒ bú huì hē chá.) - Correct: 现在太热，我不能喝茶。 (Xiànzài tài rè, wǒ bù néng hē chá.) — It's too hot right now, I can't drink tea.

English "can't" covers both "don't know how to" and "am not able to right now," so learners default to 不会 for both. 会 is only for learned skills.

What Can You Say Now?

You can now say what you're capable of doing, not just what you're doing right now — 我会说中文 (I can speak Chinese), 她不会说中文 (She cannot speak Chinese). Try listing one language or skill you have and one you don't, using 会 and 不会.

Quick Summary

会 + Verb = can / know how to. Negative: 不会.