Modal Verbs In Mandarin Chinese (Explained With Examples)

Chinese modal verbs talk about possibility, likelihood, necessity, intent, permission, or ability.

These verbs are some basic but important words that all new Mandarin Chinese language learners will eventually need to pick up. You’ll need to know which one to use and where to place them in sentences so they’re grammatically correct.

Modal verbs are essential for daily conversations. So, in this guide, I’ll cover the most commonly used modal verbs in Mandarin Chinese and show you how you can use them correctly.

Let’s get started.

Common modal verbs in Mandarin Chinese

Modal verbs are used together with a verb to explain and give more information about what the speaker thinks of the action. They’re basically “helping” verbs that describe the mood or tone of the sentence.

Sometimes they’re referred to as auxiliary verbs.

I’ll explain the meaning and usage of different modal verbs below.

”Can/Could”

The following modal verbs are commonly used to say “can” or “could” as how you would in English.

I’ll compare 可以, 能, and 会 in this section as they can all be used to say “can” in Mandarin.

可以 (Kěyǐ)

In most cases, 可以 carries the meaning of “have/has the permission to”. In English, this term can be translated to “can” or “may”, which means that the subject of the sentence is allowed to carry out the specified action.

The following are some examples:

可以 can also be used in a question to ask about the possibility of something or request permission. For instance:

In some cases, 可以 can also be used to make a suggestion or propose an idea. For example:

能 (Néng)

能 is most commonly used to convey the meaning of “is able to”. It usually talks about the innate ability to carry out the specified action.

Here are some examples:

Similar to 可以, 能 can also be used to talk about permission or the possibility of something. In such cases, it is interchangeable with 可以.

会 (Huì)

Similar to 能, 会 can be used to talk about a person’s ability to do something. However, it’s unique in the sense that it commonly involves an ability or skill that you learned or trained to do.

Here are some examples of how to use 会 the right way:

While 会 refers to a skill or activity that you studied or trained for, 能, on the other hand, talks about a natural ability. This means you should use 能 instead of 会 to discuss something you can naturally do.

In certain cases, swapping one for the other could even change the meaning of the sentence.

For example, let’s say that you know how to swim because this is a skill you learned. You would say, “我会游泳。(Wǒ huì yóuyǒng.)” This means, “I can (know how to) swim”.

Imagine another scenario where you couldn’t go swimming with your friend because you’ve been too busy. When you’re finally able to join them for a swim again, you might say, “这个周末我能和你一起去游泳。(Zhège zhōumò wǒ néng hé nǐ yīqǐ qù yóuyǒng.)” This means, “I can go swimming with you this weekend”.

In this case, you’re not talking about whether you know how to swim but whether you are able to join them for a swim after considering your schedule.

With practice, knowing when to use 会 and 能 will come very naturally.

”Might”

In Mandarin, you can also use certain terms to talk about something that could happen.

可能 (Kěnéng)

可能 is one of the most commonly used terms to say “might” or “may” in Mandarin Chinese. Adding it into a sentence helps you describe a scenario or action that has probably already happened or is probably happening now.

Some examples include:

You can also use 可能 to talk about something that might happen in the future.

For example:

In such cases, you’d notice that 会 is used right after 可能. In this case, 会 helps indicate that the statement is related to the future. We’ll discuss this usage of 会 again further down the article.

”Should”

Modal verbs can also be used to express obligation in Mandarin Chinese.

应该 (Yīnggāi)

This term goes before a verb or verb phrase in Mandarin Chinese. It works the same way as “should” does in English.

There are two main messages that you can convey using 应该. The first talks about obligation and duty.

For example:

Another way to use 应该 is to talk about probability and expectation. Here are some examples:

“Will”

There are several modal verbs that can be used to say “will” and talk about future events in Mandarin.

会 (Huì)

Apart from talking about a skill you learned to do, 会 can also be used to discuss something that is going to happen or what someone is going to do.

This is by far one of the biggest differences between 会, 可以, and 能. While all of them translate to “can” in English, 会 is the only one that can also be used to talk about future events.

For instance:

要 (Yào)

This modal verb can have different meanings depending on the context of the situation or sentence.

One possible way to use 要 is to discuss an action that someone is going to do. In this context, it can be used similarly to 会. However, they’re not always interchangeable.

In most cases, you’ll find that a time word will be inserted before 要. This makes sense since 要 can be used to talk about the future, and you’d normally also state a timeline when making future plans.

Here are examples of how to use 要:

将 (Jiāng)

Similar to 会, 将 can be used to say “will” and talk about future events. The difference is that 将 has a more formal tone to it.

Here are some examples of how you can use 将:

In some cases, you might also notice 将 being used with another modal verb like 会 or 要. 将会 or 将要 can be used similarly to 将.

For example:

“Must”

Modal verbs can also be used to say “must” in Chinese.

必须 (Bìxū)

必须 is used to convey a very strong sense of obligation. It tells the other person that the action is something that must be done.

必须 shows that the action must be carried out, or there will be undesirable consequences.

得 (Děi)

得 is sometimes used to say “must”.

要 (Yào)

要 can be used to say “need to”.

For example:

Expressing “desire” or “intention” in Mandarin

Modal verbs can also be used to express someone’s desires and wishes.

要 (Yào)

Another usage of 要 is to convey the meaning “want to” or “intends to”.

Here are some examples:

Because 要 can convey different meanings, it’s important to take note of the context of the sentence so that you don’t misunderstand what the speaker is trying to say.

想 (Xiǎng)

想 can be used as a modal verb to say that you “would like to” or “wish to” do something.

The difference between 想 and 要 in the context of saying what you want or wish to do is quite subtle. 想 may be considered a little more formal, polite, and less demanding. But 要, in itself, isn’t a rude term to use. You can use either, as it will boil back down to your tone of voice.

Negating Chinese modal verbs

The simplest way to negate modal verbs is by adding a 不 (bù) in front of them.

For example, 不可以, 不能, and 不会 will mean “cannot”.

You’ll still have to use each one in the right context, as they are not always interchangeable. Take, for example, the following sentences.

Modal verbs take time and practice

Some modal verbs can be used in different contexts to mean different things.

For instance, 要 could mean “want to”, “going to” or “need to”. Other modal verbs, like 可以 and 能, can have overlapping meanings but aren’t always interchangeable.

With some practice, you’ll naturally know when to use each of these modal verbs.

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