会 (huì) for Ability
Reach for 会 when you want to say someone CAN do something because they LEARNED to. It's the modal verb for skills and acquired abilities: speaking a language, driving a car, swimming, playing piano. Place it directly before the verb. 会 carries an implicit 'I picked this up' meaning — that's what separates it from 能 ('can, due to circumstance / permission') and from 可以 ('may, allowed to').
Structure
[SUBJECT] 会 [VERB]
huì [VERB]
How to Think About It
会 is the LEARNED ability modal. If the ability had to be acquired through practice or instruction — speaking Chinese, driving, cooking, doing math — use 会. Contrast: a baby doesn't 会走路 the day they're born; once they've practiced, they 会 it. Inanimate objects can 会 too if they have the capability: '计算器会算数' (the calculator can do math). The flavor is always 'this skill is in the toolkit.'
Examples
我会说中文。
Wǒ huì shuō Zhōngwén.
I can speak Chinese.
AI 会说话。
AI huì shuō huà.
AI can speak.
工具不会想。
Gōngjù bú huì xiǎng.
Tools can't think.
Common Mistake
Learners use 能 for learned abilities, copying English 'I can speak Chinese.' In Chinese, '我能说中文' implies 'I'm able to (right now, given the circumstances)' — sounds like you're asking permission. The natural learned-ability form is '我会说中文.'
我能说中文。
我会说中文。
Don't Confuse With
能 + Verb
能 = 'can, given circumstance / capacity / permission' ('我今天能去' = 'I'm able to go today'). Use 会 for learned skills, 能 for situational ability.
可以 + Verb
可以 = 'may, allowed' or 'okay to' ('你可以走了' = 'you may leave'). Use 可以 for permission, 会 for skill.
会 + Verb (for prediction)
会 also means 'will (likely)' for predictions ('明天会下雨'). Same character, different job. The ability sense pairs with skill verbs; the prediction sense pairs with future events.
Practice
我 ___ 说一点中文。
Show answer
会
工具不 ___ 想。
Show answer
会
Arrange: 会 / 我 / 开车 / 不
Show answer
我不会开车。
She can play piano.
Show answer
她会弹钢琴。
Write a sentence about a skill you have or don't have using 会.
Show answer
我会做饭，但是不会做中国菜。
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 1 Fluentide episode:
Related Grammar Patterns
Acquire by listening
Hear 会 (huì) for Ability in real Chinese, not in a textbook.
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