会 + Verb
Reach for 会 in two everyday situations: to say you know how to do something (a learned skill like swimming, driving, or speaking a language), and to say something is likely to happen in the future. One word, two jobs, and the context picks which meaning lands. It sits right before the main verb, doesn't change form, and is among the most-used auxiliaries in beginner Chinese. Negate it with 不会, never 没会.
Structure
[SUBJECT] 会 [VERB] ([OBJECT])
huì [VERB]
How to Think About It
Think of 会 as a key you turn in front of a verb: turn it once and the verb means 'I have learned to do this'; turn it in a future-tense context and it means 'this verb will probably happen.' The deciding factor is whether the verb is a skill you can practice (会游泳 = can swim) or an event in the future (明天会下雨 = will rain tomorrow). The same word handles both because Chinese frames ability and likelihood as the same idea: this verb is in play.
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.
明天会下雨。
Míngtiān huì xià yǔ.
It'll rain tomorrow.
他不会做饭。
Tā bú huì zuò fàn.
He doesn't know how to cook.
我会说一点儿中文。
Wǒ huì shuō yìdiǎnr Zhōngwén.
I can speak a little Chinese.
他不会开车。
Tā bú huì kāichē.
He can't drive.
明天会下雨吗？
Míngtiān huì xià yǔ ma?
Will it rain tomorrow?
Common Mistake
Learners reach for 没会 to negate completed-not-learned skills, copying the 没 + verb pattern from past tense. But 会 is an auxiliary about ability or possibility, not a completed action, so it always negates with 不会.
我没会开车。
我不会开车。
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.
能 + Verb
Use 能 for permission or circumstantial ability (I'm allowed to / I have the capacity right now). Use 会 for a learned skill or a future likelihood.
可以 + Verb
Use 可以 mostly for permission ('may I'); 会 isn't about whether you're allowed, it's about whether you've learned how.
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。
Fill in the blank: 我 ___ 游泳。 (I can swim.)
Hear It in Real Episodes
Related Grammar Patterns
Acquire by listening
Hear 会 + Verb in real Chinese, not in a textbook.
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