可以说...
Reach for this when you want to make a bold characterization without fully committing — 'you could say…,' 'it's fair to say…'. It softens a strong claim just enough to sound thoughtful instead of cocky, and it's the move that lets a commentator label something the 'best of the year' or 'a turning point' without sounding absolute. Heard constantly in news analysis, reviews, and op-eds.
Structure
可以说 [STRONG CHARACTERIZATION]
kěyǐ shuō...
How to Think About It
可以说 literally means 'one can say' — it hands the listener permission to agree, rather than asserting the claim outright. The structure invites the audience into the judgment, which is why it works for verdicts ('this is the best movie of the year') that would feel too forceful as flat statements. It hedges the form, not the content: the claim that follows is usually quite strong.
Examples
可以说，他是这个时代最有影响力的导演。
Kěyǐ shuō, tā shì zhège shídài zuì yǒu yǐngxiǎnglì de dǎoyǎn.
You could say he's the most influential director of this era.
这次发布会可以说非常成功。
Zhè cì fābùhuì kěyǐ shuō fēicháng chénggōng.
This launch event was, you could say, a major success.
可以说，没有他就没有今天的公司。
Kěyǐ shuō, méiyǒu tā jiù méiyǒu jīntiān de gōngsī.
It's fair to say, without him there would be no company today.
Common Mistake
Learners drop the verb that follows 可以说, treating 可以说 as the whole predicate. But 可以说 is a frame — it always needs a full statement after it. Also, learners sometimes use 可以说 for permission ('you can say it'), confusing it with literal modal usage.
他可以说很厉害。
可以说他很厉害。
Don't Confuse With
可以...
Plain 可以 + verb = permission/ability ('can do X'). 可以说 + claim = 'one could say X' — a discourse hedge, not a statement of permission.
也就是说
也就是说 = 'in other words' — paraphrases the previous statement. 可以说 introduces a characterization or verdict, not a restatement.
应该说
应该说 = 'it should be said' — slightly stronger commitment than 可以说. Use 可以说 when you want to leave more room for disagreement, 应该说 when you're closer to certain.
Practice
___ 是今年最成功的电影了。
Show answer
可以说
可以 ___，这是一次历史性的会议。
Show answer
说
Arrange: 可以说 / 这本书 / 经典 / 最好的 / 是 / 之一
Show answer
可以说这本书是最好的经典之一。
You could say this is the biggest news of the year.
Show answer
可以说这是今年最大的新闻。
Use 可以说 to characterize a person, event, or work with a strong but hedged judgment.
Show answer
可以说，这位运动员是这一代最伟大的球员。
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 1 Fluentide episode: