不能...
Reach for this when something is forbidden, impossible, or against the rules — 'cannot,' 'must not,' 'shouldn't.' 不能 covers a wide span: legal prohibitions ('you can't smoke here'), moral 'shouldn'ts' ('you can't lie to her'), and physical impossibility ('I can't carry it'). It's the everyday negation of 能, and one of the first negation patterns learners need to control well. Tone depends on context — strict in rules, gentle in advice.
Structure
(SUBJECT) 不能 [VERB / VERB PHRASE]
bù néng...
How to Think About It
能 layers three meanings — ability, possibility, and permission — and 不 negates whichever one is active. 不能 in 'I can't lift it' is ability; in 'you can't park here' is permission; in 'this can't be true' is possibility. The same two words bend across all three. To pick the right reading, look at what's blocking the action: a rule (permission), a fact (possibility), or capacity (ability). If you specifically want to say 'not allowed,' 不可以 is a near-synonym that emphasizes permission.
Examples
这里不能抽烟。
Zhèlǐ bù néng chōuyān.
You can't smoke here.
孩子不能一个人去那里。
Háizi bù néng yí gè rén qù nàlǐ.
Children can't go there alone.
我今天不能去，我有事。
Wǒ jīntiān bù néng qù, wǒ yǒu shì.
I can't go today, I have something on.
Common Mistake
Learners mix up 不能 and 不会. 不会 means 'don't know how / haven't learned how,' while 不能 means 'can't because of a rule, situation, or limit.' Saying 我不会开车 means 'I haven't learned to drive'; 我不能开车 means 'I can't drive right now' (drunk, no license, broken arm).
我喝酒了，所以我不会开车。
我喝酒了，所以我不能开车。
Don't Confuse With
不可以...
Specifically about permission — 'not allowed.' 不能 is broader (rules, ability, possibility). Use 不可以 when you want to emphasize a rule; 不能 when the block could be anything.
不会...
'Don't know how to,' learned-skill negation. 我不会游泳 = 'I can't swim because I never learned.' For situational inability, use 不能.
别...
Direct prohibition aimed at the listener — 'don't.' 别说话 = 'don't talk.' 不能说话 = 'can't talk' (rule or condition). 别 is imperative; 不能 is descriptive of a constraint.
Practice
这里 ___ 拍照。
Show answer
不能
今天我有事，___ 去你家。
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不能
Put in order: [不能 / 这里 / 抽烟 / 你]
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你不能在这里抽烟。
Translate to Chinese: 'Ads shouldn't make fun of families.'
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广告不能拿家庭开玩笑。
Write one sentence using 不能 about a rule at your school, workplace, or home.
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Example answer: 在图书馆不能大声说话。 (You can't talk loudly in the library.)
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 1 Fluentide episode:
Related Grammar Patterns
Acquire by listening
Hear 不能... in real Chinese, not in a textbook.
Fluentide picks the next news episode at your level, so this pattern shows up again and again in real context. The transcript marks it, the audio drills it. Free to start, no card.