可以

HSK-G-6
HSK 1 词类 动词

Can 可以 mean physical ability, or is it only for permission and possibility?

可以 covers permission and possibility, not physical ability. Reach for 能 when your body or skills are the point.

English 'can' is a Swiss Army knife, so learners hand 可以 every job. In Chinese, 可以 mostly handles permission and possibility: asking if something is okay, or saying something can be read a certain way. If you mean your stomach, your legs, or your actual skills can do something, 能 is the word. 我可以吃辣 sounds like 'Am I allowed to eat spicy food?' to a native ear. Say 我能吃辣 and nobody blinks. Flip it around for permission: 我可以坐这儿吗? means 'Mind if I sit here?' — 我能坐这儿吗? sounds like a question about your legs. Learned skills usually take 会 instead: 我会游泳, not 我可以游泳. The same possibility meaning shows up in rhymes: “零百千万亿,可以医椅衣。” ── [《一二三(2)》](/read/counting-days-rhymes#s3). There, 可以 means 'these can sound like,' which is pure possibility — no permission, no muscles.

Situation / PatternFormulaNaturalAvoid
Asking permission可以 + action我可以坐这儿吗?我能坐这儿吗? (asks about ability)
Physical ability能 + action我能吃辣我可以吃辣 (asks permission)
Learned skill会 + action我会游泳我可以游泳 (asks permission)

Why does 还可以 mean 'so-so' instead of 'can'?

还可以 is the polite shrug: 'it's fine, nothing special.' It shows up anytime you have to rate something.

Ask a coworker 新工作怎么样? and 还可以 means 'it's alright, nothing amazing.' It's a soft, polite shrug — you don't hate it, you don't love it. Use it for food, movies, weekends, weather, anything you're asked to grade. The little 还 softens 可以 from 'good' down to 'tolerable,' sort of like saying 'it has its moments' in English. Watch out when it's an answer to a request. If a friend asks 明天三点行吗?, say 可以 — replying 还可以 makes them think you're not keen. And if you actually love the thing, don't say 还可以, because faint praise is the fastest way to sound lukewarm about your best friend's cooking.

Situation / PatternFormulaNaturalAvoid
Rating food, movies, jobs还可以这家店还可以,就是有点咸这家店不可以 (means banned)
Yes to a request可以可以,我没问题还可以 (sounds half-hearted)
You actually love it挺好的 / 很好挺好的,我很喜欢还可以 (damning with faint praise)

Does 可以 go before the verb or after it, like 我去可以?

可以 always sits before the action word, never after it. One exception: 可以吗 can tag onto the end of a whole sentence.

可以 lives in the same slot as 想 or 会 — right before the verb. 我可以去 is fine; 我去可以 sounds like 'I go can' and lands flat in native ears. Order is subject first, then 可以, then the action: 我可以帮你, 明天可以走. Putting 可以 in front of the subject breaks it too — 可以我帮你吗? sounds scrambled. There's one honest exception worth knowing. The permission tag 可以吗? can hang off the end of a finished sentence: 我坐这儿,可以吗? That's fine and extremely common. So keep the modal attached to its verb, but feel free to throw 可以吗? on the tail when you want a quick yes or no.

Situation / PatternFormulaNaturalAvoid
Plain sentenceSubject + 可以 + verb我可以去我去可以
Subject positionSubject + 可以 + verb我可以帮你可以我帮你
Permission tag at the endSentence + 可以吗?我坐这儿,可以吗?可以吗我坐这儿?

Appears in Stories 9 stories

《哪里哪里!》 Where is 'Where'?
HSK 1 ~6 min read 432 chars
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Chat about where friends study Chinese while exploring 哪儿 and 哪里 across Beijing and Shanghai. Practice asking “where”, talking about “here” and “there”, and using the modest reply 哪里哪里 to accept a compliment.

  • 哪里可以

    You can just say 'nǎlǐ'.

  • 哪儿可以

    'Nǎr' works too.

  • 也可以说哪儿

    …and I can also say, 'Nǎr!'

《星期七》 The Week Without Seven
HSK 1 ~2 min read 82 chars
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Before you read, try clapping the rhythm. This poem introduces the days of the week and a fun secret: Chinese has two names for Sunday, but no 'Week Seven'!

  • 星期天星期日名字可以

    Sunday—both 星期天 and 星期日 are acceptable names.

  • 知道星期可以星期

    If you want to know what day of the week it is, you can ask him.

《你喜欢看老电影吗?》 Do You Like Old Movies?
HSK 2 ~3 min read 224 chars
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In this dialogue, two people chat while waiting outside a cinema. You'll hear common phrases for talking about hobbies, sports, and movie preferences.

  • 可以几个问题

    A: Can I ask you a few questions?

  • 可以

    B: Sure, go ahead.

《友好的高友朋》 A Friendly New Friend at Work
HSK 2 ~4 min read 243 chars
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Meet Gao Youpeng, a friendly Beijing coworker who welcomes the narrator with local dishes and a simple language-exchange plan. This warm HSK 2 story is perfect for first readings about work and friendship.

  • 周六可以北京菜

    He said he can teach me to make a few Beijing dishes on Saturday.

  • 高友朋英语不好可以一起学习

    Gao Youpeng's English isn't very good, so I think I can study with him.

《这还是茶馆儿吗?》 Teahouse or Cinema?
HSK 3 ~3 min read 325 chars
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Ever wondered where old Beijing's tea-drinking culture has gone? Follow a visitor discovering why locals now avoid famous tea houses—and practice expressing surprise and comparisons in Chinese along the way.

  • 现在茶馆虽然还是可以但是那儿大多不是北京

    But although you can still drink tea at teahouses today, most people who go there are not old Beijingers.

  • 因为那儿可以一边一边表演唱歌跳舞什么的

    Because there you can drink tea while watching performances—singing, dancing, and so on.

《一二三(2)》 Counting Days and Rhymes
HSK 1 ~2 min read 84 chars
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This playful poem turns numbers into a rhythm of daily life. As you read, practice counting, days of the week, and common time words in a fun, memorable way.

  • 亿可以

    Zero, hundred, thousand, ten thousand, hundred million — [the sound yī] can be 'heal,' 'chair,' or 'clothes.'

《你好和再见》 Hello and Goodbye
HSK 1 ~1 min read 46 chars
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Before you start learning Chinese, master the most important phrases: greetings. This short dialogue shows you how to say hello and goodbye, and how to respond politely.

  • 不好意思可以

    Sorry also works.

《谢谢您请》 The Day 'Please' Stayed Home
HSK 1 ~2 min read 132 chars
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Everyday greetings are a gateway to natural Chinese. Practice time-based hellos like “早上好” and “晚安,” learn to address teachers with the respectful “您,” and see how families skip formalities to speak warmly at home.

  • 家人朋友关系谢谢客气在家说话不客气可以不说

    With family and close friends, 'thank you,' '您,' and 'please' are too formal. At home, people speak informally, so you don't have to say '您' or 'please'.

《时间和时候(1)卖车看电影》 Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow
HSK 1 ~2 min read 146 chars
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Follow a day from waking at six-thirty to coming home at eight, then leap across days, months, and years. This simple story helps you practice speaking about routines and life changes with clear time words.

  • 后年可以新房

    The year after next, I can buy a new house.

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