adj., n., v.
possible; maybe; possibility
可能
Common Usage & Traps
- 可能下雨 — might rain
- 可能会 — might (do something)
- 不可能 — impossible / can't be
- 很有可能 — very likely
- 可能吗 — Is it possible?
- 可能不来 — might not come
-
可能雨可能下雨 / 可能有雨Weather needs a verb or 有 before the noun. 可能 doesn't glue straight onto 雨.
-
会可能来可能会来 / 可能来会 and 可能 both go before the action. Flipping them sounds like broken English word order.
-
我可能游泳 (meaning I can swim)我可以游泳可能 is about chance, not skill. 可以 is for can or permission.
Can 我可能游泳 mean 'I can swim'?
No. 可能 is about chance, not ability; say 我可以游泳 for 'I can swim'.
English 'can' covers both possibility and ability, but Chinese splits them. 可能 means something might happen. 可以 means you are able to do it or allowed to do it. So 我可能游泳 sounds like 'I might swim,' not 'I can swim.'
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | 可能 = maybe / might | 可能 = can / able |
| I can swim | 我可以游泳 | 我可能游泳 (means I might swim) |
| Permission | 我可以进来吗？ | 我可能进来吗？ (odd for permission) |
If you say 他可能会来, is he coming or just maybe coming?
会 says it will happen; 可能会 says it might happen.
会 by itself sounds like a plan or promise. Add 可能 and you turn certainty down to a maybe. That's why 可能会来 is softer than 会来. It's the difference between 'he will come' and 'he might come.' “但是她可能会坐火车回上海。” (But she might take the train back to Shanghai.) ── [《去上海》](/read/train-or-plane-to-shanghai#s8)
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Certainty | 他可能会来 = he might come | 他会来 = he will come |
| Stacking | 可能会来 | 会可能来 |
| Tone | 可能 softens the plan | 会 states it as a fact |
What's the difference between 他可能不来 and 他不可能来?
可能不来 means might not come; 不可能来 means no way he comes.
Put 不 before 可能 and you cancel the possibility itself. Put 不 after 可能 and you only cancel the verb inside the maybe. So 他可能不来 is a soft maybe. 他不可能来 is a hard no.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | 他可能不来 = he might not come | 他不可能来 = he can't come / no way |
| What 不 hits | 可能不来: 不 hits 来 | 不可能来: 不 hits 可能 |
| Tone | 可能不来: soft maybe | 不可能来: hard no |
Featured in Story Deep Dive
Follow how this word unfolds across the narrative arc of this graded story.
Meet Xiao Shang, who is heading back to Shanghai. She compares two ways to travel and tells us why she prefers the slower one. This story helps you practice comparing transportation in simple Chinese.
- Scene #1
但是她 可能 会坐火车回上海。
Questions & Discussion 0 questions
No questions or discussions yet. Have a question about this character/word? Be the first to ask!