Sentence pattern · Band 1

会: can, because you learned it

主语 + 会 + 动词

会 is can for things you learned: speaking Mandarin, cooking rice, driving a car. Nobody is born with these; you picked them up, and 会 is the receipt. Its negative 不会 means do not know how. A different can, the one about open doors and permission, belongs to 能 and 可以 rather than here.

Hear it in a sentence

我会说汉语。Wǒ huì shuō Hànyǔ.I can speak Chinese.
妈妈会做饭。Māma huì zuò fàn.Mom can cook.
你会写汉字吗？Nǐ huì xiě Hànzì ma?Can you write Chinese characters?
他不会开车。Tā bú huì kāichē.He cannot drive.

Mistakes people make

Not this我不说汉语。Wǒ bù shuō Hànyǔ.Say this我不会说汉语。Wǒ bú huì shuō Hànyǔ.

不说 refuses the act; saying you lack the skill is 不会.

Not this我会很说汉语。Wǒ huì hěn shuō Hànyǔ.Say this我会说汉语。Wǒ huì shuō Hànyǔ.

很 decorates adjectives only; a verb like 说 never takes it.

Words in this pattern

会huì说shuō汉语Hànyǔ汉字Hànzì

Quick answers

What does 会：学会的能力 mean?

会 is can for things you learned: speaking Mandarin, cooking rice, driving a car. Nobody is born with these; you picked them up, and 会 is the receipt. Its negative 不会 means do not know how. A different can, the one about open doors and permission, belongs to 能 and 可以 rather than here.

How do you build it?

主语 + 会 + 动词

What is the most common mistake?

我不说汉语。 → 我不会说汉语。

不说 refuses the act; saying you lack the skill is 不会.

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