Chinese grammar / 12 topics
Modality and auxiliary verbs in Chinese grammar
Learn Chinese modality and auxiliary verbs through sentence patterns, rewritten explanations, pinyin and English examples. Browse 12 grammar topics.
可以 kěyǐ
Ask permission with 可以
Ask whether an action is allowed or acceptable, and understand a simple answer.
想 xiǎng
Say what you would like to do with 想
Express a wish or a tentative plan without making it sound settled.
能 néng
Ability and Possibility in Chinese with 能 (Néng)
Understand 能 for ability and practical possibility, including how circumstances affect whether someone can perform an action.
会 huì
Learned Skills with 会 (Huì): Saying Can in Chinese
Use 会 for abilities learned through practice, negate it with 不会, and distinguish knowing how from being able to act now.
要 yào
Wanting to Do Something with 要 (Yào)
Learn 要 before action verbs to express wants or intentions, and see why it can sound firmer than 想 in everyday Chinese.
要 yào
State a plan with 要
Say what you plan or intend to do.
要 yào
The Main Meanings of 要 (Yào): Want, Need and Going To
Interpret 要 with nouns and verbs in Chinese, distinguishing wants, intentions, necessities, and upcoming events from the surrounding context.
应该 yīnggāi
Saying Should with 应该 (Yīnggāi) in Chinese
Use 应该 before an action for advice or expected behavior, and form “should not” with 不应该 rather than moving the negative after it.
会 huì
Predicting Will with 会 (Huì) in Chinese
Use 会 for expected future events and 不会 for negative predictions, while distinguishing prediction from the learned-skill meaning of 会.
不用 bùyòng
不用 (Bùyòng): Saying There Is No Need to Do Something
Use 不用 before a verb to remove a necessity, offer reassurance, or explain an exemption, and distinguish it from 不要.
得 děi
得 (Děi): Must and Have To in Spoken Chinese
Express practical necessity with 得 pronounced děi, and distinguish this modal verb from the complement particle de.
将；将要；将会 jiāng; jiāngyào; jiānghuì
将, 将要, and 将会: Express Future Events Formally
Use 将, 将要, and 将会 for future events in announcements, predictions, and formal writing, without implying only the near future.