Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar

MOdAL verbS

12.6

12.6 grammatical properties of modal verbs

12.6.1 negation of modal verbs

Modal verbs are always negated with 不 bù and never with 没/沒 méi.

Say this Not this

他不会说中文。 *他没会说中文。

他不會說中文。 他沒會說中文。

Tā bù huì shuō Zhōngwén. Tā méi huì shuō Zhōngwén.

He can’t speak Chinese.

你不应该抽烟。 *你没应该抽烟。

你不應該抽煙。 你沒應該抽煙。

Nǐ bù yīnggāi chōu yān. Nǐ méi yīnggāi chōu yān.

You shouldn’t smoke.

Modal verbs indicating weak obligation, 会/會 huì, 可以 kěyǐ, 能 néng, 应该/應該 yīnggāi,

and 应当/應當 yīngdāng, have the properties of stative verbs.

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12.6.2 Questions with modal verbs

Modal verbs can serve as the verb in verb-not-verb questions, and they can be used as the short,

one word answers to yes–no questions.

Question Response

你会不会说中文？ 会。

你會不會說中文？ 會。

Nǐ huì bù huì shuō Zhōngwén? Huì.

Can you speak Chinese? (I) can.

我可以不可以借你的车？ 可以。

我可以不可以借你的車？

Wǒ kěyǐ bù kěyǐ jiè nǐ de chē? Kěyǐ.

Can I borrow your car? (You) can.

你能不能帮助我？ 能。

你能不能幫助我？

Nǐ néng bù néng bāngzhù wǒ? Néng.

Can you help me? (I) can.

我们该不该交作业？ 该。

我們該不該交作業？ 該。

Wǒmen gāi bù gāi jiāo zuòyè? Gāi.

Should we hand in our homework? (We) should.

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12.6.3 Modification by intensifiers

会/會 huì and 能 néng can be modified by intensifiers.

那个人很会跳舞。

那個人很會跳舞。

Nàge rén hěn huì tiào wǔ.

That person can really dance.