This is one of the trickiest comparisons, as 会 (huì), 能 (néng), and 可以 (kěyǐ) are often translated as "can." Sometimes they are explained as: 会 means "know how to", 能 means "to be able to", and 可以 means "to have permission to." Actually, they overlap a little bit. In this article, we will look at their differences.

会 can mean "know how to"
会 can express an action that you had to learn or be trained in to do.

Examples

Tā huì xiū diàn nǎo.
他 会 修 电脑。
I know how to fix computers.

会 can also mean something is going to happen

会 can express something in the future will happen. It is often used to express trends or possibilities.

Structure

Examples

Mínɡ tiān nǐ huì lái mɑ ？
明天 你 会 来 吗？
Will you come tomorrow?

很会 means 'to be good at"

很会 expresses being very skillful at something, or doing something very well. It can be translated as "really can", as in "you can really speak Chinese!", in other words, "you are good at speaking Chinese."

Structure

Examples

Zhè ɡè nǚ hái zi hěn huì chànɡ ɡē.
这 个 女 孩子 很 会 唱歌。
This girl can really sing.

能 means "to be able to"

能 expresses having a certain ability or having obtained a certain requirement. It can also indicate that circumstances make an action not possible, or that an action is not allowed.

Structure

Examples

Nǐ zhēn de nénɡ chī sān wǎn mǐ fàn mɑ ?
你 真的 能 吃 三 碗 米饭 吗？
Are you really able to eat three bowls of rice?

可以 means "to have permission to"

可以 expresses having another person's permission. It can be thought of in the context of "allowed or not allowed".
Structure

Examples

Wǒ ké yǐ jìn lái mɑ?
我 可以 进来 吗？
Am I allowed to enter?

Similarities

Now that we've gone over the ways that these words are different, it's time to tell you that they do share a few essential rules. The first common rule shared by these three is that none of them can be followed by an aspectual particle.

Secondly, 会, 能, and 可以 have to come before any prepositional phrases or descriptive adverbial modifiers in the sentence.