Chinese grammar - 'To be able to' or 'can' using 可以 (kéyǐ)

'To be able to' or 'can' using 可以 (kéyǐ)

In Chinese, the verb 可以 (kéyǐ) means 'to be able to' or 'can'.

The emphasis is on 'permission' or 'possibility'.

— Recall that 会 (huì) is used to express ability to do 'learned skills'.

When talking about physical or mental ability it is more common to use 能 (néng) which is covered in the next topic.

Note the tone change from 'kě' (3rd tone) to 'ké' (2nd tone) when 可 is followed by a 3rd tone such as in 以 (yǐ).

Examples:
	你可以坐这里。 nǐ kéyǐ zuò zhèlǐ. You can sit here. 坐 (zuò) means 'to sit'
	我可以帮你吗？ wǒ kéyǐ bāng nǐ ma? Can I help you? 帮 (bāng) means 'to help'
	她可以说中文。 tā kéyǐ shuō zhōngwén. She can speak Chinese.
	这里可以拍照吗？ zhèlǐ kéyǐ pāizhào ma? Is it possible to take a picture here? 拍照 (pāizhào) means 'to take a photo'
	你可以借我笔吗？ nǐ kéyǐ jiè wǒ bǐ ma? Can you lend me a pen? 借 (jiè) means 'to lend' or 'to borrow'
	我可以用你的电脑吗？ wǒ kéyǐ yòng nǐ de diànnǎo ma? Can I use your computer? 用 (yòng) means 'to use' 电脑 (diànnǎo) means 'computer'
	我和我哥哥可以等你。 wǒ hé wǒ gēge kéyǐ děng nǐ. Me and my brother can wait for you.
	你可以告诉我吗？ nǐ kěyǐ gàosù wǒ ma? Can you tell me?
	他可以在这里休息。 tā kéyǐ zài zhèlǐ xiūxi. He can rest here. 休息 (xiūxi) means 'to rest'
	你可以喝水。 nǐ kéyǐ hē shuǐ. You can drink water.
	他会说英语和日语。 tā huì shuō yīngyǔ hé rìyǔ. He can speak English and Japanese. 日语 (Rìyǔ) means 'Japanese (spoken) language'
	他可以说中文和英语。 tā kéyǐ shuō zhōngwén hé yīngyǔ. He can speak Chinese and English.
	你可以问老师。 nǐ kéyǐ wèn lǎoshī. You can ask the teacher.