Chinese Modal Verbs 想, 要, 会, 能 (xiǎng, yào, huì, néng)

Level: beginner (HSK 1). A modal verb (also called an auxiliary verb) sits in front of a main verb and colours it — want, can, will, must. The four you meet first in Mandarin are 想 (xiǎng), 要 (yào), 会 (huì) and 能 (néng). Get their jobs straight and you can talk about wishes, plans and ability from day one.

The rule

A modal verb goes before the main verb: subject + modal + verb. It never takes a tense ending; time is shown elsewhere in the sentence.

• 我想喝咖啡。 Wǒ xiǎng hē kāfēi. — I want to drink coffee.
• 我会说中文。 Wǒ huì shuō Zhōngwén. — I can speak Chinese.

Here is what each one does. 想 (xiǎng) is a soft “would like to”, a wish: 我想休息 (wǒ xiǎng xiūxi), I’d like to rest. 要 (yào) is firmer — “want to”, “intend to” or “going to”: 我要走了 (wǒ yào zǒu le), I’m leaving / about to go. 会 (huì) has two senses: a learned ability — 我会开车 (wǒ huì kāichē), I can drive — and a likely future — 明天会下雨 (míngtiān huì xià yǔ), it will rain tomorrow. 能 (néng) means be able to — the strength, time or permission to do something right now: 我能帮你 (wǒ néng bāng nǐ), I can help you.

To make any of them negative, put 不 (bù) in front: 不想 (bù xiǎng, don’t want to), 不要 (bú yào, don’t / don’t want), 不会 (bú huì, can’t / won’t), 不能 (bù néng, can’t / may not).

Forms at a glance

Tone note: 不 (bù) is 4th tone on its own, but before another 4th-tone syllable it rises to bú. Because 要 (yào) and 会 (huì) are 4th tone, 不要 (bú yào) and 不会 (bú huì) are said bú yào and bú huì. Before 想 (xiǎng, 3rd tone) and 能 (néng, 2nd tone) it stays bù.

Example sentences

Common mistakes

• ❌ 我不要去。 (wǒ bú yào qù) for “I don’t want to go” → ✅ 我不想去。 Wǒ bù xiǎng qù. 不要 (bú yào) usually sounds like a command (“don’t go”); use 不想 (bù xiǎng) for “don’t want to”.
• ❌ 我能说中文。 (wǒ néng shuō Zhōngwén) for a skill → ✅ 我会说中文。 Wǒ huì shuō Zhōngwén. A learned language uses 会 (huì), not 能 (néng).
• ❌ 我想中文。 (wǒ xiǎng Zhōngwén) → ✅ 我想学中文。 Wǒ xiǎng xué Zhōngwén. A modal needs a main verb after it, such as 学 (xué), to study.
• ❌ 我会帮你今天。 (wǒ huì bāng nǐ jīntiān) for present ability → ✅ 今天我能帮你。 Jīntiān wǒ néng bāng nǐ. Being able to do something now is 能 (néng).
• ❌ 我不会要茶。 (stacking modals) → ✅ 我不要茶。 Wǒ bú yào chá. Don’t pile two modals together for one idea.

A short conversation

A: 你会游泳吗？ (Nǐ huì yóuyǒng ma?) — Can you swim? B: 会。但是今天我不能去。我要工作。 (Huì. Dànshì jīntiān wǒ bù néng qù. Wǒ yào gōngzuò.) — Yes, but I can’t go today. I have to work. A: 那你想周末去吗？ (Nà nǐ xiǎng zhōumò qù ma?) — Then would you like to go at the weekend?

Usage notes

• 要 (yào) before a noun means “want (to have)”. 我要一杯茶 (wǒ yào yì bēi chá) is “I want a cup of tea”. Before a verb it means “want to / going to”: 我要走 (wǒ yào zǒu, I’m going to leave).
• 会 (huì) for the future is about likelihood. 明天会下雨 (míngtiān huì xià yǔ) predicts rain; it is not the same as a fixed plan, which often uses 要 (yào).
• 能 (néng) covers three kinds of “can”. Physical ability — 我能跑十公里 (wǒ néng pǎo shí gōnglǐ), I can run 10 km; free time — 今天我不能来 (jīntiān wǒ bù néng lái), I can’t come today; and permission — 这里能停车吗 (zhèlǐ néng tíngchē ma), can one park here?
• Yes/no questions. Add 吗 (ma) at the end, or use the modal in its A-not-A form: 你会不会开车？ (nǐ huì bu huì kāichē?, can you drive or not?).

Compared with…

• 会 (huì) vs 能 (néng). 会 (huì) = a skill you have learned and can do in general; 能 (néng) = you are able or allowed to do it this time. “I can swim” as a skill is 我会游泳 (wǒ huì yóuyǒng); “I can’t swim today (my arm hurts)” is 我今天不能游泳 (wǒ jīntiān bù néng yóuyǒng).
• 能 (néng) vs 可以 (kěyǐ). Both can ask permission, but 可以 (kěyǐ) is the everyday “may I”: 我可以进来吗？ (wǒ kěyǐ jìnlái ma?, may I come in?). 能 (néng) leans more on ability. You will meet 可以 (kěyǐ) next in the Chinese grammar section.
• The sentence frame here is the basic Chinese word order: subject + (modal) + verb + object.

Quick recap before you practise.

Practice

Quiz

Recap cheat-sheet

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