Modal Verbs: 可能、可以、应该、愿意
All modals sit before the main verb.
| Modal | Meaning | Key use |
|---|---|---|
| 可能 (kě néng) | might / possibly | uncertainty |
| 可以 (kě yǐ) | can / may | permission or ability |
| 应该 (yīng gāi) | should / ought to | advice, obligation |
| 愿意 (yuàn yì) | willing to | voluntary choice |
Negation: 不可能 · 不可以 · 不应该 · 不愿意
Pattern: Subject + Modal + Verb + Object
Worked examples
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | What it shows |
|---|---|---|---|
| 你可以喝水。 | Nǐ kě yǐ hē shuǐ. | You may drink water. | 可以 = permission; modal before the verb 喝. |
| 你应该多休息。 | Nǐ yīng gāi duō xiū xi. | You should rest more. | 应该 = advice/obligation; placed before 休息. |
| 他不愿意去，因为天气很阴。 | Tā bù yuàn yì qù, yīn wèi tiān qì hěn yīn. | He is not willing to go because the weather is overcast. | 不愿意 = negated willing; full sentence with reason clause. |
What you need first
Every topic in GraphChinese names its own prerequisites, and these are the grammar points this one is built on. If a sentence here will not parse, one of them is why.
What this opens up
These patterns list Modal Verbs among their own prerequisites, so they become readable once this one holds.
The same pattern at other levels
- Modal Verbs — HSK 1
- Modal Verbs — HSK 1
- Modal Verbs — HSK 3
Modal Verbs is one topic of 829. GraphChinese teaches them in prerequisite order, so this pattern reaches you on the day everything it rests on is proven. The whole course, HSK 0 through HSK 6, is $49 once for lifetime access.
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