句子
Chinese character display
Back to grammar

A1 · Grammar reference · ASG6SPYK

Expressing permission with "keyi"

可以 (kěyǐ) is an auxiliary verb primarily used for expressing permission. It's often translated as "can," but in order to not get it confused with other words, it's best to think of it as "may" to emphasize the permission aspect.

Structure

Subj. + 可以 + Verb + Obj.

Subj. + 不 + 可以 + Verb + Obj.

Keywords
可以 · 可 · Can · May
Used for
Expressing ability · Requesting
Classification
Verbs · HSK2

Examples (10)

我可以进来吗?

二十一岁以后可以喝酒。

妈妈,我可以出去玩吗?

我们可以在办公室吃饭吗?

我可以在这里停车吗?

孩子不可以看这个。

你现在不可以进去。

这里不可以抽烟。

我们都不可以去。

你不可以说脏话。

Further resources

Learn from another explanation

No editorial pick yet for this exact pattern.

Editorial picks are checked for a close topic match. Search results and external content belong to their publishers and may change.

Full explanation at AllSet Learning

Summary, structure, classification, and adapted sentence examples draw from the AllSet Learning Chinese Grammar Wiki under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0; changes were made. This noncommercial reference is based on an October 2023 snapshot.

Related points