Modal verbs 会 / 能 / 可以 / 想 / 应该 / 要
A modal verb goes BEFORE the main verb, normally negated with 不 (not 没). 会 (huì) = a learned skill: 我会说中文。(Wǒ huì shuō Zhōngwén.) 能 (néng) = capacity/possibility now: 我今天不能来。(Wǒ jīntiān bù néng lái.) 可以 (kěyǐ) = permission: 这里可以拍照吗？(Zhèlǐ kěyǐ pāizhào ma?) 想 (xiǎng) = would like to; 应该 (yīnggāi) = should; 要 (yào) = will / want / must: 我明天要考试。(Wǒ míngtiān yào kǎoshì.) For a past action that did not happen, negate with 没 (我没去), not the modal.
Negation: 不 vs 没(有)
不 (bù) negates habits, the present/future, opinions, adjectives and modals: 我不喝咖啡。(Wǒ bù hē kāfēi.) 我不会开车。(Wǒ bú huì kāichē.) 没(有) (méi(yǒu)) negates a completed action that did NOT happen, and is the ONLY negator of 有: 我昨天没去学校。(Wǒ zuótiān méi qù xuéxiào.) 我没有钱。(Wǒ méiyǒu qián.) Two traps: never 没 with 了 (✗ 我没去了 → ✓ 我没去); 不是 negates 是, 没有 negates 有. Tone: 不 is bù, but bú before a 4th-tone syllable (不是 bú shì, 不去 bú qù).
Four question types; question word in situ
Four ways to ask. (1) Statement + 吗: 你是学生吗？(Nǐ shì xuésheng ma?) (2) 呢 for a follow-up (我很好，你呢？) and 吧 for a suggestion/guess (我们走吧！/ 你是老师吧？). (3) A-not-A — repeat the verb/adjective around 不: 你去不去？有没有？是不是. (4) A question word left WHERE the answer goes (in situ), never fronted: 谁, 什么, 哪儿, 怎么, 为什么, 多少 / 几: 你想吃什么？(Nǐ xiǎng chī shénme?) Never add 吗 to types 3 or 4.
Drawn from real examiner reports.
Wrong or missing question word (role play)
In the Paper 2 role play the candidate must ASK, and the interrogative must be right. ✗ 你想去多久？(how long) when the task is a price → ✓ 请问，一张票多少钱？(Qǐngwèn, yì zhāng piào duōshao qián?) — How much is one ticket? Match the interrogative to the information: 几点 (time), 多少钱 (how much), 什么时候 (when), 怎么走 (how). Name the word you need, then build the question.
Use 没 (not 不) for a past non-event
For an action that did NOT happen in the past, use 没, not 不. ✗ 我昨天不去学校 → ✓ 我昨天没去学校。(Wǒ zuótiān méi qù xuéxiào.) — I did not go to school yesterday. The rule: 不 negates a habit, the present/future, an opinion, an adjective or a modal (我不喜欢, 我不会); 没(有) negates a completed action that did not happen. This feeds the spoken past-tense weakness examiners flag.
没 and 了 never co-occur
没 (or 没有) already says the action did NOT happen, so the completion marker 了 cannot sit with it. ✗ 我没吃了饭 → ✓ 我没吃饭。(Wǒ méi chī fàn.) — I have not eaten. ✗ 我昨天没去了 → ✓ 我昨天没去。(Wǒ zuótiān méi qù.) — I did not go yesterday. For a past experience that did NOT happen, use 没……过: 我没去过北京。(Wǒ méi qù guo Běijīng.) — I have never been to Beijing.
Doubling the question marker (吗 + A-not-A)
A Chinese question uses ONE question device. ✗ 你是不是老师吗？(A-not-A plus 吗) → ✓ 你是不是老师？or 你是老师吗？✗ 你想吃什么吗？(a question word already asks it) → ✓ 你想吃什么？The rule: 吗 attaches only to a plain statement. If the sentence already asks — through A-not-A (去不去) or a question word (什么, 哪儿) — do not also add 吗.
Fronting the question word like English
A Chinese question word stays exactly where the answer would go; it does NOT move to the front as in English who / what / where. ✗ 什么你想吃？→ ✓ 你想吃什么？(Nǐ xiǎng chī shénme?) — What do you want to eat? English "Where do you live?" maps to 你住在哪儿？(Nǐ zhù zài nǎr?) — 哪儿 after 在, not 哪儿你住. Put the question word in the answer slot and leave it there.
Which "can": 会 vs 能 vs 可以
Three words translate can but split the meaning. 会 (huì) = a LEARNED skill: 我会游泳。(Wǒ huì yóuyǒng.) — I can swim. 能 (néng) = capacity or possibility in the circumstances. 可以 (kěyǐ) = PERMISSION: 这里可以拍照吗？(Zhèlǐ kěyǐ pāizhào ma?) The key case: a skill you have but cannot use today is 会 but 不能: 我会开车，可是今天不能开。(Wǒ huì kāichē, kěshì jīntiān bù néng kāi.)
Myth: every question needs 吗
吗 makes ONE kind of question: a yes/no question on a statement (你是学生吗？). Do NOT add it to other types. ✗ 你去不去吗？(去不去 already asks) → ✓ 你去不去？✗ 你想吃什么吗？(什么 already asks) → ✓ 你想吃什么？Also, a question word does NOT move to the front like English; it stays where the answer belongs: 你住在哪儿？(Nǐ zhù zài nǎr?), not 哪儿你住. Choose ONE device, keep the word in situ.
Choose 不 or 没 by the time frame
Let the time frame pick your negator. A habit, opinion, future, adjective or modal → 不 (我不喜欢, 我不会, 明天不去). A past action that did NOT happen → 没 (我昨天没去), and never 了 after 没. To negate 有, only 没有 works, never 不有. The right negator is easy accuracy marks across the papers.
Plan role-play questions before you speak
In the role play you must ASK; the interrogative earns the mark. For each task, write the question word: price → 多少钱, time → 几点 / 什么时候, place → 在哪儿, way → 怎么走. Ask a full question (请问，一张票多少钱？), and widen your range with modals — 会 / 能 / 可以 / 想 / 应该.
One question device; keep the word in place
When you ask, pick ONE device and stop. A yes/no question takes 吗 OR A-not-A, never both (你去吗？or 你去不去？). A detail takes a question word in place (几点, 在哪儿, 多少钱), not fronted like English. Re-read: no 吗 on an A-not-A, no fronted word.
This grammar topic (Section G, G4) covers three high-frequency structures the exam rewards across all four papers: modal (auxiliary) verbs (会 / 能 / 可以 / 想 / 应该 / 要), negation (不 versus 没有), and question forms (吗 / 呢 / 吧, A-not-A, 是不是, and the question words 谁 / 什么 / 哪儿 / 怎么 / 为什么 / 多少 / 几). Getting these right is essential for the Paper 2 role play (you must ask and answer questions) and for accurate writing.
A modal verb goes before the main verb and is normally negated with 不.
| 汉字 | Pinyin | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 会 | huì | can (learned skill) | 我会说中文。(Wǒ huì shuō Zhōngwén.) — I can speak Chinese. |
| 能 | néng | can (capacity / possibility) | 我今天不能来。(Wǒ jīntiān bù néng lái.) — I can not come today. |
| 可以 | kěyǐ | may (permission) | 这里可以拍照吗？(Zhèlǐ kěyǐ pāizhào ma?) — May I take photos here? |
| 想 | xiǎng | would like to | 我想去中国。(Wǒ xiǎng qù Zhōngguó.) — I would like to go to China. |
| 应该 | yīnggāi | should | 你应该多喝水。(Nǐ yīnggāi duō hē shuǐ.) — You should drink more water. |
| 要 | yào | will / want / must | 我明天要考试。(Wǒ míngtiān yào kǎoshì.) — I have an exam tomorrow. |
Tip: 会 is for a skill you learned, 能 for what you are able to do in the situation, 可以 for permission.
Three ways to say "can": 会, 能, 可以 -- what does each mean?
用下面三个疑问词各写一个完整、正确的问句，并标出拼音：什么、哪儿、几点。
Level-of-response questions with model answers and mark scheme rubrics.
（第一题 / Q1，12分） 写一小段话，介绍一件你会做的事（例如一项运动、一样家务或一个爱好），并说说你对它的简单看法。请用"会"或"想"等情态动词，用"不"或"没"正确地否定。用中文（汉字）书写，约20-30字。 (Write a short paragraph describing one thing you can do, and give a simple opinion about it.)
（第三题 / Q3，20分） 下面有两个题目，请只选一个来写。用中文（汉字）书写，约80-110字，语气可以轻松（informal）。要讲清楚事情的经过，并说出你的看法和原因。请用情态动词（会/不会/想/应该）和连接词（因为……所以、虽然……但是）。
选项一： 给朋友写一篇博客，谈谈你会做和想学会做的运动或爱好，也说说上个周末你做了什么、下个月想做什么。
选项二： 给朋友写一封电邮，谈谈周末你们家谁会做饭、谁不会，你觉得中学生应不应该学做饭，为什么。
请只写其中一个选项。 (Choose ONE option only.)
（口语角色扮演 / Role Play，10分） 情境：你在中国的一个运动中心，想参加一个运动班。你（考生）扮演学生，老师扮演工作人员。请用中文完成下面五个任务（都用现在的时间）： （1）说你想参加什么运动班（用"想"）； （2）说一项你会做的运动（用"会"）； （3）问一节课几点开始（用"几点"提问——这是你必须问的问题，句子后面不要加"吗"）； （4）回答工作人员问你"你能不能每个星期都来"； （5）礼貌地感谢并结束对话。 (A Paper 2 role play: complete the five tasks, staying in the present. You must ask ONE question, using 几点.)
