不能

bùnéng

phrase #381

Meanings

1 cannot; must not
2 unable to

Characters

Examples

你不能走。

Nǐ bùnéng zǒu.

You can't leave.

这里不能抽烟。

Zhèlǐ bùnéng chōuyān.

You can't smoke here.

我不能相信他。

Wǒ bùnéng xiāngxìn tā.

I can't believe him.

Tips

grammar

不能 = not allowed / not possible (external or situational). Compare with 不会 = don't know how to (ability/skill). 我不能游泳 (I can't swim right now) vs 我不会游泳 (I don't know how to swim).

Stroke Order

不 bù

能 néng