How to Say ‘Can you; could you’ in Simplified Chinese
能不能
néng bù néng
[nung boo nung]
💬 Usage Tip: [能不能] literally asks "can or can't," but in conversation it works like a polite "could you...?" It's softer than a direct command and very useful for requests.
Phrase Breakdown
能不能
néng bù néng
[nung boo nung]
can or can't; could you possibly
A polite pattern for asking whether something is possible.
师傅，您能不能走快一点？
Driver, could you possibly go a bit faster?
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