English–Chinese

“can't” in Chinese

Chinese

Also不会 (bù huì) · 没法儿 (méi fǎr)

Pinyinwú fǎ

他因为生病无法来上课。tā yīn wèi shēng bìng wú fǎ lái shàng kè

He can't come to class because he's sick.

“Can't” in Chinese is 无法 (wú fǎ).

A necessary path, tool, or condition is absent, so the action cannot go forward.

我试了很多方法，但还是无法联系到他。wǒ shì le hěn duō fāng fǎ dàn hái shì wú fǎ lián xì dào tā

I tried many ways, but I still couldn't get in touch with him.

A natural Chinese pattern places this word immediately before the verb naming the action that cannot be carried out.

bù huì

auxiliary verbcan't

我不会打篮球。wǒ bú huì dǎ lán qiú

I can't play basketball.

méi fǎr

adjectivecan't

我没法儿参加明天的会议。wǒ méi fǎr cān jiā míng tiān de huì yì

I can't attend tomorrow's meeting.