Basic permission questions | Learn Chinese in English

Sentence explanations

1. 我可以用这个吗？

   Can I use this?

   我可以

   Can I …?

   用

   use

   这个

   this

   吗

   question particle

   More detail

   我可以 combines 我 “I” with 可以 “can; be allowed to,” giving the pattern “我可以 + verb…?” for asking whether the speaker may do something. 可以 does not change for the speaker here. Example: 我可以坐这里吗？ means “Can I sit here?” 用 means “use.” It is a verb and can be placed after 可以: 可以用 “can use.” 这个 means “this” or “this one.” It identifies something near the speaker or already clear from the situation. The form 这个 is a demonstrative expression; 个 is a classifier used in this expression, but 这个 should be learned as the complete reusable form for “this one/this.” 吗 is placed at the end of a statement to turn it into a yes-or-no question. The basic pattern is “statement + 吗,” as in 我可以用这个吗？ Together, 我可以 + 用 + 这个 + 吗 forms “Can I use this?” The speaker asks whether they are permitted or able to use the indicated item.

2. 我可以坐这里吗？

   Can I sit here?

   我可以

   can I…?

   坐

   sit

   这里

   here

   吗

   question particle

   More detail

   我可以 means “Can I …?” here: 我 is the first-person pronoun “I,” and 可以 is a modal placed before the action verb. In this sentence, it asks for permission to do the action, rather than merely describing physical ability. Chinese pronouns do not change form for gender or grammatical case. The same reusable pattern is 我可以 + verb ... 吗？, as in 我可以用这个吗？ (“Can I use this?”). 坐 means “sit.” It is the basic verb form; Chinese verbs do not change form for person or tense. In this pattern, it follows the modal: 可以坐 = “can/may sit.” 这里 means “here,” referring to the location relevant in the immediate situation. It is a location expression, not a noun that needs a separate article. A useful contrast is 那里 (“there”), for a location farther from the speaker or not treated as the current place. 吗 is placed at the end of a statement to turn it into a yes-or-no question. It does not itself mean “can”; the permission meaning comes from 可以. Thus 我可以坐这里 is “I can/may sit here” as a statement, while 我可以坐这里吗？ asks “Can I sit here?” Together, 我可以 + 坐 + 这里 + 吗 forms a polite permission question: “Can I sit here?”

3. 我可以进来吗？

   Can I come in?

   我可以

   Can I …?

   进来

   come in

   吗

   question marker

   More detail

   我可以 combines 我, “I,” with 可以, “can/may.” 我 is the first-person pronoun; Chinese does not change it for gender, and 我们 is the explicit form for “we.” Here 可以 expresses that the speaker is asking whether an action is permitted. A reusable pattern is [subject] + 可以 + verb, as in 我可以坐这里吗？ — “Can I sit here?” 进来 means “come in.” 进 means “enter,” while 来 adds movement toward the relevant viewpoint, so 进来 presents entering as coming in. This is different from 进去, where 去 presents movement away from the viewpoint. Example: 请进来。 — “Please come in.” 吗 is placed at the end of a statement to turn it into a yes-or-no question. It does not itself mean “can” or identify the action; the permission meaning comes from 可以. For example, 我可以看看吗？ — “May I have a look?” Together, 我可以 + 进来 + 吗 forms a polite permission question: “Can I come in?” The pattern can be reused with another action after 我可以, followed by final 吗.

4. 我可以看看吗？

   Can I see it?

   我可以

   I can / may

   看看

   have a look

   吗

   question marker

   More detail

   我可以 combines 我 (“I”) with 可以, which expresses ability or permission. In this utterance, the fixed translation supports the permission reading: “May I…?” 我 is the first-person singular pronoun. 可以 does not change for person or number. Example: 我可以进来吗？ means “May I come in?” 看看 is the reduplicated form of 看, “to look” or “to see.” Reduplicating this monosyllabic verb often presents the action as brief, casual, or limited in scope: 看看 can be understood as “have a look.” This is the observed form here; it does not mean that the object is explicitly named. Example: 我想看看。 means “I’d like to have a look.” 吗 is placed at the end of a statement to turn it into a general yes-or-no question. It does not itself mean “can” or “may”; the permission meaning comes from 可以. Compare 我可以看看。 (“I may have a look.”) with 我可以看看吗？ (“May I have a look?”). Together, 我可以 + 看看 + 吗 asks whether the speaker is permitted to look at or see something. The object is left unspoken in the Chinese sentence, while the fixed translation represents it as “it.”

5. 我可以试试吗？

   Can I try it?

   我可以

   I can / may

   试试

   try it

   吗

   yes/no question marker

   More detail

   我可以 combines 我 (“I”) with 可以, a modal meaning “can” or, as here, “may/be allowed to.” 可以 comes before the action it describes. Example: 我可以看看吗？ — “May I take a look?” 试试 means “try.” The base verb is 试; repeating it as 试试 is a common way to present a short, light, or trial attempt. The repeated form is still the verb phrase, not a separate object. Example: 你试试。 — “Try it.” 吗 is placed at the end to turn the preceding statement into a general yes/no question. It does not itself mean “can” or “try.” Example: 你可以来吗？ — “Can you come?” Together, 我可以 + 试试 + 吗 gives “Can I try it?” The understood object of 试试 is supplied by the fixed translation; it is not separately stated in the Chinese utterance. The pattern Subject + 可以 + action + 吗？ is reusable for asking permission or possibility, such as 我可以要这个吗？ — “Can I have this?”

6. 我可以要这个吗？

   Can I have this?

   我

   I; me

   可以

   can; may

   要

   want; would like

   这个

   this; this one

   吗

   question particle

   More detail

   我 means “I/me” and is the speaker as the subject here. Chinese pronouns do not change form for subject case: 我 can mean “I” before a verb and “me” in other positions. Example: 我是学生。 — “I am a student.” 可以 means “can/may” here and expresses that something is permitted or possible. It commonly comes before the action: 我可以坐吗？ — “May I sit?” The negative form is 不可以, meaning “may not” or “is not allowed.” 要 means “want” or, in this request pattern, “ask to have/take.” Its base form is also 要; it does not change for the speaker or for singular versus plural. In 可以要这个吗？, it presents having this item as the requested action. Example: 我要水。 — “I want water.” 这个 means “this one” or “this.” 这 points to something near the speaker, and 个 is a common measure word used with many things; together, 这个 can identify a particular item without naming it. Example: 我要这个。 — “I want this one.” 吗 is a question particle placed at the end of a statement-like clause. It turns the preceding clause into a generally answerable yes-or-no question. It does not itself mean “can” or “want.” Together, 我可以要这个吗？ follows the reusable pattern 我可以 + action + 吗？ (“May I/can I + action?”). 我 identifies the speaker, 可以 marks permission or possibility, 要这个 gives the requested action and item, and final 吗 makes the whole utterance a question. The resulting meaning is “Can I have this?”