<p>可虚心接受意见 literally mean &quot;can/ able to humbly accept suggestions&quot;</p>
<p>If you <strong>can accept</strong> suggestions, it also implies you are willing to accept suggestions (most people can't accept suggestions = unwilling to accept suggestions)</p>
<p>可带他去很多酒吧 should be translated as 'able to take him to many bars'</p>
<p>For 可 to suggest 'willing', the sentence must state something the subject might be unwilling to do</p>
<p>Example:</p>
<p>這孩子<strong>可</strong>刻苦練功 (This child <strong>can</strong> practice hard) meaning 這孩子<strong>肯</strong> (willing to) 刻苦練功   (most people can't practice hard = unwilling to practice hard)</p>
<p>it is better to replace 可 (can/ able/ <em>willing to</em>) with the more specific 肯 for &quot;willing&quot;</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-22T04:37:57.973Z
2020-06-22T04:37:57.973Z
Tang Ho
<p>他遇到了一个好朋友, 可带他去很多酒吧 isn't an idiomatic sentence.</p>
<p>I will understand it as <em>he might take him to many bars</em>.  可 in the context means 可以 or 可能，may or can.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-22T22:40:57.337Z
2020-06-22T22:40:57.337Z
dan
<p>In a sentence like this,</p>
<p>他遇到了一个好朋友, 可带他去很多酒吧</p>
<p>does the 可 mean the new friend “can” bring him to the bar, or that he is “willing to”?</p>
<p>I’ve always thought of 可 as just “can” or “able to”, but I saw on Pleco that it could be used as an auxiliary to mean “be willing to; be ready to”.</p>
<p>The examples given include 可干 and 可虚心接受意见.</p>
<p>Maybe it always means “willing to” in front of a verb, and you’d use 可以 when you want to say “can”?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-22T22:36:58.437Z
他遇到了一个好朋友, 可带他去很多酒吧 isn't a good sentence.  where did you see the sentence?
dan
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-23T01:33:32.497Z
Ah, sorry.  I saw a similarly structured sentence in a webnovel synopsis, but didn’t want to copy it, so tweaked it instead.  The main point is that he met a person that can take him through to another world.  I couldn’t think of a different scenario where the same structure might be used, hence the bad sentence.  Please excuse it.  (._.;)
SpringSpear
<grammar>
When does 可 before a verb mean “willing to”, and when does it mean “can”?
# When does 可 before a verb mean “willing to”, and when does it mean “can”?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-06-22)

In a sentence like this,

他遇到了一个好朋友, 可带他去很多酒吧

does the 可 mean the new friend “can” bring him to the bar, or that he is “willing to”?

I’ve always thought of 可 as just “can” or “able to”, but I saw on Pleco that it could be used as an auxiliary to mean “be willing to; be ready to”.

The examples given include 可干 and 可虚心接受意见.

Maybe it always means “willing to” in front of a verb, and you’d use 可以 when you want to say “can”?

**Tags:** grammar

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: 他遇到了一个好朋友, 可带他去很多酒吧 isn't a good sentence.  where did you see the sentence?  
> **username_0**: Ah, sorry.  I saw a similarly structured sentence in a webnovel synopsis, but didn’t want to copy it, so tweaked it instead.  The main point is that he met a person that can take him through to another world.  I couldn’t think of a different scenario where the same structure might be used, hence the bad sentence.  Please excuse it.  (._.;)  

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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2020-06-22. Score: 1 | Accepted answer

可虚心接受意见 literally mean "can/ able to humbly accept suggestions"

If you **can accept** suggestions, it also implies you are willing to accept suggestions (most people can't accept suggestions = unwilling to accept suggestions)

可带他去很多酒吧 should be translated as 'able to take him to many bars'

For 可 to suggest 'willing', the sentence must state something the subject might be unwilling to do

Example:

這孩子**可**刻苦練功 (This child **can** practice hard) meaning 這孩子**肯** (willing to) 刻苦練功 (most people can't practice hard = unwilling to practice hard)

it is better to replace 可 (can/ able/ *willing to*) with the more specific 肯 for "willing"


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### Answer by username_1 on 2020-06-22. Score: 1

他遇到了一个好朋友, 可带他去很多酒吧 isn't an idiomatic sentence.

I will understand it as *he might take him to many bars*. 可 in the context means 可以 or 可能，may or can.


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