<p>找到 means to find;</p>

<p>找 means to look for.</p>

<p>We do say 我找不到 for this case, but 我不能找到 is also correct in grammar.
Just that normally we prefer 我找不到. </p>

<p>However, 我不能找 means totally different things, and I believe this is only used in rare cases.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-10-31T09:21:50.580Z
2015-10-31T09:21:50.580Z
王凯越 Kaiyue Wang
<p>Um, in your description you had two identical sentences… Let's go with your title.</p>

<p>"我不能找" is wrong. It conveys either that "I am not allowed to search" or "I do not possess the ability to search."</p>

<p>"我找不到" is the correct way. It means "I searched, but cannot find."</p>

<p>Note the nuance between not able to search ("不能找") and not able to find ("找不到").</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-10-19T01:27:59.787Z
找不到 （could not find, negative of 找得到），找（to try to find; to look for）with potential complement／可能补语）used when conditions do not allow activity to succeed) to express the same idea, using 能，不能找到 seems possible，cf。iciba，1.The police could not find a motive for the murder.警察不能找到谋杀的动机.找到，find，（到 functions as complement of result/结果补语  negation: 没（有）找到，did not find）］
user6065
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-10-19T00:31:52.647Z
2015-10-19T00:31:52.647Z
Vibius
<p>Just add some additional information:</p>

<p>找 means to look for something, to search
找到 means to find</p>

<p>Hope this can be of some help.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-10-19T01:52:05.270Z
2015-10-19T01:52:05.270Z
speakupchinese.com
<p>我 = I/me 不能 = can't/not able 找 = find (means you cannot find thing, mostly people will ask you back why you cannot find thing?)</p>

<p>我 = I/me 找 = find 不到 = not reached/not completed (means failed to find something)</p>

<p>I'm a Chinese =D</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-10-20T04:11:19.260Z
2015-10-20T04:11:19.260Z
Le Parkour
<p>You need to put the language into context. 
It is an idea that is trying to be expressed.
In Mandarin that idea is expressed as 
找不到。As muchos as it might not seem like the
right way, if is the Chinese way. I became fluent
in Mandarin when I just accepted the language.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-11-01T17:23:59.060Z
2015-11-01T17:23:59.060Z
Dalwin Lewis
<ul>
<li>"我不能找" is something stop me to seek something or I don't want to seek.</li>
<li>"我找不到" is I seeked but I did't find anthing.</li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-10-19T03:24:36.587Z
2015-10-19T03:24:36.587Z
Fred
<p>我找不到 is like I cannot find
我不能找 is like I cannot look for</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-11-02T03:11:41.220Z
2015-11-02T03:11:41.220Z
gcd0318
<p>In general,</p>

<p>"我不能找"： </p>

<blockquote>
  <p>I'm <em>not able/ allowed/ permitted/ qualified</em> to look for
  something/somebody.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>"我找不到"： </p>

<blockquote>
  <p>I <em>am not able to</em>/ <em>cannot</em> find the things that I am looking for.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Typically, native speaker seldom use "我不能找".</p>

<p>English speakers don't quite say "I cannot look for something" either, right?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-10-23T00:53:04.983Z
So 找=look for, 找到=find.
Fan Zheng
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-10-19T01:46:39.957Z
2015-10-30T06:34:05.323Z
2015-10-30T06:34:05.323Z
John
<p>I was recently corrected by a Chinese friend. He said it's incorrect to say:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>我不能找</p>
</blockquote>

<p>He said the right form is:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>我找不到 </p>
</blockquote>

<p>Which sentence structure pattern is this following. Is it used with only certain verbs? Only with 能／可以／会？</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-10-19T00:30:46.057Z
U type same sentence with he said
fLy
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-10-19T14:41:27.907Z
This topic might be useful as well: http://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/16200/difference-between-%E8%83%BD-and-verb-%E5%BE%97%E4%BA%86de-liao3
Enrico Brasil
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-10-20T03:58:32.340Z
Oops, haha. Corrected it.
amorimluc
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-10-20T09:10:53.063Z
找不到 is the negative of 找得到. 找到 is the result of 找. 找不到 means this result of 找 is not achieved. You may also say 不能找到 to mean (almost) the same, but this is not as preferred as 找不到.
HYC
<grammar><sentence-structure>
Why is 我找不到 correct and 我不能找 wrong? Which grammatical point am I missing?
# Why is 我找不到 correct and 我不能找 wrong? Which grammatical point am I missing?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2015-10-18)

I was recently corrected by a Chinese friend. He said it's incorrect to say:

> 我不能找

He said the right form is:

> 我找不到

Which sentence structure pattern is this following. Is it used with only certain verbs? Only with 能／可以／会？

Thanks!

**Tags:** grammar, sentence-structure

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: U type same sentence with he said  
> **username_2**: This topic might be useful as well: http://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/16200/difference-between-%E8%83%BD-and-verb-%E5%BE%97%E4%BA%86de-liao3  
> **username_0**: Oops, haha. Corrected it.  
> **username_3**: 找不到 is the negative of 找得到. 找到 is the result of 找. 找不到 means this result of 找 is not achieved. You may also say 不能找到 to mean (almost) the same, but this is not as preferred as 找不到.  

---

## 8 answers

### Answer by username_12 on 2015-10-19. Score: 10 | Accepted answer

In general,

"我不能找"：

> I'm *not able/ allowed/ permitted/ qualified* to look for
> something/somebody.

"我找不到"：

> I *am not able to*/ *cannot* find the things that I am looking for.

Typically, native speaker seldom use "我不能找".

English speakers don't quite say "I cannot look for something" either, right?

> **Comments:**
> **username_13**: So 找=look for, 找到=find.  

---

### Answer by username_4 on 2015-10-31. Score: 1

找到 means to find;

找 means to look for.

We do say 我找不到 for this case, but 我不能找到 is also correct in grammar.
Just that normally we prefer 我找不到.

However, 我不能找 means totally different things, and I believe this is only used in rare cases.


---

### Answer by username_5 on 2015-10-19. Score: 0

Um, in your description you had two identical sentences… Let's go with your title.

"我不能找" is wrong. It conveys either that "I am not allowed to search" or "I do not possess the ability to search."

"我找不到" is the correct way. It means "I searched, but cannot find."

Note the nuance between not able to search ("不能找") and not able to find ("找不到").

> **Comments:**
> **username_6**: 找不到 （could not find, negative of 找得到），找（to try to find; to look for）with potential complement／可能补语）used when conditions do not allow activity to succeed) to express the same idea, using 能，不能找到 seems possible，cf。iciba，1.The police could not find a motive for the murder.警察不能找到谋杀的动机.找到，find，（到 functions as complement of result/结果补语  negation: 没（有）找到，did not find）］  

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### Answer by username_7 on 2015-10-19. Score: 0

Just add some additional information:

找 means to look for something, to search
找到 means to find

Hope this can be of some help.


---

### Answer by username_8 on 2015-10-20. Score: 0

我 = I/me 不能 = can't/not able 找 = find (means you cannot find thing, mostly people will ask you back why you cannot find thing?)

我 = I/me 找 = find 不到 = not reached/not completed (means failed to find something)

I'm a Chinese =D


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### Answer by username_9 on 2015-11-01. Score: 0

You need to put the language into context.
It is an idea that is trying to be expressed.
In Mandarin that idea is expressed as
找不到。As muchos as it might not seem like the
right way, if is the Chinese way. I became fluent
in Mandarin when I just accepted the language.


---

### Answer by username_10 on 2015-10-19. Score: 0

* "我不能找" is something stop me to seek something or I don't want to seek.
* "我找不到" is I seeked but I did't find anthing.


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### Answer by username_11 on 2015-11-02. Score: 0

我找不到 is like I cannot find
我不能找 is like I cannot look for


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