Joining a club: what can you do?

How to use these phrases

会 (huì) expresses a learned skill: 我会唱歌 means 'I can sing.' Add 不 to say you do not have the skill: 我不会跳舞, 'I cannot dance.' In sentence Pinyin, 不 becomes bú before the fourth tone of 会. 想 (xiǎng) expresses wanting or intending to do something: 我想参加音乐社团 means 'I want to join the music club.' Wanting to do something does not mean you already know how to do it. Compare 我会跳舞, 'I can dance,' with 我想学跳舞, 'I want to learn to dance.' 可以 from the library lesson focuses on permission in that context; 会 here focuses on a learned ability. Read the dialogue between a club member and a new student. 但是 means 'but' and connects contrasting ideas. To practise, say one thing you can do, one thing you cannot do, and one thing you want to learn. Replace 唱歌 with 跳舞 or 说中文 while keeping the pattern.

Example sentences