能否 néngfǒu whether or not
whether or not; can it or can't it; is it possible?
How to remember 能否: 能 able to + 否 no = whether or not.
Characters
How it is used
- Formal written equivalent of 能不能, used to politely ask whether something is possible.
- 能否请您帮个忙？(néngfǒu qǐng nín bāng ge máng?) - could you please help me? Common in formal letters, announcements, and polite requests.
- Sounds stiff and bookish in casual speech - friends would just say 能不能 or 能不能行.
- Cannot answer a question with 能否 alone the way you can answer with 能 - it only appears inside the question itself.
Example sentences
- 能否请您给我看一下您的护照？ Néngfǒu qǐng nín gěi wǒ kàn yīxià nín de hùzhào?Will you show me your passport, please?