# Có thể: can / may in Vietnamese (A1)

> Có thể before a verb means "can" or "may": Tôi có thể giúp chị. I can help you. Like English "can" and "may", it covers being able to, being allowed to…

Source: https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/co-the-can/ · Updated 2026-11-09

**can / may**

Pattern: `[person or thing] + có thể + [verb] (+ được) · Có thể + [sentence] (maybe)`

Level: A1 (our estimate) · Register: everyday

Typed without accents: co the

*Có thể* before a verb means "can" or "may": *Tôi có thể giúp chị.* I can help you. Like English "can" and "may", it covers being able to, being allowed to, and something that might happen: *Mai có thể mưa.* It might rain tomorrow.

To ask, put *không* at the end. *Có thể* already starts with *có*, so don't add another: *Chị có thể nói chậm hơn không?* Could you speak more slowly? It's a polite way to ask someone to do something. The answer is usually *được* (sure) or *không được* (no, I can't). A bare *Có thể* as an answer usually means "maybe", not "yes".

At the start of a sentence, *có thể* means "maybe": *Có thể chị Lan quên rồi.* Maybe Lan has forgotten.

In everyday speech, *được* after the verb is the more common way to say "can": *Anh tới được không?* *Có thể* sounds a little more careful, and the two often go together: *Anh có thể tới được không?* For "cannot", you'll hear *không thể tới* and, more often in speech, *không tới được*.

## A common mistake

✗ Anh có có thể giúp em không?

✓ Anh có thể giúp em không?

*Có thể* already starts with *có*, so the question needs only *không* at the end.

## Examples

- Chị có thể nói chậm hơn không? — Could you speak more slowly?
- Tôi có thể giúp gì cho chị? — How can I help you?
- Saigon: Mai có thể mưa đó. | Hà Nội: Mai có thể mưa đấy. — It might rain tomorrow.
- Có thể chị Lan quên rồi. — Maybe Lan has forgotten.

## Words in this pattern

- [có thể](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/words/co-the/#s_co_the_can): can

## Compare

- [Can, manage to: được after the verb](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/duoc-can-after-verb/): be able to
- [Cannot: không thể](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/khong-the-cannot/): cannot

Previous in Can, must, should, want: [Can, manage to: được after the verb](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/duoc-can-after-verb/)
Next in Can, must, should, want: [Don't: đừng + verb](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/dung-dont/)

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