Discussion of 只能 [zhǐ néng] can only

Discussion of 只能

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只能 versus 只好:

只好 is an adverb, and it's used in unwanted, undesired situations. 只好 expresses a sense of "resignation", as in "the acceptance of something undesirable but inevitable";

只能 is a phrase, composed of an adverb - 只 and an auxiliary verb - 能. 只能 is used in a neutral sense.

Example: 我只能看有英文字幕的电影。 [phr] I can only watch movies with subtitles in English.
This sentence above states, as a matter of fact, "I can only watch moves with subtitles in English." It doesn't imply if it's an undesired situation or not.

If we say, instead, "我只好看有英文字幕的电影。", the English translation will be "I have no choice but watch moves with subtitles in English." The meaning is totally different, and it's turned into an undesired situation.

lisaC

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