AdverbsHSK 3
Expressing "only" with 只
Use 只 (zhǐ) before a verb to indicate that action or quantity is the only one. It can also appear before auxiliary verbs like 会 (huì) or 能 (néng) to restrict ability or possibility.
Structure
只 + Verb
只 + 会 / 能 + Verb
Examples
- 我只有一个哥哥。Wǒ zhǐ yǒu yī gè gēge.I only have one older brother.
- 你只爱吃肉吗？Nǐ zhǐ ài chī ròu ma?Do you only like eating meat?
- 他们只会说英文。Tāmen zhǐ huì shuō Yīngwén.They can only speak English.
- 我只能说两句中文。Wǒ zhǐ néng shuō liǎng jù Zhōngwén.I can only say two sentences in Chinese.
- 我只想跟你在一起。Wǒ zhǐ xiǎng gēn nǐ zài yīqǐ.I only want to be with you.