HSK 4 · VERSION 2.0#8
Emphatic Adverb “kě”
可
How it works
可 (kě) can be used as an emphatic adverb in spoken Chinese. It often means:
really
indeed
truly
absolutely
It adds strong feeling and often appears in emotional speech.
The pattern
Subject + 可 (kě) + Predicate
Example sentences
这个问题可不简单。
This question is really not simple.
他可高兴了。
He was really happy.
你可别忘了。
You really must not forget.
Key point
This 可 (kě) is not the same as 可以 (kěyǐ).
For example:
你可以去。 Nǐ kěyǐ qù. You may go.
你可去不了。 Nǐ kě qù bù liǎo. You really cannot go.
So here 可 (kě) is only for emphasis.