It’s got me again. Will I ever get the hang of using these?
So I want to say: I won’t be able to attend the meeting tomorrow
Which one do I use, 不会, 不能, or 不可以?
I think that deep in your heart you want to say “我不想”
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It would be 不能 (or 沒辦法).
明天的會議我不能來。
不會 would be a statement of fact: I’m not coming.
不可以 would mean you’re not allowed to come.
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that’s true, I’m a 不想 sort of guy
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That’s sounds very clear and I’ll probably have forgotten it by July.
But thanks a lot.
Just try to pay more attention to the way people around you use those expressions. That should help more than anything.
I’d go with 沒辦法 myself.
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Why the hell would you wanna do that, hanna?
Seriously, why - does it just feel / sound better?
It just feels/sounds better to me.
不能 implies I still would be able to go if conditions were right, i.e. if I obtained permission or rearranged my schedule.
沒辦法 implies there is just no way I can come, no matter what I do. I have no choice in the matter. It is impossible for me to get permission, change my schedule, etc.
In this sort of scenario it might be helpful to think of 會 as “will”, 能 as “can” (able to), and 可以 as “can” (permitted to). 沒辦法 is like “impossible to”.
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沒辦法 conveys a little more sincerity. It sounds like, “I’d like to come, but I just can’t make it.”
Best answer.
how about
那個會議聽起來像好無聊，我一定不要去
Thanks both of you, will truly make an effort to get this nailed down.
So often I find myself floundering in thin air like a beached fish.
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This sentence doesn’t really work. You could say: 那個會議聽起來好無聊，我不要去 or for emphasis 我絕對不去 or 我不可能去.
明天的會議我無法參加
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Would you say that? Sounds a little formal.
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yeah, it’s more formal than 沒辨法. however, tagging 耶 at the end of the sentence and drawing the word out longer would make it less formal.
明天的會議我無法參加耶~
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I guess you’re a formal kind of guy. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. 
Formal tone might be more suitable for a worky job type thing.
As long as I don’t have to dress formal, I’m down.
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