Result complement "-cuo"

Everyone makes mistakes, especially when you start learning Chinese. Learn how to use the result complement 错 (cuò) to express making mistakes!

Structure

To express that an action resulted in an error, you can use a result complement with -错. This covers what is often expressed with the adverb "incorrectly" in English.

Object + Subject + Verb + 错 + 了

Note that this sentence puts the object first as a topic.

Examples

• 这 个 字 你 写 错 了。Zhè gè zì nǐ xiě cuò le.You wrote this character wrong.
• 你 说 的 话 我 听 错 了。Nǐ shuō de huà wǒ tīng cuò le.I misheard what you said.
• 我 记 错 了。Wǒ jì cuò le.I remembered wrongly.

As with all result complements, the -错 result complement works particularly well in a 把 sentence.

See also

• Result complements "dao" and "jian"
• "-wan" result complement
• Result complement "-qilai"

Sources and further reading

Books

• A Practical Chinese Grammar For Foreigners (外国人实用汉语语法) (pp. 273 - 284) →buy
• Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second Edition (pp. 97-9) →buy
• Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 2 (pp. 42) →buy
• Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 2 (pp. 86) →buy
• Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 1 (pp. 152 - 153) →buy
• New Practical Chinese Reader 2 (新实用汉语课本2) (pp. 87 - 88) →buy
• Practicing HSK Grammar (语法精讲精炼) (pp, 186-187) →buy

HSK4