Result complements

Level

B1 / HSK2 and HSK3
Level

B1
Level

HSK2, HSK3
Similar to
Similar to
- Result complement "-wan" for finishing (HSK2)
- Using "bei" sentences (HSK3)
- Expressing "mistakenly think that" with "yiwei" (HSK4)
- Expressing not knowing how to do something using "hao" (HSK4)
- Adjectival complement "de hen" (HSK5)
Used for

Describing actions, Expressing result
Keywords

了, 好

Result complements or one of the most common and useful types of complements. Often the complement is simply an adjective like 好 (hǎo) or a single syllable like 完 (). They indicate that an action has led to a certain result and make that result clear to the listener.

Using Adjectives

好 (hǎo) implies that something is done to completion or done well. Forming a result complement with 好 has a very similar meaning to forming one with 完. It expresses that the action has been completed successfully.

错 (cuò) is used to express that an action has been performed incorrectly in some way, resulting in a mistake (错). This pattern covers what is often expressed with the adverb "incorrectly" in English.

Other adjectives commonly used as result complements include: 清楚 (qīngchu), 明白 (míngbai), 干净 (gānjìng), 晚 (wǎn), 饱 (bǎo), 坏 (huài), 破 (pò).

Structure

For the basic structure, you'll almost always see a 了 after the complement:

Subj. + Verb + Adj. + 了

Examples

我们吃好了。Wǒmen chī hǎo le.We finished eating.
对不起，我记错了。Duìbuqǐ, wǒ jì cuò le.Sorry, I remember it wrong.
你们听清楚了吗？Nǐmen tīng qīngchu le ma?Did you hear clearly?
他玩坏了哥哥的玩具。Tā wán huài le gēge de wánjù.He broke his older brother's toy.

To negate a result complement, use 没 instead of 不 (and no 了):

Subj. + 没 + Verb + Adj.

你没吃饱吗？Nǐ méi chī bǎo ma?Are you not full?
他没修好我的电脑。Tā méi xiū hǎo wǒ de diànnǎo.He didn't fix my computer.
我还没想好。Wǒ hái méi xiǎng hǎo.I haven't thought it through yet.
我没看清楚那个人的脸。Wǒ méi kàn qīngchu nàge rén de liǎn.I didn't see the guy's face clearly.

When using result complements, it's very common to make the object a topic. This means the object is moved to the beginning of the sentence and the subject is often omitted:

Topic + Verb + Adj. + 了

这个字 写错了。Zhège zì xiě cuò le.You wrote this character wrong.
你的鞋 已经穿坏了。Nǐ de xié yǐjīng chuān huài le.Your shoes are worn out.
杯子摔坏了。Bēizi shuāi huài le.The cup is broken.
房间打扫干净了吗？Fángjiān dǎsǎo gānjìng le ma?Is your room all cleaned up?

Using One-syllable Verbs

Besides adjectives, there are a few single-syllable verbs which an also be used as result complements. Some examples include 到 (dào), 见 (jiàn), 懂 (dǒng), 走 (zǒu), 掉 (diào). There really aren't a lot of these.

Structure

For the basic structure, you'll almost always see a 了 after the complement:

Subj. + Verb + [One-syllable Verb] + Obj. +了

Examples

女儿已经学会了游泳。Nǚ'ér yǐjīng xué huì le yóuyǒng.My daughter has learned how to swim.
这个学生还没学会写汉字。Zhège xuéshēng hái méi xué huì xiě hànzì.This student hasn't learned how to write Chinese characters.

老师拿走了我的 iPad 。 Lǎoshī ná zǒu le wǒ de iPad.The teacher took away my iPad.
小偷偷走了我的钱包。Xiǎotōu tōu zǒu le wǒ de qiánbāo.The thief stole my wallet.

奶奶不小心摔倒了。Nǎinai bù xiǎoxīn shuāi dǎo le.Grandma had a fall by accident.
你撞倒了我的自行车。Nǐ zhuàng dǎo le wǒ de zìxíngchē.You knocked over my bike.

谁扔掉了我的袜子？Shéi rēng diào le wǒ de wàzi?Who threw away my socks?
太热了，外套脱掉吧。Tài rè le, wàitào tuō diào bā.It‘s too hot. Let's take off our jackets.
我刚刚卖掉了我的旧手机。Wǒ gānggāng mài diào le wǒ de jiù shǒujī.I just sold my old cell phone.

Compared with Potential Complements

Result and Potential Complements
Result Complement	Aff. Potential Complement	Neg. Potential Complement
做完	做得完	做不完
听懂	听得懂	听不懂
看清楚	看得清楚	看不清楚
洗干净	洗得干净	洗不干净