Potential complements

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Level

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Level
Level
Similar to
Similar to
- Potential complement "-bu dong" for not understanding (HSK2)
- Direction complement (HSK3, HSK4)
- Advanced potential complements (HSK5)
- Advanced result complements "zhu", "kai", and "chulai" (HSK5)
- Complement "-zhao" (HSK5)
Used for
Keywords

Verbs can take potential complements that indicate whether or not the action is actually possible. They are useful in Chinese to say if an action can take place.

Basic Potential Complement

从结构上来看，可能补语和"结果补语"和"趋向补语"的关系很密切。可能补语有三种，其中最重要也是最常见的的一种就是由"结果补语"和"趋向补语"构成的。常见的这类补语有：

Structure

Potential complements can be positive or negative. What this means is fairly intuitive - potential complements can be used to express that something can happen or that it can't.

Verb + 得 / 不 + [Complement]

Here the complement is the second part of the potential complement after 得 (positive).

Examples

我做得完。Wǒ zuò de wán.I can finish it all.
我做不完。Wǒ zuò bu wán.I can't do it all.
我听得懂。Wǒ tīng de dǒng.I can understand.
我听不懂。Wǒ tīng bu dǒng.I can't understand.
我买不起那套房子。Wǒ mǎi bu qǐ nà tào fángzi.I can't afford (to buy) that apartment.
我买得起那套房子。Wǒ mǎi de qǐ nà tào fángzi.I can afford (to buy) that apartment.
我吃得下。Wǒ chī de xià.I can eat more.
我吃不下了。Wǒ chī bu xià le.I can't eat any more.

Negative Pattern

Verb + 不 + [Complement]

Here the complement is the second part of the potential complement after 不 (negative).

Sources and and further reading

Books

Basic Patterns of Chinese Grammar (pp. 71) →buy
Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical Guide (pp. 191) →buy
Boya Chinese Elementary Starter 1 (博雅汉语初经起步篇) (pp. 197) →buy
Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 2 (pp. 291) →buy
Practicing HSK Grammar (语法精讲精炼) (pp. 125) →buy
Contemporary Chinese 2 (当代中文2) (pp. 63) →buy
New Practical Chinese Reader 3 (新实用汉语课本3) (pp. 99) →buy

Websites

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