Potential complements

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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.

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) or 不 (negative).

Examples

  • 我 听 懂。Wǒ tīng dǒng.I can understand.
  • 我 听 懂。Wǒ tīng dǒng.I can't understand.
  • 我 买 起 那 套 房子 。Wǒ mǎi qǐ nà tào fángzi.I can't afford (to buy) that apartment.
  • 我 都 吃 完。Wǒ dōu chī wán.I can finish eating it all.

Note that the potential complement and degree complement can sometimes appear to be the same; the difference can usually be seen from context.

See also

Sources and and further reading

Books

Websites

Yale

HSK4