Result complements

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 了 。Wǒmen chī hǎo le.We finished eating.
  • 对不起 ,我 记 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 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 吗 ?Nǐ méi chī bǎo ma?Are you not full?
  • 他 没 修 我 的 电脑 。Tā méi xiū hǎo wǒ de diànnǎo.He didn't fix my computer.
  • 我 还没 想 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 了。Zhège zìxiě cuò le.You wrote this character wrong.
  • 你 的 鞋 已经 穿 了 。Nǐ de xié yǐjīng chuān huài le.Your shoes are worn out.
  • 杯子 了 。Bēizishuāi 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.

Examples

  • 老师 拿 了 我 的 iPad 。 Lǎoshī ná zǒu le wǒ de iPad.The teacher took away my iPad.
  • 小偷 偷 了 我 的钱包 。 Xiǎotōu tōu zǒu le wǒ de qiánbāo.The thief stole my wallet.
  • 不要 了,扔 吧 。Bù yào le, rēng diào bā.I don't want it any more. Throw it away.
  • 太 热 了 ,外套 脱 吧 。 Tài rè le, wàitào tuō diào bā.It‘s too hot. Let's take off our jackets.
  • 我 刚刚 卖 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
听 懂
看 清楚 清楚 清楚
洗 干净 干净 干净

See also

All result complements work particularly well in a 把 sentence.

Sources and further reading

Books