Potential complements

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 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.

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

• Potential complement "bu xia"
• Potential complement "bu dong"

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

Yale

• The Potential Complement
• Potential Complement And Degree Complement In Contrast

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