How to Use Mandarin Result Complements

Mandarin result complements go directly after a verb to show its outcome: whether you finished, understood, found, or broke something. For example, 吃完 (chī wán) means “finish eating,” while 听懂 (tīng dǒng) means “understand what you hear.”

The key is to separate an achieved result from the ability to achieve it. Start with the basic word order, then change the structure to express negatives, questions, and possibility.

Key Takeaways

• Keep the verb and result complement together. Put the object after the pair or before the whole phrase.
• Use 没 (méi) or 没有 (méiyǒu) to say a result didn’t happen, and remove completion 了 (le).
• Insert 得 (de) or 不 (bu) between the verb and complement to express whether the result is possible.

How Mandarin Result Complements Fit Into a Sentence

Put the outcome directly after the verb

The basic pattern is:

Subject + Verb + Result Complement + (Object)

A result complement, also called a resultative complement, tells you what the action achieved. Cambridge’s explanation of resultative complements makes this distinction between action and outcome.

我听懂了。
Wǒ tīng dǒng le.
“I understood.”

Here, 听 means “listen,” while 懂 adds successful understanding. Keep them together: tīngdǒng le, never tīng le dǒng.

Similarly, 我的钱用完了 (Wǒ de qián yòng wán le) means “I’ve used up all my money.” This outcome complement shows that nothing remains.

Keep the object outside the pair

An object can follow the verb complement combination:

我写完作业了。
Wǒ xiě wán zuòyè le.
“I’ve finished my homework.”

You can also place a known object first as the topic:

作业我写完了。
Zuòyè wǒ xiě wán le.
“The homework, I’ve finished it.”

The emphasis changes, but 写完 stays intact. Don’t put 作业 between the verb and its complement.

Common Complements and the Outcomes They Express

Some result complements are verbs, including 完, 懂, and 会. Others are adjectives, including 对, 错, 好, 清楚, 干净, and 坏. The Chinese Grammar Wiki’s result-complement guide covers both types.

These everyday combinations show which outcome each complement adds.

Complement	Outcome	Common combination
完, wán	Finished	吃完, chī wán, finish eating
懂, dǒng	Understood	听懂, tīng dǒng, understand what you hear
会, huì	Skill learned	学会, xué huì, learn how
对, duì	Correct	答对, dá duì, answer correctly
错, cuò	Incorrect	说错, shuō cuò, say incorrectly
好, hǎo	Ready or properly done	做好, zuò hǎo, get ready
清楚, qīngchu	Clear	看清楚, kàn qīngchu, see clearly
干净, gānjìng	Clean	洗干净, xǐ gānjìng, wash clean
坏, huài	Damaged	弄坏, nòng huài, break something
到, dào	Goal reached	找到, zhǎo dào, find
见, jiàn	Perceived	看见, kàn jiàn, see

Choose according to the result you mean. The combination zuò wán emphasizes completion; 做好 (zuò hǎo) stresses readiness or satisfactory completion.

衣服洗干净了。
Yīfu xǐ gānjìng le.
“The clothes have been washed clean.”

Here, this adjective describes the clothes’ resulting condition, rather than how someone washed them.

Choose Between 懂, 会, and 见

Choosing the right result complement depends on whether you mean understanding, learned ability, or sensory perception.

Use 懂 for understanding and 会 for learned ability

The understanding complement, pronounced dǒng, concerns meaning. Use 听懂 for understanding speech and 看懂 for understanding written or visual material.

这条短信我看懂了。
Zhè tiáo duǎnxìn wǒ kàn dǒng le.
“I understood this text message.”

The skill complement, pronounced huì, concerns acquiring an ability. After 学, it shows that learning produced a skill:

我学会骑自行车了。
Wǒ xué huì qí zìxíngchē le.
“I’ve learned to ride a bike.”

Understanding an explanation and learning a skill are different outcomes. Someone might understand an explanation without having learned how to do the task.

Use 见 for successful perception

看 means “look” or “watch.” Adding jiàn marks successful seeing. Likewise, 听 means “listen,” while 听见 means “hear.”

我看了，但是没看见。
Wǒ kàn le, dànshì méi kàn jiàn.
“I looked, but I didn’t see it.”

Compare hearing with understanding:

我听见了，但是没听懂。
Wǒ tīng jiàn le, dànshì méi tīng dǒng.
“I heard it, but I didn’t understand.”

The sound reached you, but its meaning didn’t. This distinction is useful during conversations, phone calls, and listening practice.

Make Result Sentences Negative or Ask a Question

Put 没 or 没有 before the verb

To construct the negative form of a sentence with an outcome, place 没 or 没有 directly before the verb:

Subject + 没/没有 + Verb + Result Complement + (Object)

我没说错，他说错了。
Wǒ méi shuō cuò, tā shuō cuò le.
“I didn’t say it wrong; he did.”

Remove completion 了 from the negative clause. In the negative form, the result complement remains attached to the verb because you are negating the achieved outcome rather than the attempt.

我还没吃完。
Wǒ hái méi chī wán.
“I haven’t finished eating yet.”

This can describe someone who started eating but hasn’t finished. By contrast, 没吃 (méi chī) says they didn’t eat or haven’t eaten.

Our guide to Chinese aspect particles explains why 了 doesn’t simply mean “past.” Also, 了 alone doesn’t guarantee an entire task is finished; the outcome complement supplies that meaning.

Ask whether the outcome happened

For a yes-or-no question, add 了吗 (le ma):

你吃完了吗？
Nǐ chī wán le ma?
“Have you finished eating?”

Another common ending is 了没有 (le méiyǒu):

今天的作业写完了没有？
Jīntiān de zuòyè xiě wán le méiyǒu?
“Have you finished today’s homework?”

You can also use Verb + 没 + Verb + Complement:

你学没学会骑自行车？
Nǐ xué méi xué huì qí zìxíngchē?
“Did you learn to ride a bike?”

Don’t add 吗 to this A-not-A question. It already presents the positive and negative alternatives.

Use Potential Complements for “Can” and “Cannot”

Insert 得 or 不 to express possibility

Result complements report outcomes. Potential complements express whether those outcomes are achievable, using:

Subject + Verb + 得/不 + Complement

The potential-complement reference explains this placement immediately after the verb.

Compare the same verb-complement pair across three meanings.

Form	Pinyin	Meaning
我做完了。	Wǒ zuò wán le.	I finished.
我做得完。	Wǒ zuò de wán.	I can finish.
我做不完。	Wǒ zuò bu wán.	I can’t finish.

For the two potential forms, only 得 and 不 change.

没做完 reports that finishing didn’t happen on an occasion. 做不完 says finishing isn’t possible under the relevant conditions.

The pattern also works with 买不到 (mǎi bu dào, can’t obtain by buying), 看得清楚 (kàn de qīngchu, can see clearly), and 听得明白 (tīng de míngbai, can understand clearly).

Include objects and directional outcomes

Objects can follow the potential complement:

你听得懂上海话吗？
Nǐ tīng de dǒng Shànghǎihuà ma?
“Can you understand Shanghainese?”

Alternatively, place the object first:

这种手机现在买不到了。
Zhè zhǒng shǒujī xiànzài mǎi bu dào le.
“You can’t get this kind of phone anymore.”

Here, final 了 marks a changed situation. It isn’t the completion 了 removed from a negative result statement.

Potential forms also use a direction complement such as 上来 (shànglái, up toward the speaker) and 下去 (xiàqù, down or continuing). For example, 爬不上去 (pá bu shàngqù) means “can’t climb up.”

Practice the Patterns With Short Exchanges

Choose the missing word before reading the answers.

1. To say “I’ve finished eating”: 我吃___了。 (Wǒ chī ___ le.)
2. To say “I didn’t understand”: 我___听懂。 (Wǒ ___ tīng dǒng.)
3. To say “I can’t understand”: 我听___懂。 (Wǒ tīng ___ dǒng.)
4. To ask “Have you found your phone?”: 你找到手机了___？ (Nǐ zhǎo dào shǒujī le ___?)

The answers are 完, 没, 不, and 吗. In order, the complete sentences are Wǒ chī wán le (“I’ve finished eating”), Wǒ méi tīng dǒng (“I didn’t understand”), Wǒ tīng bu dǒng (“I can’t understand”), and Nǐ zhǎo dào shǒujī le ma (“Have you found your phone?”).

Next, rehearse each sentence with a reply. Save complete examples rather than isolated translations. Our guide to using language corpora explains how surrounding sentences help you learn natural word combinations.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is 得 always a potential marker?

No. Compare 看得清 (kàn de qīng, can see clearly) with 跑得很快 (pǎo de hěn kuài, runs very fast). The first expresses possibility; the second describes performance. The Chinese Grammar Wiki’s complement overview distinguishes these complement categories.

Can I combine any verb with any complement?

No. Learn meaningful combinations. 清楚 expresses clarity, so 看清楚 (kàn qīngchu, see clearly) works naturally. 饱 expresses fullness, so 吃饱 (chī bǎo, eat until full) fits a different outcome.

What level is this grammar, and what comes next?

Chinese Grammar Wiki places potential complements at B1. Its textbook references include HSK Standard Course 3, Integrated Chinese Level 1 Part 2, and Practicing HSK Grammar.

Related topics include direction complements at B1, followed by advanced potential complements and 住 (zhù), 开 (kāi), and 出来 (chūlái) patterns at B2.

Build Sentences Around the Result You Mean

Mandarin result complements let you state exactly what an action achieved. Keep the verb-complement pair together, then choose whether you’re reporting an outcome or discussing possibility.

Practise one useful pair across the affirmative form, negative form, and question forms. Compare 做好了, 没做好, and 做不好 to distinguish a completed result from a failure or inability.