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<p>You probably learned the <a href="result_complement" title=
"wikilink">result complement</a> 到 a long time ago, as part of
words like 看到 ("to see") and 听到 ("to hear"). But other times it's
less clear what the 到 really means. Like the difference between 买
and 买到 or 做 and 做到. What 到 adds is a clearer sense that something
has really been achieved.</p>
<h2 id="the-difference-到-makes">The difference 到 makes</h2>
<p>Adding 到 after a verb makes it very clear that the desired
result was achieved. If you looked and you saw, then 到 indicates
that. On the other hand, not adding 到 makes it unclear whether or
not the desired result was achieved. It can have the effect of
making a verb mean "try to <em>verb</em>." So 做 without 到 is kind
of like "try to do," but when you want to make it very clear that
results <em>were achieved</em> or <em>must be achieved</em>, that's
when you want to add 到.</p>
<p>Let's look at another example. The difference between 找 and 找到
is that 找 means "to search" (in other words, "to <em>try</em> to
find"), whereas 找到 means "to <em>find</em>," that the search was
successful, and results were achieved. So if one were to say
"你一定要找," it would mean "you must try to find it" and "你一定要找到" means
"you must <em>find</em> it."</p>
<h2 id="illustrative-examples">Illustrative Examples</h2>
<h3 id="做-vs.-做到">做 vs. 做到</h3>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li>我 还 没有 做。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ hái méiyǒu zuò.</span>
<span class="trans">I haven‘t done it.</span></li>
<li>我 下 个 星期 可以 做。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ xià gè xīngqī kěyǐ
zuò.</span> <span class="trans">I can do it next week.</span></li>
<li>我 相信 你 一定 能 做<em>到</em>。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ xiāngxìn nǐ
yīdìng néng zuò<em>dào</em>.</span> <span class="trans">I believe
you will be able to do it.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3 id="买-vs.-买到">买 vs. 买到</h3>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li>我 还 没有 买。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ hái méiyǒu mǎi.</span>
<span class="trans">I haven't bought it yet.</span></li>
<li>我 没 买<em>到</em>。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ méi
mǎi<em>dào</em>.</span> <span class="trans">I didn't buy
it.</span></li>
<li>这里 很 难 买<em>到</em> 进口 食品。<span class="pinyin">Zhèlǐ hěn nán
mǎi<em>dào</em> jìnkǒu shípǐn.</span> <span class="trans">It's hard
to buy imported good here.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3 id="学-vs.-学到">学 vs. 学到</h3>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li>我 想 学 中文。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ xiǎng xué Zhōngwén.</span>
<span class="trans">I want to learn Chinese.</span></li>
<li>我们 今天 学 了 “恭喜发财”。<span class="pinyin">Wǒmen jīntiān xué le
“gōngxǐ fācái”.</span> <span class="trans">Today we learned "kung
hei fat choy."</span></li>
<li>在 这个 公司 工作，我 学<em>到</em> 了 很 多 东西。<span class="pinyin">Zài
zhège gōngsī gōngzuò, wǒ xué<em>dào</em> le hěn duō dōngxi.</span>
<span class="trans">Working for this company, I learned a lot of
things.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3 id="拿-vs.-拿到">拿 vs. 拿到</h3>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li>你 拿 小包，我 拿 大包。<span class="pinyin">Nǐ ná xiǎo bāo, wǒ ná dà
bāo.</span> <span class="trans">You take the small bag, I'll take
the big bag.</span></li>
<li>今天 去 拿 婚纱，不 知道 能 不 能 拿<em>到</em>。<span class="pinyin">Jīntiān
qù ná hūnshā, bù zhīdào néng bu néng
ná<em>dào</em>.</span><span class="trans">Today I'm going to pick
up the wedding dress, not sure if I'll be able to get it or
not.</span></li>
<li>他 偷偷 进 了 她 的 房间，拿<em>到</em> 了 他 想要 的 东西。<span class="pinyin">Tā
tōutōu jìn le tā de fángjiān, ná<em>dào</em> le tā xiǎngyào de
dōngxi.</span> <span class="trans">He secretly entered her room and
got the thing he wanted to take.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3 id="想-vs.-想到">想 vs. 想到</h3>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li>一定 要 想 一 个办法。<span class="pinyin">Yīdìng yào xiǎng yī gè
bànfǎ.</span> <span class="trans">You have to think of a
method.</span></li>
<li>你 想<em>到</em> 了 什么好办法？<span class="pinyin">Nǐ xiǎng<em>dào</em>
le shénme hǎo bànfǎ?</span><span class="trans">Have you thought of
any good methods yet?</span></li>
<li>我们 都 没 想<em>到</em> 他 会 这么 说。<span class="pinyin">Wǒmen dōu méi
xiǎng<em>dào</em> tā huì zhème shuō.</span><span class="trans">None
of us thought that he would say it like that.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3 id="看-vs.-看到">看 vs. 看到</h3>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li>我 在 看 一些 老 照片。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ zài kàn yīxiē lǎo
zhàopiàn.</span> <span class="trans">I'm looking at some old
photos.</span></li>
<li>看<em>到</em> 这 张 照片，我 想<em>到</em> 了 我 的 女儿。<span class=
"pinyin">Kàn<em>dào</em> zhè zhāng zhàopiàn, wǒ xiǎng<em>dào</em>
le wǒ de nǚ'ér.</span> <span class="trans">After seeing this photo,
I thought of my daughter.</span></li>
<li>我 看<em>到</em> 他 了，在 那里！<span class="pinyin">Wǒ kàn<em>dào</em>
tā le, zài nàlǐ!</span> <span class="trans">I see him, over
there!</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3 id="追-vs.-追到">追 vs. 追到</h3>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li>怎么 追 女孩子？<span class="pinyin">Zěnme zhuī nǚ háizi?</span>
<span class="trans">How do you chase girls?</span></li>
<li>那 个 女孩子，你 追<em>到</em>了吗？<span class="pinyin">Nàge nǚháizi, nǐ
zhuī<em>dào</em> le ma?</span> <span class="trans">That girl, did
you catch her yet?</span></li>
<li>如果 你 追<em>到</em>她了，我 就 请 你 喝酒。<span class="pinyin">Rúguǒ nǐ
zhuī<em>dào</em> tā le, wǒ jiù qǐng nǐ hējiǔ.</span> <span class=
"trans">If you can really catch her, I'll treat you to a
drink.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3 id="了解-vs.-了解到">了解 vs. 了解到</h3>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li>我 不 太 了解 这个 人。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ bù tài liǎojiě zhège
rén.</span> <span class="trans">I don't really understand this
person.</span></li>
<li>我们 刚刚 了解<em>到</em> 一些 新 的 信息。<span class="pinyin">Wǒmen
gānggāng liǎojiě<em>dào</em> yīxiē xīn de xìnxī.</span>
<span class="trans">We just understood the new
information.</span></li>
<li>从 他 那里，我 了解<em>到</em> 了 这个 女人 很 多 事。<span class="pinyin">Cóng
tā nàlǐ, wǒ liǎojiě<em>dào</em> le zhège nǚrén hěn duō shì.</span>
<span class="trans">From him, I understood a lot of things
regarding this girl.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3 id="联系-vs.-联系到">联系 vs. 联系到</h3>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li>我们 怎么 联系？<span class="pinyin">Wǒmen zěnme liánxì?</span>
<span class="trans">How do we get in contact?</span></li>
<li>我 一直 想 跟 你 联系，但是 一直 没 联系<em>到</em> 你。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ
yīzhí xiǎng gēn nǐ liánxì, dànshì yīzhí méi liánxì<em>dào</em>
nǐ.</span> <span class="trans">I always wanted get in contact with
you, but I never could get a hold of you.</span></li>
<li>你 知道 怎么 能 联系<em>到</em> 他吗？<span class="pinyin">Nǐ zhīdào zěnme
néng liánxì<em>dào</em> tā ma?</span><span class="trans">Do you
know how to get in contact with him?</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="Category:B1_grammar_points" title=
"wikilink">Category:B1 grammar points</a> <a href=
"Category:Result_complement" title="wikilink">Category:Result
complement</a></p>
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