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<title>Potential complement</title>
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<h1>Potential complement
</h1>

<p>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.</p>

<h2>Contents</h2>

  
<div class="contents"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">1 Affirmative Form </span></li>
<ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">1.1 Structure </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">1.2 Examples </span></li>
</ul>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">2 Negative Form </span></li>
<ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">2.1 Structure </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">2.2 Examples </span></li>
</ul>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">3 Potential Complement with Objects </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">4 Advanced Potential Complements </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">5 See also </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">6 Sources and and further reading </span></li>
<ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">6.1 Books </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">6.2 Websites </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">6.2.1 Yale</span></li>
</ul>
</ul>
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<h2>Affirmative Form</h2>

<p>Structurally, potential complements are closely related to both result complements and direction complements, so it helps to be familiar with those first. The most important and commonly used potential complements are derived from other complements such as the following:</p>
<ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">Verb + 见 e.g. 看见, 听见 (result complements) </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">Verb + 懂 e.g. 看懂, 听懂 (result complements) </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">Verb + 完 e.g. 吃完, 做完, 用完, 花完 (result complements) </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">Verb + Adj. e.g. 看清楚, 听明白, 洗干净 (result complements) </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">Verb + 到 e.g. 找到, 买到, 收到 (result complements) </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">Verb + Direction e.g. 上来, 下去, 进去, 起来, 走过去, 爬上去 (direction complements)</span><br/></li>
</ul>
<p>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.
</p>
<h3>Structure</h3>

<div class="deux">Subj. + Verb + 得 + Complement</div>

<h3>Examples</h3>
<div class="exemple"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">你 没 戴 眼镜 ，看 得 清楚 吗 ？
Nǐ méi dài yǎnjìng, kàn de qīngchu ma?
You didn't wear glasses. Can you see things clearly? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">他 这么 粗心 ，做 得 好 吗 ？
Tā zhème cūxīn, zuò de hǎo ma?
He'a so careless. Can he do it well? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">你 这么 聪明 ，肯定 学 得 会 。
Nǐ zhème cōngming, kěndìng xué de huì.
You're so smart. You can definitely learn this. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">早上 五点 出发 ，孩子们 起 得 来 吗 ？
Zǎoshang wǔdiǎn chūfā, háizi men qǐ de lái ma?
We're leaving at five a.m.. Will the kids be able to get up? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">这么 高 的 山 ，你 爬 得 上去 吗 ？
Zhème gāo de shān, nǐ pá de shàngqù ma?
The mountain is so high. Can you make it to the top?</span><br/></li>
</ul>
</div>

<h2>Negative Form
</h2>
<h3>Structure</h3>

<div class="deux">Subj. + Verb + 不 + Complement
</div>
<h3>Examples</h3>

<div class="exemple"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">你 的 声音 太 小 了 ，我们 听 不 见 。
Nǐ de shēngyīn tài xiǎo le, wǒmen tīng bu jiàn.
Your voice is too soft. We can't hear you. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">这里 太 暗 了 ，我 看 不 清楚 。
Zhèlǐ tài àn le, wǒ kàn bu qīngchu.
It's too dim here. I can't see clearly. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">这个 自行车 太 破 了 ，谁 都 修 不 好 。
Zhège zìxíngchē tài pò le, shéi dōu xiū bu hǎo .
This bike is so broken. Nobody can fix it. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">她 的 腿 受伤 了 ，站 不 起来 了 。
Tā de tuǐ shòushāng le, zhàn bu qǐlái le.
Her leg is injured. She can't stand. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">包 太 小 了 ，手机 放 不 进去 。
Bāo tài xiǎo le, shǒujī fàng bu jìnqù.
The bag is too small. I can't fit the cell phone in it.</span><br/></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h2>Potential Complement with Objects</h2>

<p>Objects in sentences with potential complements can occur either after the complement or at the beginning of a sentence.
</p>
<h3>A few examples:
</h3>
<div class="exemple"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">你 听 得 懂 上海话 吗 ？
Nǐ tīng de dǒng Shànghǎi-huà ma?
Can you understand Shanghai dialect? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">她 这么 小 ，看 得 懂 这 本 书 吗 ？
Tā zhème xiǎo, kàn de dǒng zhè běn shū ma?
She's so young. Can she really understand this book? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">我怕 我 做 不 好 这份 工作 。
Wǒ pà wǒ zuò bu hǎo zhè fèn gōngzuò.
I'm afraid that I can't do this job well. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">这 种 手机 现在 买 不 到 了 。
Zhè zhǒng shǒujī xiànzài mǎi bu dào le.
You can't buy this type of cell phone now. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">这本书 我 一个星期 肯定 看 得 完 。
Zhè běn shū wǒ yī gè xīngiqī kěndìng kàn de wán.
I can definitely finish reading this book within one week.</span><br/></li>
</ul>
</div>

<h2>Advanced Potential Complements</h2>

<p>There are actually quite a few potential complements out there, and this article touches on some of the simplest and most common ones. Be aware that there are many more, but they all follow the same basic pattern outlined here. You can also see our article on advanced potential complements.
</p>
<h3>See also
</h3>
<div class="See-also"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">Result complements
Advanced potential complements</span><br/></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Sources and and further reading
</h3>
<h4>Books</h4>

<div class="See-also"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">Basic Patterns of Chinese Grammar (pp. 71) →buy </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical Guide (pp. 191) →buy </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">Boya Chinese Elementary Starter 1 (博雅汉语初经起步篇) (pp. 197) →buy </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 2 (pp. 291) →buy </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">Practicing HSK Grammar (语法精讲精炼) (pp. 125) →buy </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">Contemporary Chinese 2 (当代中文2) (pp. 63) →buy </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">New Practical Chinese Reader 3 (新实用汉语课本3) (pp. 99) →buy</span><br/></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h4>Websites</h4>

<div class="See-also"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">Yale

The Potential Complement </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">Potential Complement And Degree Complement In Contrast</span><br/></li>
</ul>
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