2 · Complements after the verb
Result complements
verb plus result
A second word straight after the verb says what the action achieved: finished, understood, found, done wrong.
A Chinese verb usually names only the attempt. 看 is “to look”, 听 “to listen”, 找 “to look for”. Whether the attempt succeeded is said by a second word straight after the verb: 看见, look and perceive — “see”; 听懂, listen and understand; 找到, look for and reach — “find”. English packs many such results into the verb itself (“find”, “see”, “catch”) or adds a particle (“eat up”, “write down”).
A small set of complements does most of the work: 完 (finished), 好 (done properly, ready), 到 (reached, obtained), 懂 (understood), 见 (perceived), 错 (wrongly), 会 (mastered), 住 (fixed, held), and adjectives such as 清楚 or 干净. Verb and complement behave as one verb: 了 and the object come after the complement — 我看完了这本书 — and apart from the potential form (see below), nothing may separate the two.
A result either came about or it did not, so the negative is 没 or 没有, not 不: 我没听懂, “I didn’t understand”. The question adds 了吗 or 了没有: 你听懂了吗？. If you mean “I can’t understand — it is beyond me”, that is a different form, 听不懂, the potential complement.
The main trap is assuming that the bare verb includes the result. 我找了钥匙 only says that I looked for the keys; whether I found them needs 找到. Chinese can therefore say, without any contradiction, 我找了，可是没找到 — “I looked, but didn’t find it” — a sentence that sounds odd in English only because English has already decided for you.
The form
| finished | 我吃完了。 |
| understood (by listening) | 你听懂了吗？ |
| found | 我找到钥匙了。 |
| not achieved: méi | 我没看见他。 |
| a two-syllable result | 衣服洗干净了。 |
| a question with méiyǒu | 作业写完了没有？ |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is about
The result word comes straight after the verb; nothing stands between them.
我做完作业了。I have finished my homework.
了 and the object follow the complement, not the verb.
他买到了两张票。He managed to get two tickets.
A result that did not come about is negated with 没, not 不.
对不起，我没听清楚。Sorry, I didn't hear that clearly.
好 as a complement means “done properly, ready”, not “good”.
饭做好了，快来吃吧！The food is ready — come and eat!
The verb alone names the attempt; add the complement when you mean the result.
我找了半天，终于找到了。I looked for ages and finally found it.
A closer look
Why Chinese separates the attempt from the result
English has many verbs that already contain their result: you cannot “find” something without succeeding. Chinese builds such meanings from two parts, and many of the pairs have become everyday words that dictionaries list on their own: 看见, 听见, 打开, 遇到.
The same complement attaches to many verbs, which makes them easy to learn as families. 到 means “reaching the goal”: 买到 (manage to buy), 收到 (receive), 想到 (think of). 住 means “held fast”: 记住 (memorise), 站住 (stop where you are). Once you know the complement, a new verb in front of it is usually clear at once.
Exceptions and special cases (1)
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the sentence is a condition or a rule (“unless you finish …”)
不 can stand before a result complement.
作业不做完，不能看电视。No television until your homework is finished.
Such a sentence does not report a past event; it sets a result that must not be missing.
How to spot it
- 完
- 好
- 到
- 懂
- 见
- 错
- 会
- 没…完
Example sentences
这本书我已经看完了。I have already finished reading this book.
老师说的话你听懂了吗？Did you understand what the teacher said?
我今天在路上看见了你哥哥。I saw your older brother on my way today.
对不起，我写错了你的名字。Sorry, I wrote your name wrong.
她六岁就学会了游泳。She learned to swim when she was only six.
我的手机还没找到。I still haven't found my phone.
8 more example sentences
我已经吃饱了，谢谢。I'm full, thank you.
你的信我昨天收到了。I received your letter yesterday.
这个字你写错了。You have written this character wrong.
你能打开窗户吗？Could you open the window?
我在机场遇到了一个老同学。I ran into an old classmate at the airport.
衣服洗干净了吗？Have the clothes been washed clean?
这些生词你记住了没有？Have you memorised these new words?
我看了半天，还是没看懂。I looked at it for a long time and still did not understand it.
Worth knowing (1)
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Finished or done properly: wán and hǎo
完 says that nothing is left to do; 好 says that the job has been done well enough for the next step. 写完 means the last line is written; 写好 means the text is ready to hand in.
报告我写完了，可是还没写好。I have finished writing the report, but it is not quite right yet.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
English “I didn’t understand” and “I don’t understand” both start with “not”, so 不 seems the obvious choice. But a result complement reports an outcome, and an outcome that did not happen takes 没. For “I can’t understand” use the potential form 听不懂.
The verb is the attempt, the complement is the result — and méi, not bù, when the result did not happen.
Your turn
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