Result complements: 看完, 听懂, 找到
A second word after the verb says what the action achieved: finished, understood, found.
Part of the free A2 Chinese course (about HSK 3). Examples are in Simplified characters with pinyin; press the speaker to hear one with your device's Chinese voice.
Trying and succeeding
In English, look for and find are different verbs; listen and understand too. Chinese keeps the action verb and adds a result straight after it:
- 我找到我的钥匙了。(Wǒ zhǎodào wǒ de yàoshi le.)I've found my keys.
找 (zhǎo) is "look for"; 找到 (zhǎodào) is "look for and reach it": find. This second word is called a result complement.
The common results
| Result | Meaning | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| 完 (wán) | finished | 吃完 (finish eating), 看完 (finish reading or watching) |
| 好 (hǎo) | done properly, ready | 做好 (get ready), 准备好 (be all prepared) |
| 到 (dào) | reached the goal | 找到 (find), 买到 (manage to buy), 看到 (see) |
| 懂 (dǒng) | understood | 听懂 (understand what you hear), 看懂 (understand what you read) |
| 见 (jiàn) | perceived | 看见 (see), 听见 (hear) |
| 错 (cuò) | wrongly | 写错 (write it wrong), 打错 (dial the wrong number) |
| 对 (duì) | correctly | 说对 (say it right), 写对 (write it right) |
- 我看完了这本书。(Wǒ kànwán le zhè běn shū.)I've finished reading this book.
- 饭做好了，来吃吧！(Fàn zuòhǎo le, lái chī ba!)Dinner's ready, come and eat!
- 你听懂了吗？(Nǐ tīngdǒng le ma?)Did you understand (what you heard)?
- 对不起，我写错了。(Duìbuqǐ, wǒ xiěcuò le.)Sorry, I wrote it wrong.
- 这个字你写对了。(Zhè gè zì nǐ xiěduì le.)You wrote this character correctly.
Word order: verb + result + 了 + object
The result is glued to the verb. Nothing goes between them: 了 and the object come after.
| Subject | Verb + result | 了 | Object |
|---|---|---|---|
| 我 (wǒ) | 做完 (zuòwán) | 了 (le) | 作业 (zuòyè) |
Didn't manage: 没 + verb + result
The negative is 没 before the verb, and 了 goes (了: a completed action). Very often it contrasts with the plain verb: you tried, but didn't get the result.
- 我没看见他。(Wǒ méi kànjiàn tā.)I didn't see him.
- 我找了半天，可是没找到。(Wǒ zhǎo le bàntiān, kěshì méi zhǎodào.)I looked for ages, but I didn't find it.
"Can't understand" (in general) uses a different pattern: 听不懂. That's Can or can't manage it: 听得懂, 看不见.
Common mistakes
我吃饭完了。→ 我吃完饭了。The result goes straight after the verb, before the object.我没听懂了。→ 我没听懂。No 了 after 没.我不听懂。→ 我没听懂 (I didn't understand) or 我听不懂 (I can't understand).我找了我的手机。for "I found my phone" → 我找到了我的手机。找 alone is only "looked for".我看了他。for "I saw him (by chance)" → 我看见他了 (or 我看到他了)。看 alone is "look at, watch".
Practice
- 我找_____了！(Wǒ zhǎo ___ le!)Options: 到 (dào) · 完 (wán) · 懂 (dǒng)
Show the answer
到 (dào) — 找到 = look for and succeed: find. 找完 would mean 'finished searching'.
- 老师说话太快，我没听_____。(Lǎoshī shuōhuà tài kuài, wǒ méi tīng ___.)Options: 懂 (dǒng) · 完 (wán) · 错 (cuò)
Show the answer
懂 (dǒng) — 听懂 = understand what you hear.
- Rewrite in the negative: 我看见了你的猫。(Wǒ kànjiàn le nǐ de māo.)
Show the answer
我没看见你的猫 — 没 + verb + result, and 了 goes.
- Which sentence means 'I've finished my homework'?Options: 我做完作业了。(Wǒ zuòwán zuòyè le.) · 我做作业完了。(Wǒ zuò zuòyè wán le.) · 我完做作业了。(Wǒ wán zuò zuòyè le.)
Show the answer
我做完作业了。(Wǒ zuòwán zuòyè le.) — Verb + result, then the object.