把 with results and complements
把作业做完, 把门关上, 把这句话翻译成英文: 把 + a definite object + verb + what happens to it.
Part of the free B1 Chinese course (about HSK 4). Examples are in Simplified characters, with pinyin only for some new or hard words; press the speaker to hear one with your device's Chinese voice.
Recap
From 把: doing something to a definite thing: 把 (bǎ) brings the object in front of the verb, to say what you do to it and how it ends up.
| Subject | 把 | Object | Verb | What happens to it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 我 | 把 | 作业 | 做 | 完了 |
| 你 | 把 | 门 | 关 | 上 |
| 请 | 把 | 这句话 | 翻译 | 成英文 |
Two rules carry everything else:
- The object is definite: a thing both speakers can identify (这本书, 那个苹果, 我的钥匙, 作业).
- The verb never stands alone. Something follows it: a result, a direction, a place, 了, or a "change into".
Results and directions
Result complements (Result complements: 看完, 听懂, 找到) and direction complements (Direction complements: 进来, 出去, 回来) are the most common endings.
- 请把作业做完。Please finish your homework.
- 我把衣服洗干净了。I've washed the clothes clean.
- 把门关上。Shut the door.
- 他把书放回书架上了。(shūjià)He put the book back on the shelf.
成, 在, 到, 给: into, at, to, for
After 成, 在 and 到 the object can't sit between the verb and them, so with a definite object you almost always need 把. 给 is looser: 送给他一本书 and 还给他钱 are fine without 把, but when the thing given is definite (那本书, 这笔钱), 把 is the usual choice.
| Verb + | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 成 (chéng) | turn into | 把这句话翻译成英文 |
| 在 (zài) | put at a place | 把车停在楼下 |
| 到 (dào) | move to | 把包裹寄到上海 |
| 给 (gěi) | give to someone | 把钱还给他 |
- 请把这句话翻译成英文。Please translate this sentence into English.
- 我把车停在楼下了。I parked the car downstairs.
- 你把这个包裹寄到上海吧。(bāoguǒ)Send this parcel to Shanghai.
- 他把钱还给我了。He gave the money back to me.
Negatives, modals and 别 go before 把
- 我没把作业做完。I didn't finish my homework.
- 别把手机忘在出租车上。Don't leave your phone in the taxi.
把 is about doing something to an object. Verbs of feeling or perception (喜欢, 知道, 看见, 有) don't take it.
Common mistakes
我把作业做。→ 我把作业做完了。The verb needs something after it.我把作业没做完。→ 我没把作业做完。没 goes before 把.我翻译这句话成英文。→ 我把这句话翻译成英文。The object can't sit between the verb and 成.我停车在楼下。→ 我把车停在楼下。(Or, with a different focus, 我在楼下停车: "I park downstairs".)我把作业做不完。→ 我做不完作业。A potential complement (Can or can't manage it: 听得懂, 看不见) does not go with 把.我把这本书喜欢。→ 我喜欢这本书。喜欢 does nothing to the book.
Practice
- 请把窗户_____。Options: 关上 · 关 · 关得上
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关上 — After 把 the verb needs a result: 关上. A potential complement (关得上) doesn't work with 把.
- 我把这篇文章翻译_____中文了。
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成 — 翻译成 = translate into. 翻译为 is the written equivalent.
- Which is correct?Options: 我没把报告写完。 · 我把报告没写完。 · 我把报告写不完。
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我没把报告写完。 — 没 goes before 把. 写不完 (can't finish) is a potential complement, which 把 doesn't take.
- 他把钥匙放_____桌子上了。
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在 — 放在 and 放到 both say where the keys ended up.