Tomyo
ruen

How to say “can” with 得 (de) and 不 (bù)

Verb + 得 (de) / 不 (bù) + Complement

得 (dé) — potential complement

HSK 3Complements

Rule structure

This form shows whether an action can achieve the intended result. 得 (de) marks that the result is possible, while 不 (bù) marks that the result is not possible.

Examples

我看得懂中文。

Wǒ kàn de dǒng Zhōngwén.

I can understand written Chinese.

他听得懂英语。

Tā tīngdedǒng yīngyǔ.

He can understand English.

我写得出汉字。

Wǒ xiě dechū hànzì.

I can write Chinese characters.

Practice

Build the sentence

Drag the characters to put them in the correct order

Characters

Words from this rule

得

de

Structural particle, indicates manner or result of an action

不

bù

No, not

我

wǒ

I, me

看

kàn

To look, to watch, to read

懂

dǒng

To understand

中文

zhōngwén

Chinese language

他

tā

He

听

tīng

To listen, to hear

写

xiě

To write

出

chū

To go out; (directional verb indicating outward movement)

汉字

hàn zì

Chinese character

吃

chī

To eat

Frequently asked questions

How do you say “potential complement” in Chinese with 得?

Use the structure: Verb + 得 (de) / 不 (bù) + Complement. For example: 我看得懂中文。 — “I can understand written Chinese”.

What is an example sentence with this grammar rule?

我看得懂中文。 — “I can understand written Chinese”.

Which HSK level includes this grammar rule?

This grammar rule is part of HSK 3.

Tomyo

Learn Chinese grammar with smart reviews

Grammar explanations, exercises and spaced repetition — all in one app.

Download the app

More HSK 3 grammar rules

下去 — continue doing

Verb + 下去 (xiàqù)

来/去 — direction complement

Verb + 来 (lái)/去 (qù)

一边 — doing two things at once

一边 (yìbiān) + Verb 1, 一边 (yìbiān) + Verb 2

如果…就 — if… then…

如果 (rúguǒ)……，就 (jiù)……

万 — big numbers

Number + 万 (wàn) / 亿 (yì)

地 — turning adjectives into adverbs

Adj. + 地 (de) + Verb

AA — reduplicating adjectives

AA / AABB

想 — as one likes

想 (xiǎng) + Verb Phrase with Question Word + 就 (jiù) + Same Verb Phrase