Potential and extreme-degree complements
B1 可能补语与程度补语（极了、死了、得很） 39 / 56
In short
Two more ways to extend a verb or an adjective. First, the potential complement: take a result compound like 听懂 (tīng dǒng, understand) and slot 得 in for can or 不 in for cannot - 听得懂 (tīng de dǒng, can understand), 听不懂 (tīng bu dǒng, can’t understand). Second, the extreme-degree complements 极了 / 死了 / 坏了 / 得很, hung on an adjective to push it to the max: 好极了 (hǎo jí le, wonderful), 累死了 (lèi sǐ le, dead tired).
The rule
Part A - the potential complement (can / cannot reach a result)
A resultative or directional complement (lessons 27 and 30) says an action did reach its result: 听懂 “understood,” 找到 “found.” Insert 得 or 不 and you shift from did to can / can’t.
Step 1 - Take a result pair and split it. Put 得 (de) inside for the affirmative, 不 (bu) inside for the negative:
Verb + 得 + Complement = able to reach the result Verb + 不 + Complement = unable to reach the result
听懂 -> 听得懂 / 听不懂 (can / can’t understand), 找到 -> 找得到 / 找不到 (can / can’t find).
Step 2 - Both infixes are toneless. Here 得 = de and 不 = bu (unstressed, not the citation bù); the stress sits on the verb and the complement. The three parts act as one word.
Step 3 - The object and 了 go after the whole compound. Nothing may sit between the infix and the complement: 我看得懂中文 (wǒ kàn de dǒng Zhōngwén, I can read Chinese), 钥匙找不到了 (yàoshi zhǎo bu dào le, the keys can’t be found). A two-syllable directional from Directional complements (simple and compound) (起来, 出来, 下来, 上去, 过去) counts as one complement, so the infix goes in front of the whole thing: 想起来 -> 想得起来 / 想不起来 (xiǎng de qǐlái / xiǎng bu qǐlái, can / can’t recall), 拿出来 -> 拿得出来 / 拿不出来; never 想起不来.
Step 4 - Ask with 吗 or by repeating the compound. A-not-A here means saying the whole potential compound twice: 你听得懂听不懂？ (nǐ tīng de dǒng tīng bu dǒng?) or simply 你听得懂吗？
Step 5 - Versus 能 (lesson 15). The negative potential form (听不懂, 买不起) is the everyday way to say “can’t [result]” - far more common than 不能. For the affirmative, 能听懂 and 听得懂 both work. Don’t stack them: not 不能听不懂.
Part B - extreme-degree complements (极了 / 死了 / 坏了 / 得很)
These attach straight to a gradable adjective (or a feeling verb like 饿, 累, 急) to mean “to the extreme.”
Step 6 - Adjective + complement. 好极了, 累死了, 饿坏了, 忙得很 (máng de hěn, extremely busy).
Step 7 - No degree adverb in front. The complement already carries the degree, so drop 很/非常/太: say 累死了, never 很累死了.
Step 8 - Mind the 了. 极了 / 死了 / 坏了 carry their own 了; 得很 takes no 了. In register, 死了 and 坏了 are colloquial and hyperbolic (“dying of…”), 极了 is neutral, 得很 is emphatic-colloquial.
Forms & patterns
Deriving the potential form from a result pair:
| Base compound | Can (V 得 C) | Cannot (V 不 C) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 听懂 tīng dǒng | 听得懂 tīng de dǒng | 听不懂 tīng bu dǒng | understand (by ear) |
| 看见 kàn jiàn | 看得见 kàn de jiàn | 看不见 kàn bu jiàn | see |
| 找到 zhǎo dào | 找得到 zhǎo de dào | 找不到 zhǎo bu dào | find |
| 吃完 chī wán | 吃得完 chī de wán | 吃不完 chī bu wán | finish eating |
| 进去 jìn qù | 进得去 jìn de qù | 进不去 jìn bu qù | get in |
| 想起来 xiǎng qǐlái | 想得起来 xiǎng de qǐlái | 想不起来 xiǎng bu qǐlái | recall |
High-frequency forms that live mostly (or only) in the potential shape:
| Form | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 来得及 / 来不及 | lái de jí / lái bu jí | (not) enough time to |
| 买得起 / 买不起 | mǎi de qǐ / mǎi bu qǐ | can (not) afford |
| 拿得动 / 拿不动 | ná de dòng / ná bu dòng | can (not) lift/carry |
| 受得了 / 受不了 | shòu de liǎo / shòu bu liǎo | can (not) bear |
| 走得了 / 走不了 | zǒu de liǎo / zǒu bu liǎo | can (not) get away |
Extreme-degree complements:
| Complement | Pinyin | Takes 了? | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 极了 | jí le | yes | 好极了 hǎo jí le (wonderful) |
| 死了 | sǐ le | yes | 累死了 lèi sǐ le (dead tired) |
| 坏了 | huài le | yes | 饿坏了 è huài le (starving) |
| 得很 | de hěn | no | 忙得很 máng de hěn (super busy) |
Examples
- 这本书我看不懂。 (Zhè běn shū wǒ kàn bu dǒng.) - I can’t understand this book.
- 老师说的话你听得懂吗？ (Lǎoshī shuō de huà nǐ tīng de dǒng ma?) - Can you understand what the teacher says?
- 这么多菜，我们吃不完。 (Zhème duō cài, wǒmen chī bu wán.) - That’s so much food, we can’t finish it.
- 快点，我们来不及了。 (Kuài diǎn, wǒmen lái bu jí le.) - Hurry up, we won’t make it in time.
- 这个东西太贵，我买不起。 (Zhège dōngxi tài guì, wǒ mǎi bu qǐ.) - This is too expensive, I can’t afford it.
- 今天热死了。 (Jīntiān rè sǐ le.) - It’s boiling hot today.
- 这个消息好极了。 (Zhège xiāoxi hǎo jí le.) - This news is wonderful.
- 我快饿坏了。 (Wǒ kuài è huài le.) - I’m starving.
- 这儿的东西好吃得很。 (Zhèr de dōngxi hǎochī de hěn.) - The food here is really delicious.
Common mistakes
- 我不听懂。 -> 我听不懂。 (Wǒ tīng bu dǒng.) - to say “can’t [reach the result],” slot 不 inside, between verb and complement; 不 in front of the verb is not a potential form.
- 我看得中文懂。 -> 我看得懂中文。 (Wǒ kàn de dǒng Zhōngwén.) - the object follows the whole compound; nothing may sit between the infix and the complement.
- 这个字我没看得懂。 -> 这个字我看不懂。 (Zhège zì wǒ kàn bu dǒng.) - to say it is beyond you, use the 不 potential form; 没 + a result (没看懂) means you just didn’t catch it this once.
- 我很累死了。 -> 我累死了。 (Wǒ lèi sǐ le.) - an extreme-degree complement already means “to the max,” so drop 很/非常/太.
- 他忙得很了。 -> 他忙得很。 (Tā máng de hěn.) - 得很 is a fixed intensifier and never takes 了 (unlike 极了/死了/坏了, which include it).
Tips
- 听不懂 vs 没听懂. The potential 不 form = “can’t, in principle” (我听不懂 = it’s over my head); 没 + result = “didn’t, this time” (我没听懂 = I missed what you said). Choose by whether you mean ability or a single event.
- Chinese leans on the negative potential far more than the affirmative: 吃不下 (no room to eat more), 睡不着 (can’t fall asleep), 想不起来 (can’t recall). For “yes, I can,” people usually just say 能 or 可以.
- Three jobs for one character 得: manner 得 (跑得快 “runs fast,” lesson 28), potential 得 (跑得动 “able to run”), and obligation 得 děi (“must,” lesson 26). Only tone and position tell them apart.
- Treat 极了/死了 as a frozen “…to the extreme + 了” suffix that fills the whole degree slot - so it locks out any 很/非常 you might reflexively add. That 了 is the neutral-tone le; the 了 of a potential complement is a different word, liǎo (“manage it”), and it is productive rather than a fixed item - 走不了 (zǒu bu liǎo, can’t get away), 去不了 (qù bu liǎo, can’t make it). Only the 得/不 in front of it tells you which 了 you are reading.