How to use the potential complement in Mandarin

In Mandarin Chinese, a complement completes the meaning of a given expression, and a potential complement indicates whether an action is possible. For example:

This sentence above is not about whether he ate chili, but rather whether he can eat it, i.e., his general ability. In this sentence, 得 (transcribed de) is the marker of potential complement, and the complement 了 (transcribed liǎo, meaning “finish”) refers to the capability of completing an action. The negative version of this sentence is:

The question version is:

You can also simply add 吗 (transcribed ma) to make a question:

Or, you can make an A-non A type of question:

Why should you care about the potential complement in Mandarin? Well, the potential complement tends to be different among different languages. For example, 我做不完作业 (transcribed Wǒ zuò bù wán zuòyè, meaning “I cannot finish homework”) is conveyed in English as “I cannot finish homework.” In Mandarin, 不完 (transcribed bù wán, meaning “cannot (finish)”) is a potential complement and is placed after the verb 做 (transcribed zuò, meaning “finish”). However, in English “cannot” is an auxiliary verb and is placed before the verb “finish.” Intrigued? Dive in to learn more.

There are three patterns for potential complements in Mandarin Chinese: a positive pattern, a negative pattern, and a question form pattern. Let’s review the positive pattern first.

There are many potential complements in Mandarin and they can be used in three structure types:

• Type 1: verb + verb (able/unable to achieve an action)

• Type 2: verb + verb (able/unable to move in a certain direction)

• Type 3: verb + adjective (able/unable to achieve a result)

The following tables consist of some frequently used potential complements. As you will see below, the second verb/adjective (i.e. the potential complement) in the table refers to the ability to achieve the action represented by the first verb.

In the above tables, some potential complements are used in a metaphorical sense, rather than a literal directional sense. For example, in the sentence 你这样做有点说不过去 (transcribed Nǐ zhèyàng zuò yǒudiǎn shuō bu guòqù, meaning “It's kind of unreasonable for you to do this”), the directional word 过去 (transcribed guòqù, meaning “go over”) is used in the phrase 说不过去 (transcribed shuō bù guòqù, meaning “unable to justify”), so

becomes idiomatic and metaphorical.

As the name suggests, potential complements are all about the potentiality. They indicate whether something can happen, or someone can do something. Potential complements in Mandarin Chinese express the possibility that something may be achieved. They have three types:

• Positive: verb + 得 + complement

• Positive: verb + 不 + complement

• Question:

  • verb + potential complement + 吗, or

  • verb + 不 + verb + 得 + complement, or

  • verb + 得 + complement + verb + 不 + complement

There are three categories of commonly used potential complements in Mandarin:

• verb + verb (able to achieve an action)

• verb + verb (able to move in a certain direction)

• verb + adjective (able to achieve a result)

Do you want to try out what you have read above? Here are exercises to practice potential complements in Mandarin Chinese that we have prepared for you. Come on, you will have fun!