Potential Complements: V+得/不+V/Adj
A potential complement puts 得 or 不 between a verb and its complement to say whether the result is possible, as in 看得懂 (can understand by reading) and 看不懂 (cannot). It reuses the result complements you already know.
✅ 我听得懂中文。(I can understand Chinese by listening.) ❌➜✅ 我听不懂中文。(I can't understand Chinese by listening.)
Common pairs: 看得见/看不见 (visible/not), 找得到/找不到 (findable/not), 来得及/来不及 (in time/not — 来不及 can stand alone without an object), 做得完/做不完 (finishable/not).
Question form: V得Complement V不Complement — 你听得懂听不懂？ (Can you understand or not?)
Worked examples
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | What it shows |
|---|---|---|---|
| 这个字太小了，我看不清楚。 | Zhè ge zì tài xiǎo le, wǒ kàn bu qīngchu. | This character is too small, I can't see it clearly. | 看 + 不 + 清楚 (negative potential complement) — unable to achieve the result of seeing clearly. |
| 别担心，八点前我们一定来得及。 | Bié dānxīn, bā diǎn qián wǒmen yídìng láidejí. | Don't worry, we'll definitely make it before 8 o'clock. | 来 + 得 + 及 (affirmative potential complement) — a fixed idiom meaning "there's enough time." |
| 这么多作业，你今天晚上做得完做不完？ | Zhème duō zuòyè, nǐ jīntiān wǎnshang zuò de wán zuò bu wán? | With so much homework, can you finish it tonight or not? | The V得CompV不Comp question form combines the affirmative and negative potential complement in one question. |
Word by word
Each word in this pattern on its own: what it does here, the structure, three more examples, and the mistake to avoid.
得 (de)
Between the verb and a complement, says it is possible to do it.
Structure: Verb + 得 + complement
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 这么大的箱子，你一个人搬得动吗？ | Zhè me dà de xiāng zi, nǐ yí gè rén bān de dòng ma? | Such a big box, can you move it by yourself? |
| 黑板上的字太小，你看得清楚吗？ | Hēi bǎn shàng de zì tài xiǎo, nǐ kàn de qīng chǔ ma? | The writing on the board is too small, can you see it clearly? |
| 老师说的话，我听得懂一些。 | Lǎo shī shuō de huà, wǒ tīng de dǒng yì xiē. | I can understand some of what the teacher says. |
Not: 我不听得懂。 The negative replaces 得 with 不: 我听不懂.
In the official HSK 3.0 grammar outline: level 2, particles (结构助词); level 3, verbs (能愿动词).
得 is also explained in: Degree Complements: 动词+得+形容词 (runs fast, plays happily) (HSK 2) · Structural Particle 得: State Complement (HSK 2) · Extended Comparison Patterns: A比B V得Adj (HSK 3) · Degree complement: V得+predicate (HSK 4) · 得 (děi): obligation must (HSK 4) · Potential complements: V得/不C (HSK 4) · Degree & State Complements: 不得了、坏了、得+phrase (HSK 5) · Potential Complements: V+得/不得 (HSK 5).
不 (bù)
Between the verb and a complement, says it is not possible to do it.
Structure: Verb + 不 + complement
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 这个菜太辣了，我吃不下。 | Zhè gè cài tài là le, wǒ chī bú xià. | This dish is too spicy, I cannot eat it. |
| 山太高了，我爬不上去。 | Shān tài gāo le, wǒ pá bù shàng qù. | The mountain is too high, I cannot climb up. |
| 门打不开，是不是坏了？ | Mén dǎ bù kāi, shì bú shì huài le? | The door will not open, is it broken? |
Not: 我没看得见。 Potential forms use 不, not 没: 我看不见.
In the official HSK 3.0 grammar outline: level 1, adverbs (否定副词); level 3, set phrases (四字格).
不 is also explained in: Negation with 不 and 没 (HSK 1) · Potential complements: V得/不C (HSK 4).
Compared side by side: 听不懂 vs 没听懂.
What you need first
Every topic in GraphChinese names its own prerequisites, and these are the grammar points this one is built on. If a sentence here will not parse, one of them is why.
The same pattern at other levels
- Potential complements — HSK 4
- Potential Complements — HSK 5
Questions about Potential Complements
What does 可能补语 (Potential Complements) mean in Chinese?
A potential complement puts 得 or 不 between a verb and its complement to say whether the result is possible, as in 看得懂 (can understand by reading) and 看不懂 (cannot). It reuses the result complements you already know. It is an HSK 3 grammar point.
How do you use 可能补语 (Potential Complements) in a sentence?
这个字太小了，我看不清楚。 — Zhè ge zì tài xiǎo le, wǒ kàn bu qīngchu. — This character is too small, I can't see it clearly. 看 + 不 + 清楚 (negative potential complement) — unable to achieve the result of seeing clearly.
What do you need to know before 可能补语 (Potential Complements)?
Result Complements (HSK 3), Result Complements (HSK 2), Structural Particle 得 (HSK 2). This pattern is built out of them, so a sentence here that will not parse usually means one of them has not landed yet.
How do I ask a question with a potential complement?
Use 吗, or the A-not-A form. 你听得懂吗？ and 你听得懂听不懂？ both mean "can you understand?"
What is the difference between 听不懂 and 没听懂?
听不懂 says you are unable to understand, because of your level or the conditions. 没听懂 says you did not understand this time. 他说得太快，我听不懂 explains why.
Potential Complements is one topic of 829. GraphChinese teaches them in prerequisite order, so this pattern reaches you on the day everything it rests on is proven. The whole course, HSK 0 through HSK 6, is $49 once for lifetime access.
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