Result Complements: 错/懂/好/完/清楚
A result complement sits directly after the verb and tells you the outcome of the action.
Pattern: Verb + Result Complement (+ 了/Object)
- 我听懂了。= I understood (by listening). [懂 = successfully comprehended]
- 他写错了。= He wrote it wrong. [错 = incorrect outcome]
- 我们做好了。= We finished properly / got it ready. [好 = properly/completely done]
- 她吃完了饭。= She finished eating. [完 = simply finished, nothing left]
- 请说清楚。= Please speak clearly. [清楚 = clear outcome]
Each result pairs with certain verbs: 听/看 + 懂/错/清楚; 做/穿 + 好; 吃/写/看 + 完.
Negation — use 没(有), keep the result complement:
- 我没听懂。= I didn't understand. (NOT 我不听懂)
Common mistake: don't drop the result complement after 没有 — 没(有) negates the whole verb+result unit, not just the verb.
Worked examples
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | What it shows |
|---|---|---|---|
| 我听懂了老师的话。 | Wǒ tīng dǒng le lǎo shī de huà. | I understood what the teacher said. | Minimal frame: Verb (听) + Result (懂) + 了. |
| 他写错了这个字。 | Tā xiě cuò le zhè ge zì. | He wrote this character wrong. | Same pattern with a different result: 错 (incorrectly). |
| 我没听懂，你能说清楚一点吗？ | Wǒ méi tīng dǒng, nǐ néng shuō qīng chǔ yī diǎn ma? | I didn't understand — can you say it more clearly? | Negation keeps the result complement (没听懂, not 没听). New result 清楚 introduced too. |
| 你的问题我已经回答好了。 | Nǐ de wèn tí wǒ yǐ jīng huí dá hǎo le. | I've already answered your question properly. | Result 好 with a different verb (回答) — shows a task completed satisfactorily. |
What this opens up
These patterns list Result Complements among their own prerequisites, so they become readable once this one holds.
The same pattern at other levels
- Result Complements — HSK 3
- Resultative complements — HSK 4
Result 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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