How to use 结果补语
Subject + Verb + Result Complement + (了) + (Object)
A result complement states what an action brings about. It follows the action verb directly and may describe completion, success, an error, or a changed condition. This distinction matters because doing an action does not necessarily imply achieving its intended outcome. Select the complement that expresses the actual result, rather than adding a general intensifier.
了 frequently follows the combined verb and result when a completed event is asserted. To deny that the result was achieved in a particular situation, 没 is commonly used before the compound. Potential complements instead concern whether the result can be achieved. 把 sentences also often use result complements because they explain what happens to the affected object.
Examples with pinyin and English
你吃好了吗？
Are you done eating?
对不起，我记错了时间。
Sorry, I misremembered the time.
你来晚了，我们已经关门了。
You came too late. We're already closed.
他玩坏了哥哥的玩具。
He broke his older brother's toy.
What to remember
- Place the result directly after the action verb.
- 没 commonly denies an achieved result.
- Ability to achieve a result uses a potential pattern.
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Source and editorial notes
Explanation rewritten for Laowai. Examples are adapted from the Laowai English grammar curriculum, with editorial corrections where needed. The original curriculum credits AllSet Learning’s Chinese Grammar Wiki as used with permission. Read the retained source credits.
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