Resultative Complements — V + 完/好/到/见/懂
Master the most productive resultative complements: 完 (finish), 好 (successfully/properly), 到 (reach/manage to), 见 (perceive), 懂 (understand). Form sentences like 写完作业, 找到钥匙, 听懂老师说的话.
A lesson of Mandarin B1 — Intermediate, in Complex Complements, about 10 minutes.
By the end of this lesson, you will use the five most productive resultative complements fluently, form negative sentences, and understand how complements fuse with verbs to create new meanings.
What Is a Resultative Complement?
A resultative complement (结果补语 jiéguǒ bǔyǔ) is a morpheme that attaches directly to a verb to indicate the outcome of the action. It's one of Mandarin's most productive structures — once you learn the core complements, you can combine them with dozens of verbs.
The complement is fused so tightly with the verb that together they form almost a single word: 写完 (xiě wán — finish writing), 听懂 (tīng dǒng — understand by listening), 找到 (zhǎo dào — manage to find).
The Five Core Resultative Complements
完 (wán) — Completion / Used up
| Verb + 完 | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 写完 | xiě wán | finish writing |
| 吃完 | chī wán | finish eating |
| 用完 | yòng wán | use up completely |
| 看完 | kàn wán | finish reading/watching |
Examples:
- 我写完作业了。(Wǒ xiě wán zuòyè le.) — I finished the homework.
- 她已经吃完饭了。(Tā yǐjīng chī wán fàn le.) — She's already finished eating.
好 (hǎo) — Successfully / Properly / Ready
| Verb + 好 | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 做好 | zuò hǎo | do well / finish doing |
| 准备好 | zhǔnbèi hǎo | be ready / prepared |
| 收拾好 | shōushi hǎo | tidy up properly |
| 修好 | xiū hǎo | repair successfully |
Examples:
- 你准备好了吗？(Nǐ zhǔnbèi hǎo le ma?) — Are you ready?
- 爸爸把自行车修好了。(Bàba bǎ zìxíngchē xiū hǎo le.) — Dad fixed the bicycle.
到 (dào) — Reach / Manage to / Achieve
到 implies successfully reaching a goal or finding something.