Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar

The potential form of resultative verbs

18.6

18.6 The potential form of resultative verbs

The potential form of resultative verbs indicates that the subject is able to, or unable to, reach

the desired result or conclusion. The potential is created by adding the potential infixes 得 de

or 不 bu between the action verb head and the resultative suffix, as follows.

Affirmative potential form

action verb + 得 de + resultative suffix

do the action and be able to reach the conclusion or result

找得到 zhǎodedào ‘able to find’

做得完 zuòdewán ‘able to finish doing’

看得懂 kàndedǒng ‘read and be able to understand’

Negative potential form

action verb + 不 bu + resultative suffix

do the action but be unable to reach the conclusion or result

找不到 zhǎobudào ‘unable to find’

做不完 zuòbuwán ‘unable to finish doing’

看不懂 kànbudǒng ‘read but be unable to understand’

Aside from the potential infixes 得 de and 不 bu, nothing occurs between the action verb head

and the resultative suffix.

Here are sentences with resultative verbs in the affirmative and negative potential form. Notice

that the aspectual suffixes 了 le and 过/過 guo never occur when the potential form of a resul-

tative verb is used.

你听得见他说的话吗？

你聽得見他說的話嗎？

Nǐ tīngdejian tā shuō de huà ma?

Can you hear what he is saying?

我想到了一个你想不到的办法。

我想到了一個你想不到的辦法。

Wǒ xiǎngdàole yí gè nǐ xiǎngbúdào de bànfa.

I thought of a method that you could not possibly imagine.

我的报告今天写不完。

我的報告今天寫不完。

Wǒ de bàogào jīntiān xiěbuwán.

I can’t finish my paper today.

这个工作三天做不好。

這個工作三天做不好。

Zhèige gōngzuò sān tiān zuòbuhǎo.

I cannot finish this job (and do a good job on it) within three days.

C32.2

18.6.1 Asking and answering yes–no questions in the potential form

To ask a yes–no question with 吗/嗎 ma involving a resultative verb in potential form, simply

follow the statement with 吗/嗎 ma:

你听得懂中国话吗？

你聽得懂中國話嗎？

Nǐ tīngdedǒng Zhōngguóhuà ma?

Can you understand Chinese?