Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar

indicating the result or conclusion of an action with resultative verbs

32.1

Here are example sentences with resultative verbs.

Q: 你听到了那个声音吗？ A: 没听到。

你聽到了那個聲音嗎？ 沒聽到。

Nǐ tīngdào le nàge shēngyīn ma? Méi tīngdào.

Did you hear that sound? I didn’t hear it.

Q: 你吃饱了吗？ A: 吃饱了。

你吃飽了嗎？ 吃飽了。

Nǐ chībǎo le ma? Chībǎo le.

Did you eat until full? (Are you full?) I ate until full. (I’m full.)

我把我自己的名字写错了。

我把我自己的名字寫錯了。

Wǒ bǎ wǒ zìjǐ de míngzi xiěcuò le.

I wrote my own name wrong.

Directional suffixes may also indicate the result of movement.

我们走进来了。

我們走進來了。

Wǒmen zǒujìnlái le.

We walked in.

猫跳上沙发去了。

貓跳上沙發去了。

Māo tiàoshàng shāfā qù le.

The cat jumped onto the sofa.

C19, 48.8

32.1.3 Using the verb suffix 了 le with resultative verbs to indicate completion

The verb suffix 了 le occurs at the end of resultative verbs, after the resultative suffix, to indicate

that the action is complete or the desired result has been attained.

我做完了功课。

我做完了功課。

Wǒ zuòwán le gōngkè.

I finished my homework.

我吃饱了。

我吃飽了。

Wǒ chībǎo le.

I am full. (I’ve eaten until full.)

了 le never occurs between the action verb and the resultative ending.

Say this Not this

你找到了你的皮包吗？ *你找了到你的皮包吗？

你找到了你的皮包嗎？ 你找了到你的皮包嗎？

Nǐ zhǎodào le nǐ de píbāo ma? Nǐ zhǎo le dào nǐ de píbāo ma?

Have you found your wallet?

C13.1, 18.4, 37.1