GCSE Chinese (Mandarin) · Verbs and time

Complements after the verb

What comes after a verb to finish its meaning: the direction (回来, 进去, 上来), and at Higher the result (看见, 听懂) and whether you can (看不见, 听不懂).

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Complements after the verb, explained point by point

Everything the GCSE specification expects you to be able to do, and how to actually do it - the same lesson a signed-in student studies from.

  1. Show direction with 来lái and 去qù after a verb

    来lái after a verb means towards the speaker and 去qù means away: 回huí来lái (come back), 回huí去qù (go back). At home on the phone, you ask 你nǐ什么shénme时候shíhou回huí来lái？; to a friend who is leaving, 你nǐ什么shénme时候shíhou回huí去qù？

  2. Pair 上shàng, 下xià, 进jìn, 出chū and 回huí with 来lái and 去qù

    Five movement verbs pair with 来lái and 去qù: 上shàng来lái (come up), 下xià去qù (go down), 进jìn去qù (go in), 出chū来lái (come out), 回huí来lái (come back). 请qǐng进jìn来lái！ (Come in!) 我们wǒmen出chū去qù吧ba。 (Let's go out.)

  3. Use a direction with 了le, and with a place

    With 了le, a direction says where someone has gone: 他tā回huí来lái了le。 (He's back.) 她tā出chū去qù了le。 (She's gone out.) A place goes before 来lái or 去qù: 他tā回huí家jiā去qù了le。 老师lǎoshī进jìn教室jiàoshì来lái了le。

  4. Add a result after the verbHigher only

    A second word after a verb can say what the action achieved: 看kàn见jiàn (look and see), 听tīng懂dǒng (listen and understand), 找zhǎo到dào (look for and find), 学xué会huì (learn and be able to). 看kàn is looking; 看kàn见jiàn is seeing.

  5. Use 到dào and 好hǎo to show an action got where it was goingHigher only

    到dào means reached or managed: 我wǒ买mǎi到dào票piào了le。 (I managed to get tickets.) 我wǒ找zhǎo到dào我wǒ的de手机shǒujī了le。 好hǎo means done properly and ready: 晚饭wǎnfàn做zuò好hǎo了le。 (Dinner's ready.) 我wǒ做zuò好hǎo作业zuòyè了le。 (My homework's done.)

  6. Make a result negative with 没méiHigher only

    A result that didn't happen takes 没méi: 我wǒ没méi看kàn见jiàn他tā。 (I didn't see him.) 我wǒ还hái没méi做zuò好hǎo。 (I haven't finished yet.) It is never 不bù here.

  7. Say can or can't with 得de or 不bù in the middleHigher only

    Put 得de between the verb and its result for can, and 不bù for can't: 看kàn得de见jiàn (can see), 看kàn不bù见jiàn (can't see), 听tīng得de懂dǒng (can understand), 听tīng不bù懂dǒng (can't understand). 老师lǎoshī说shuō得de太tài快kuài，我wǒ听tīng不bù懂dǒng。 Ask with 吗ma: 你nǐ听tīng得de懂dǒng吗ma？

  8. Choose between 不bù能néng and the can't formHigher only

    The 不bù form says the result can't be reached: 太tài远yuǎn了le，我wǒ看kàn不bù见jiàn。 不bù能néng usually means not allowed, or not possible for some other reason: 这儿zhèr不bù能néng吃chī东西dōngxi。 Three worth knowing: 找zhǎo不bù到dào (can't find), 买mǎi不bù到dào (can't get hold of), 看kàn不bù懂dǒng (can't make sense of something you read).

Complements after the verb key terms

The words the specification and the mark schemes use, each defined the way an examiner wants it.

Complement
A word after a verb that finishes its meaning, such as the 来lái in 回huí来lái or the 去qù in 进jìn去qù.
Direction complement
来lái or 去qù after a verb, showing movement towards or away from the speaker: 进jìn来lái, 出chū去qù.
回huí来lái
Come back, towards where the speaker is: 他tā回huí来lái了le.
出chū去qù
Go out, away from where the speaker is: 我们wǒmen出chū去qù吧ba.
Result complementHigher only
A word after a verb saying what the action achieved: 看kàn见jiàn, 听tīng懂dǒng, 找zhǎo到dào.
好hǎo after a verbHigher only
Done properly, and ready: 做zuò好hǎo, 准备zhǔnbèi好hǎo.
到dàoHigher only
After a verb: reached or managed: 找zhǎo到dào, 买mǎi到dào.
Can and can't formHigher only
得de or 不bù between a verb and its result: 听tīng得de懂dǒng, 听tīng不bù懂dǒng.

Common mistakes in Complements after the verb

The slips that cost marks year after year, and what to do instead.

  • Mixing up 来lái and 去qù, as in asking a friend at your home 你nǐ什么shénme时候shíhou回huí去qù？ when you mean come back here.

    来lái is towards you and 去qù away from you. Back to where you are is 回huí来lái.

  • Putting the place after 来lái or 去qù, as in 他tā回huí来lái家jiā.

    The place goes before 来lái or 去qù, 他tā回huí家jiā来lái了le, or leave the direction out: 他tā回huí家jiā了le.

  • Using 不bù with a result, as in 我wǒ不bù看kàn见jiàn他tā.Higher only

    For didn't, use 没méi: 我wǒ没méi看kàn见jiàn他tā. For can't, use the 不bù form: 我wǒ看kàn不bù见jiàn他tā.

  • Putting the object between the verb and its result, as in 我wǒ做zuò作业zuòyè好hǎo了le.Higher only

    The result sticks to the verb, and the object follows both: 我wǒ做zuò好hǎo作业zuòyè了le.

  • Saying 我wǒ不bù能néng听tīng懂dǒng for I can't understand.Higher only

    Use the can't form, with 不bù between the verb and its result: 我wǒ听tīng不bù懂dǒng.

Practice

Try a Complements after the verb question

A GCSE-style original question from this topic. Have a go before you open the working - deciding on an answer first is what makes the working stick.

Read: 小明Xiǎomíng：你什么时候回英国去？ 大卫Dàwèi：我下个月回去，明年再回中国来。 Where are they talking?

  1. In Britain
  2. On a plane
  3. In China
  4. It doesn't say
Show the answer and the working

Answer: In China

回英国去 is go back to Britain, away from here, and 回中国来 is come back to China, here. So they are in China.

  1. 回英国去: Britain is away from here.
  2. 回中国来: China is here.
  3. So they are in China.

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