a bit confused with result complements and potential complements

Question

This question is almost a FAQ in this forum, but I still don't get it 100%...

What I'm having trouble understanding is when to use the result complement structure if I can just use the potential complements structure and make it more clear...? I do understand the usage of the result complement structure with adjectives, but when it comes to the "using one syllable verbs" it all gets very blury.

For example, if I say

• 我听得懂 - it means that I can understand what I hear (in a positive way)

and if I say

• 我听懂 - does it mean the same thing, but more objectively (without the speaker "opinion" if he understood good or bad)?

I don't know if it's the structures names that are confusing me (because in my head the structure with 得/不 makes it more clear about the result of the action while the other let more room for the potential thing) or if it's just something difficult to grasp since english is not my first language, or maybe there isn't a clear difference and the meaning can overlap but anyways!! if someone could help me!!

Thanks in advance!!

Answer 1

A: 你懂得他所說的嗎? = Are you able to comprehend what he is talking about?

B: 我听得懂 - I can comprehend what I've heard.

When placed after a verb, "得" means "可以/能夠(can; able to).

• 她去得, 为什么我去不得? = 她能去, 为什么我不能? - She can/may go, so why can't I?

• 拿得起放得下 = 可以拿起就(應該)能夠放下 - able to pick it up, should/ought to be able to put (it) down.

"听懂" is a verb consisting of two actions - "hear and understand". While, in English, we can say "I hear and understand (what he was talking about)", in Chinese, we need to add a word after the verb to indicate the state/completion of the action(s). The typical form is "S + V + 了 (see 了1) - 我听懂了(他所說的). Without "了", the sentence is ungrammatical.

Answer 2

To my understanding, what bothers you is the english word used to classify the forms in the linked forum.

The better interpretation of 我听得懂 here is an affirmative action, not positive. My informal annotation is that 得 means saying yes to 懂. Both 我听得懂 and 我听懂 do not contain any emotion or opinion of 我 when applying 听.

In 'Using One-Syllable Verbs' it says there are not many of variants so I suggest you just remember them by 'what they are' rather than 'why they are'. But I agree that 我听懂 is more clear and concise, since 我听得懂 appears more in spoken Mandarin.

Answer 3

Don't say: 我听懂。

Say:

我听懂了。 I understand.

哎，这回我听懂了。

or

我听得懂。 I understand/ am able to understand.

你说慢了，我听得懂。你说快了，我就听不懂了。

Answer 4

我看得见 = I can see it

我看见了 = I saw it

These are not equivalent sentences in English. They do not mean the same thing. You would not confuse the situations when you would use one or the other. In one case, you're talking about an ability you have, a type of thing you're able to accomplish. The other you're talking about an actual concrete instance where you actually did the thing. Not hypothetically or in theory or whatever.

I suspect the only reason this is confusing is because 听懂 and 听得懂 do not translate very directly into English, and the practical situations where you might "can understand" or "did understand" overlap. Try comparing resultative and potential complements side by side first for other verbs. When you have the basic idea firmly embedded in your mind, the difference in meaning for this case should be clear too.

吃完了 => could be used to say you finished a meal, or in a larger sentence that once you finish your meal, you'll do some other activity

吃得完 => maybe the meal is big, and your friend is unsure if you can finish it, but you assure them that you can indeed finish it