Verb + 得了 / 不了 for “Can” and “Can’t Manage”
Add 得了 (de liǎo) or 不了 (bu liǎo) after a verb to say whether something can happen or can be finished.
Structure
verb + 得了 (can) / verb + 不了 (can’t)
Here 了 is read liǎo, not le. Verb + 不了 means circumstances make the action impossible (去不了 = can’t go), or the amount is too much to finish (吃不了). Verb + 得了 is the positive “can manage.”
明天我有事，去不了。
When to use Verb + 得了 / 不了 for “Can” and “Can’t Manage”
Put 得了 or 不了 right after the verb. The 了 here is pronounced liǎo and keeps its tone; 得 and 不 are light: 去得了 (qù de liǎo), 去不了 (qù bu liǎo). It has two main meanings. First, whether the action can happen at all: 明天我有事，去不了 (I can’t go). Second, whether a quantity can be finished: 菜太多了，我一个人吃不了. The negative 不了 is much more common than the positive; 得了 appears mostly in questions and reassurances.
菜太多了，我一个人吃不了。
There’s too much food; I can’t finish it by myself.
这么多作业，你今天做得了吗？
With so much homework, can you get it done today?
雨太大了，飞机起飞不了。
The rain is too heavy; the plane can’t take off.
这件事我一个人做不了，你帮帮我吧。
I can’t do this by myself; please help me.
Pièges courants
- Read 了 as liǎo here, not le: 去不了 is qù bu liǎo.
- Don’t use 不了 for rules: “You can’t park here” is 这儿不能停车, not 这儿停不了车 (unless there is simply no space).
- Put the object after the whole complement or before the verb: 去不了北京 or 北京去不了, not 去北京不了.
Exercice ciblé
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