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HSK 2.0 Level 5+ HSK 3.0 Level 5+ 7 min read

Advanced Potential Complements

Practice 做得到, 来不及, 受不了, and other potential-complement chunks.

Pattern

verb + 得/不 + result complement

Say whether a result is possible, not whether someone wants it.

这个目标很难，但我们做得到。

When to use Advanced Potential Complements

Potential complements use 得 or 不 between the verb and the result. They show whether a result can actually be reached under current conditions.

现在出发可能来不及了。

If we leave now, it may already be too late.

这种噪音我真的受不了。

I really cannot stand this kind of noise.

条件不够好，也要想办法做得到。

Even if conditions are not good enough, we need to find a way to make it achievable.

我听不懂他的方言。

I cannot understand his dialect by listening.

Common traps

  • Potential complements are about possibility or capacity, not future tense.
  • Do not split fixed expressions like 来不及 into literal pieces.
  • 得/不 goes between the verb and the result part.

Targeted drill

Practice this exact pattern before moving on.

这个目标很难，但我们 。

Missing grammar piece
Meanings
able to do; achievable