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.
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Targeted drill
Practice this exact pattern before moving on.
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