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看得懂 / 看不懂

HSK 3
  • Complements

Structure (结构 jiégòu)

Verb得懂 / Verb不懂

Meaning (意思 yìsi)

Used to express the ability to understand (or not understand) the content of something through reading or viewing.

Explanation (解释 jiěshì)

This is a potential complement structure used to express whether something can be understood. 懂 (dǒng) means 'to understand'.

  • Verb + 得懂: able to understand through that action (e.g., read and understand, listen and understand).
  • Verb + 不懂: unable to understand.

This structure is very common, not only with 看 (to look, to read) but also with 听 (to listen). For example, 听得懂 (can understand by listening) and 听不懂 (cannot understand by listening).

Examples (例句 lìjù)(5)

  1. 这本书你看得懂吗？
    繁: 這本書你看得懂嗎？Zhè běn shū nǐ kàn de dǒng ma?

    Do you understand this book when you read it?

  2. 老师说得太快，我听不懂。
    繁: 老師說得太快，我聽不懂。Lǎoshī shuō de tài kuài, wǒ tīng bu dǒng.

    The teacher speaks too fast; I can't understand.

  3. 这个汉字我看得懂。
    繁: 這個漢字我看得懂。Zhège hànzì wǒ kàn de dǒng.

    I can understand this Chinese character.

  4. 没有字幕，我看不懂电影。
    繁: 沒有字幕，我看不懂電影。Méiyǒu zìmù, wǒ kàn bu dǒng diànyǐng.

    Without subtitles, I can't understand the movie.

  5. 他写的信我看得懂。
    繁: 他寫的信我看得懂。Tā xiě de xìn wǒ kàn de dǒng.

    I can understand the letter he wrote.

Common mistakes

  • Wrong:我不会看懂这本书。
    Correct:我看不懂这本书。

    The structure `V + 不 + complement` already encompasses the meaning of 'cannot' and does not require an additional modal adverb such as `不会` or `不能`.

  • Wrong:我看这本书不懂。
    Correct:这本书我看不懂。

    The verb and potential complement (`看不懂`) form an inseparable unit. The object must be placed at the beginning or end of the sentence.

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