看得清楚 · 看不清楚
can / can’t manage to (get the result)
Structure
动词 + 得／不 + 结果／趋向
What it means
Putting 得 (can) or 不 (can’t) between a verb and its result says whether you are able to get that result.
How it is built
Verb + 得／不 + result: 听懂 → 听得懂 (can understand) / 听不懂 (can’t understand); 看清楚 → 看得清楚 / 看不清楚. Ask with 吗: 今天写得完吗？ (can you get it done today?)
When to use it
Use it when ability or conditions decide the outcome: too fast, too far, too much. The middle 得 or 不 is said lightly: tīng bu dǒng. Common ones: 睡不着 (zháo, can’t get to sleep), 找不到, 买不到. Results: h2-13, h3-7.
Watch out
Don’t build it with 能 and the plain result: ✗ 我不能听懂。 ✓ 我听不懂。 ✗ 我不能看清楚。 ✓ 我看不清楚。
Examples
大夫说得太快，我听不清楚。
The doctor talks too fast; I can’t catch what he says.
这么多作业，今天写得完吗？
All this homework: can you get it done today?
晚上喝了咖啡，我睡不着。
I had coffee in the evening, and now I can’t get to sleep.
Learn this in HSK 3 · Lesson 8: 发烧了 (Fever)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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