Resultative compounds

Level 2Sounds Like git3 gwo2 bou2 jyu5

In Cantonese, action verbs usually describe only the attempt or process, not the outcome. To show that an action successfully produced a result, attach a resultative complement directly after the verb to form a Verb-Result compound (V+R), like 睇 (look) → 睇到 (see).

How It Works

1. Effort vs. Outcome
Action verbs in Cantonese focus on the effort or action process itself. To state the achieved outcome, pair the verb with a resultative complement:

  • 睇 (tai2 - to look) → 睇到 (tai2 dou2 - to see / locate with eyes)
  • 搵 (wan2 - to search) → 搵到 (wan2 dou2 - to find)
  • 打 (daa2 - to hit) → 打爛 (daa2 laan6 - to break)

2. Inseparable Structure & Aspect Markers
The V+R compound functions as a tightly bound unit. Aspect markers attach after the complete compound:

  • Correct: 睇完咗 (tai2 jyun4 zo2 - finished reading)
  • Incorrect: *睇咗完

Objects follow the complete compound block: [Subject] + [V+R] + [Aspect] + [Object].

3. Negating Resultative Compounds
To state that an outcome was not achieved in the past, place 冇 (mou5) before the V+R compound (e.g., 我冇睇完 ngo5 mou5 tai2 jyun4 - I didn't finish reading). Placing 唔 (m4) inside the compound converts it into a potential complement (睇唔完 tai2 m4 jyun4 - cannot finish reading).

4. Perception in Cantonese
Where Mandarin often uses 見 (jiàn) for perception, Cantonese very often uses 到 (dou2) to express successful perception or physical attainment (e.g., 睇到 tai2 dou2, 搵到 wan2 dou2).

Examples (5)

  1. 我打爛咗個碗。

    I broke the bowl.

    Word by Word: I hit-broken [perfective] [classifier] bowl.

    打 (hit) and 爛 (broken) form the compound 打爛 ('break by hitting'). The perfective marker 咗 attaches after the compound.

  2. 佢已經睇完呢本書啦。

    S/he has already finished reading this book.

    Word by Word: S/he already look-finished this [classifier] book [particle].

    睇 (read/look) combines with 完 (finish) to express the completed result of reading.

  3. 我琴晚講錯咗你個名，真係對唔住。

    I mispronounced your name last night, I'm really sorry.

    Word by Word: I last night speak-wrong [perfective] your [classifier] name, really sorry.

    講 (speak) + 錯 (wrong) forms 'to say incorrectly' or 'mispronounce'.

  4. 我喺街市搵到你想買嘅水果。

    I found the fruit you wanted to buy at the market.

    Word by Word: I at market search-attained you want buy [possessive] fruit.

    搵 (search) + 到 (attain) indicates successfully finding what was searched for.

  5. 佢哋冇洗乾淨啲碗碟。

    They didn't wash the dishes clean.

    Word by Word: They did-not wash-clean [plural classifier] dishes.

    To negate an unachieved past outcome, 冇 (mou5) goes before the compound 洗乾淨.

Common Mistakes

  • Inserting aspect markers between the verb and the resultative complement.

    我打咗爛個碗。
    我打爛咗個碗。

    Verb-result compounds form an inseparable block. Aspect markers like 咗 (zo2) must follow the entire V+R structure.

  • Using 唔 (m4) to negate a result that did not happen in the past.

    Different Meaning我唔睇完呢本書。
    我冇睇完呢本書。

    我唔睇完呢本書 is a good sentence, but it means ‘I will not finish this book’, a refusal or plan. To say the result was not reached in the past, use 冇 (mou5): 我冇睇完呢本書. (‘Cannot finish’ is 睇唔完.)

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Resultative compoundsLevel 2

Learn This First

To understand resultative compounds, you need to be comfortable with basic Cantonese word order and how verbs can be modified by following elements. Since many results are expressed using words that function like adjectives (stative verbs) in Cantonese, understanding how those work is also key.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

And 1 more in the full list.