了 Before or After the Complement?
When a complement follows the verb, the safe default is V + complement + 了, and it works for every complement type (吃完了, 卖光了, 站起来了). The exception: with direction complements only (起来/过来/下去…), written Chinese may slip 了 inside, between verb and complement (站了起来, 跑了过来), though speech keeps it outside. Result complements (完/好/到/光) and potential complements (听得懂) are frozen: 了 never splits them.
Why this trips learners up
You know 了 marks completion right after the verb. But what happens when a complement already sits after the verb, like 完 in 吃完 (“finish eating”) or 起来 in 站起来 (“stand up”)? Does 了 go before the complement or after it? The safe answer, the one that always works, is after: V + complement + 了. 吃完了, 买到了, 卖光了, 站起来了, 跑过来了. This is the normal spoken form for every kind of complement, so when in doubt, put 了 at the end of the verb-complement unit.
There is one place 了 can move inside, between the verb and the complement: V + 了 + complement, but only with direction complements (起来, 过来, 下去, 上来, 过去…), and mostly in written Chinese. 他慢慢地站了起来 (“he slowly stood up”), 一个陌生人向我走了过来 (“a stranger walked over”), 他吃了起来 (“he started eating”). In speech you'd still say 站起来了, 走过来了; the inside 了 reads as bookish. With an object in a 把 sentence it wedges in the same way: 我把行李搬了上来, 我把桃子摘了下来.
Now the hard limit. Result complements (完, 好, 到, 光, 懂, 见…) are welded to the verb, so 了 can never split them: 做了完 is wrong, it has to be 做完了; 卖了光 is wrong, it's 卖光了. The verb and its result complement act as a single word, and 了 goes after the whole thing. The same is true of potential complements (得/不 forms like 听得懂, 拿不动): they're frozen too, so 听了得懂 is impossible. For a potential complement, 了 can only appear at the very end as a change of state: 听得懂了 means “now I can understand.”
So the whole system comes down to complement type, not tense. Ask what kind of complement you have. A result or potential complement is a frozen unit: 了 goes after the whole verb-complement, never inside (做完了, 听得懂了). A direction complement is looser: the everyday form still puts 了 after the complement (站起来了), but writing may slide it inside (站了起来). Get the type right and the placement follows.
The structure
Colour key
Each colour marks one grammatical role — and the same colour means the same role on every page in the Lab.
Examples in context
Real-world sentences, easiest first. Toggle pinyin or the translation, tap any word to see its role, or play the audio.
Tap a word to see its grammatical role.
wǒ 我 Subject xiě 写 Verb wán 完 Complement le 了 Pattern bàogào 报告 Object
I finished writing the report (result complement 完 + 了, the default).
wǒ 我 Subject zhōngyú 终于 Adverb mǎi 买 Verb dào 到 Complement le 了 Pattern nà zhāng piào 那张票 Object
I finally got that ticket (result complement 到 + 了).
dàngāo 蛋糕 Subject bèi 被 Function word chī 吃 Verb guāng 光 Complement le 了 Pattern
The cake's been eaten up (result complement 光 + 了, in a 被 passive).
tīng dào zhège xiāoxi 听到这个消息 Time tā ，他 Subject gāoxìng de 高兴得 Adverb tiào 跳 Verb qǐlái 起来 Complement le 了 Pattern
Hearing the news, he jumped up for joy (direction complement 起来 + 了, the spoken default).
tā 他 Subject mànmàn de 慢慢地 Adverb zhàn 站 Verb le 了 Pattern qǐlái 起来 Complement
He slowly stood up (direction complement, written 了 inside: 站了起来).
yí gè 一个 Measure word mòshēngrén 陌生人 Subject xiàng wǒ 向我 Other zǒu 走 Verb le 了 Pattern guòlái 过来 Complement
A stranger walked over to me (direction complement 过来, written 了 inside).
wǒ 我 Subject bǎ 把 Function word xíngli 行李 Object bān 搬 Verb le 了 Pattern shànglái 上来 Complement
I brought the luggage up (把 + object + direction complement, written 了 inside: 搬了上来).
wǒ 我 Subject zuò 做 Verb wán 完 Complement le 了 Pattern zuòyè 作业 Object jiù ，就 Adverb tǎng 躺 Verb le 了 Pattern xiàqù 下去 Complement
I finished the homework and lay down (both rules: 做完了 with 了 outside, 躺了下去 with 了 inside).
Common mistakes
Why it happens: A result complement is welded to the verb, so 了 can't sit inside it. 我做了完作业 is wrong; it has to be 我做完了作业, with 了 after the whole 做完 unit. Verb + result complement behaves like one word, and 了 goes after it, never in the middle.
Why it happens: 跳了起来 isn't wrong, but it's a written form; in speech the natural order is 跳起来了, with 了 after the complement. For direction complements, put 了 inside (站了起来) only in writing; when you're talking, keep it after the complement.
Why it happens: A potential complement (得/不 forms like 听得懂) is frozen, so 了 can never go inside it: 听了得懂 is impossible. The only place 了 can appear is at the very end, as a change of state: 听得懂了 means “now I can understand.” Don't try to split a 得/不 complement with 了.
Compare & contrast
| Result complement (完/好/到/光…): 了 ONLY after the complement | Direction complement (起来/过来/下去…): after it (speech) or inside it (writing) | The difference |
|---|---|---|
| 吃完了chī wán le = “finished eating” (result complement 完; 吃了完 ✗) | 站起来了 / 站了起来zhàn qǐlái le / zhàn le qǐlái = “stood up” (direction complement 起来; inside 了 is the written form) | 吃完了 = “finished eating,” with 了 after the result complement 完. You can't say 吃了完. 站起来了 and 站了起来 both mean “stood up,” a direction complement where the inside 了 (站了起来) is the written variant. Result complement: one order only. Direction complement: two, one of them bookish. |
| 卖光了mài guāng le = “sold out” (result complement 光; only this order) | 跑过来了 / 跑了过来pǎo guòlái le / pǎo le guòlái = “ran over” (direction complement 过来; both orders work) | 卖光了 = “sold out,” 了 after the result complement 光, and that's the only order. 跑过来了 and 跑了过来 both mean “ran over,” a direction complement that allows the inside 了 in writing. The frozen result complement fixes 了 outside; the looser direction complement lets it flex. |
Try it yourself
Say “I finished washing the dishes,” using the result complement 完. Put 了 after the complement.
Related patterns
Quick reference card
了 Before or After the Complement? grammar.merrymandarin.com A pocket summary — print it and keep it by your desk.