How to Say “Finish Doing” with 完 (wán)
To say you finished an action, attach 完 (“complete”) right onto the verb: 吃完 (eat up), 看完 (finish reading/watching), 做完 (finish doing). With an object, 完 hugs the verb and 了 goes at the end — 我看完这本书了. Negate with 没 (没看完, “didn’t finish”).
Why this trips learners up
On its own 完 (wán) means “to finish, to complete,” but its real workhorse job is as a result complement — you tack it onto a verb to say the action was carried through to completion. The shape is Subject + Verb + 完: 吃完 (“eat up / finish eating”), 看完 (“finish reading / watching”), 做完 (“finish doing”), 卖完 (“sold out”). Very often a 了 follows to mark it as done: 我说完了 (“I’m finished talking”), 卖完了 (“sold out”).
When there’s an object, word order matters: 完 hugs the verb, the object comes next, and 了 closes the sentence — Subject + Verb + 完 + Object + 了: 我看完这本书了 (“I finished reading this book”), 老板开完会了 (“the boss finished the meeting”). The 完 can never drift past the object.
To say you didn’t finish, negate with 没 — and the 了 disappears: 我没看完 (“I didn’t finish [it]”), 我还没写完报告 (“I haven’t finished the report yet”). As with all completion, an unfinished action takes 没, never 不.
One more layer: slip 得 or 不 between the verb and 完 and you get the potential forms — 吃得完 (“can finish eating”), 吃不完 (“can’t finish, too much”). That’s the same machinery as 看得懂 / 看不懂. So 完 lives a double life: 看完了 reports that it got finished; 看得完 / 看不完 asks whether finishing is even possible.
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 yǐjīng 已经 Adverb zuò 做 Verb wán 完 Complement le 了 Function word
I’ve already finished (做完了, no object).
nǐ 你 Subject yòng 用 Verb wán 完 Complement le 了 Function word ma 吗 Question
Are you finished using it? (用完了吗).
wǒ 我 Subject kàn 看 Verb wán 完 Complement zhè bù diànyǐng 这部电影 Object le 了 Function word
I finished watching this movie (V + 完 + object + 了).
wǒ 我 Subject hái 还 Adverb méi 没 Negation xiě 写 Verb wán 完 Complement bàogào 报告 Object
I haven’t finished writing the report yet (没写完 — 没 means no 了).
zhème duō cài 这么多菜 Object wǒmen 我们 Subject chī 吃 Verb bu 不 Negation wán 完 Complement
That’s so much food — we can’t finish it (吃不完, the potential negative).
zhèxiē zuòyè 这些作业 Object nǐ 你 Subject jīntiān 今天 Time zuò 做 Verb de 得 Function word wán 完 Complement ma 吗 Question
Can you finish this homework today? (做得完吗 — the potential positive).
bù hǎoyìsi 不好意思 Adverb jīntiān de miànbāo 今天的面包 Subject mài 卖 Verb wán 完 Complement le 了 Function word
Sorry, today’s bread is sold out (卖完了).
děng 等 Verb wǒ 我 Subject kàn 看 Verb wán 完 Complement zhè yí yè 这一页 Object wǒmen 我们 Subject jiù 就 Adverb chūfā 出发 Verb
Once I finish this page, we’ll set off (看完 inside a 等…就… clause, not yet done — no 了).
Common mistakes
Why it happens: 完 is a complement, not a standalone verb — keep the action verb. “I finished the movie” is 我看完了电影 (literally “watched-finished”), not 我完了电影. English lets you drop the verb (“finished the movie”); Chinese spells it out.
Why it happens: 完 hugs the verb, before the object; 了 goes at the very end: 我看完这本书了, not 我看这本书完了. The completion 完 can’t sit after the object.
Why it happens: “Didn’t finish” takes 没, never 不 — and the 了 drops: 我没看完, not 我没看完了 (and not 我不看完). An incomplete action is 没 + Verb + 完, with no 了.
Compare & contrast
| V完(了) — finished it (a result) | V得完 / V不完 — can / can’t finish (potential) | The difference |
|---|---|---|
| 我吃完了wǒ chī wán le | 我吃不完wǒ chī bu wán | 我吃完了 = “I finished eating” (it happened). 我吃不完 = “I can’t finish it” (too much — about possibility). Same 完, different question. |
| 作业做完了zuòyè zuò wán le | 作业做得完吗zuòyè zuò de wán ma | 作业做完了 = “the homework is done.” 作业做得完吗？= “can the homework be finished (in time)?” — the potential form asks whether it’s achievable. |
Try it yourself
Say “I finished reading this book.” — 完 right after the verb, 了 at the end.
Related patterns
Quick reference card
How to Say “Finish Doing” with 完 (wán) grammar.merrymandarin.com A pocket summary — print it and keep it by your desk.