“Can / Can’t” In Chinese: 看得懂 vs 看不懂

What 看得懂 / 看不懂 Actually Means

看得懂 kàn de dǒng = “(I) can understand it by looking (at it).”

看不懂 kàn bù dǒng = “(I) can’t understand it by looking (at it).”

The Pattern You Need: Verb + 得 / 不 + Result

This is the core “can/can’t (achieve a result)” structure:

看懂 vs 看得懂 vs 看不懂 vs 沒看懂

These look similar, but they live in different “time zones” (ability vs completed result).

Examples that make the difference obvious:

Example (ZH): 這篇新聞我看得懂。

Example (Pinyin): Zhè piān xīnwén wǒ kàn de dǒng.

Example (EN): I can understand this news article.

Example (ZH): 剛剛那句我沒看懂。

Example (Pinyin): Gānggāng nà jù wǒ méi kàn dǒng.

Example (EN): I didn’t understand that sentence just now.

Visual Mini-Cards: High-Use “Can/Can’t” Phrases

Useful Phrases You’ll Actually Say

Each one is a ready-to-steal sentence. Keep the pattern; swap the verb/result as needed.

• 你看得懂嗎？ nǐ kàn de dǒng ma — Can you understand it (by reading)?
  Example (ZH): 這段說明你看得懂嗎？
  Example (Pinyin): Zhè duàn shuōmíng nǐ kàn de dǒng ma?
  Example (EN): Can you understand this section of instructions?
• 我看不懂這個意思。 wǒ kàn bù dǒng zhège yìsi — I can’t understand what this means.
  Example (ZH): 這句話太繞了，我看不懂這個意思。
  Example (Pinyin): Zhè jù huà tài rào le, wǒ kàn bù dǒng zhège yìsi.
  Example (EN): This sentence is too twisty; I can’t understand the meaning.
• 你可以說慢一點嗎？我聽不懂。 nǐ kěyǐ shuō màn yīdiǎn ma? wǒ tīng bù dǒng — Can you speak slower? I can’t understand.
  Example (ZH): 你可以說慢一點嗎？我聽不懂。
  Example (Pinyin): Nǐ kěyǐ shuō màn yīdiǎn ma? Wǒ tīng bù dǒng.
  Example (EN): Can you speak slower? I can’t understand.
• 我大概聽得懂。 wǒ dàgài tīng de dǒng — I can mostly understand (by listening).
  Example (ZH): 口音有點重，但我大概聽得懂。
  Example (Pinyin): Kǒuyīn yǒudiǎn zhòng, dàn wǒ dàgài tīng de dǒng.
  Example (EN): The accent is a bit strong, but I can mostly understand.
• 這個字我念得出來。 zhège zì wǒ niàn de chūlái — I can pronounce this character.
  Example (ZH): 給我一秒，這個字我念得出來。
  Example (Pinyin): Gěi wǒ yī miǎo, zhège zì wǒ niàn de chūlái.
  Example (EN): Give me a second—I can pronounce this character.
• 這個字我念不出來。 zhège zì wǒ niàn bù chūlái — I can’t pronounce this character.
  Example (ZH): 這個字太難了，我念不出來。
  Example (Pinyin): Zhège zì tài nán le, wǒ niàn bù chūlái.
  Example (EN): This character is too hard; I can’t pronounce it.
• 這題我做得完。 zhè tí wǒ zuò de wán — I can finish this problem/task.
  Example (ZH): 時間夠的話，這題我做得完。
  Example (Pinyin): Shíjiān gòu de huà, zhè tí wǒ zuò de wán.
  Example (EN): If there’s enough time, I can finish this task.
• 今天我做不完。 jīntiān wǒ zuò bù wán — I can’t finish today.
  Example (ZH): 太多了，今天我做不完。
  Example (Pinyin): Tài duō le, jīntiān wǒ zuò bù wán.
  Example (EN): It’s too much; I can’t finish today.
• 這裡我聽得清楚。 zhèlǐ wǒ tīng de qīngchǔ — I can hear clearly here.
  Example (ZH): 換到前面一點，這裡我聽得清楚。
  Example (Pinyin): Huàn dào qiánmiàn yīdiǎn, zhèlǐ wǒ tīng de qīngchǔ.
  Example (EN): Move a bit closer to the front; I can hear clearly here.
• 太吵了，我聽不清楚。 tài chǎo le, wǒ tīng bù qīngchǔ — It’s too noisy; I can’t hear clearly.
  Example (ZH): 太吵了，我聽不清楚你在說什麼。
  Example (Pinyin): Tài chǎo le, wǒ tīng bù qīngchǔ nǐ zài shuō shénme.
  Example (EN): It’s too noisy; I can’t hear what you’re saying clearly.
• 我看得到那個招牌。 wǒ kàn de dào nàge zhāopái — I can see that sign.
  Example (ZH): 在路口停一下，我看得到那個招牌。
  Example (Pinyin): Zài lùkǒu tíng yīxià, wǒ kàn de dào nàge zhāopái.
  Example (EN): Stop at the intersection; I can see that sign.
• 我看不到。 wǒ kàn bù dào — I can’t see it / can’t find it visually.
  Example (ZH): 你傳的連結我看不到。
  Example (Pinyin): Nǐ chuán de liànjiē wǒ kàn bù dào.
  Example (EN): I can’t see the link you sent.

When To Use 會 / 能 Instead

Use 會 huì for learned skills, and 能 néng for general ability/conditions. Use potential complements when you care about achieving a result (懂 / 到 / 完 / 見 / 出來…).

Practice: Quick Drills

Fill in the blank with the best choice: 得 or 不. Read the sentence out loud (yes, actually out loud).

1. 字太小了，我看___見。
   kàn ___ jiàn — can/can’t see
2. 你說慢一點，我就聽___懂。
   tīng ___ dǒng — can/can’t understand
3. 這個名字我念___出來。
   niàn ___ chūlái — can/can’t pronounce
4. 今天工作太多，我做___完。
   zuò ___ wán — can/can’t finish
5. 這個 app 我下載___到。
   xiàzǎi ___ dào — can/can’t download/get
6. 太暗了，我看___懂說明書。
   kàn ___ dǒng — can/can’t understand (by reading)
7. 你寫得很清楚，我看___懂。
   kàn ___ dǒng — can/can’t understand
8. 這道菜太辣，我吃___了。
   chī ___ liǎo — can/can’t handle (spice)

Common Mistakes And Fast Fixes

• Mistake: 我不能懂 wǒ bùnéng dǒng
  Fix: 我聽不懂 wǒ tīng bù dǒng / 我看不懂 wǒ kàn bù dǒng
• Mistake: 我不看懂 wǒ bù kàn dǒng (sounds off for “can’t understand”)
  Fix: 我看不懂 wǒ kàn bù dǒng (ability/result not achievable)
• Mistake: Confusing 看不懂 (can’t) with 沒看懂 (didn’t)
  Fix: Use 看不懂 for general “it’s too hard,” and 沒看懂 for “I tried just now, but didn’t get it.”
• Mistake: Forgetting what “result” you want
  Fix: Pick a result word: 懂 dǒng (understand), 見 jiàn (see), 到 dào (reach/get), 完 wán (finish), 出來 chūlái (come out/pronounce)

Quick Reference Cheat Sheet

Final Yak Box: The One Sentence To Remember

Next time something feels hard, don’t panic-say “can’t.” Pick your verb, pick your result, and let 得 / 不 do the heavy lifting: 看得懂、聽得懂、做得完… or the honest version: 看不懂。