Verb + 完
Stick 完 after a verb to say the action got all the way to its end — 吃完 (finish eating), 看完 (finish watching), 写完 (finish writing). It's the most common resultative complement in beginner Chinese, and it specifically marks that everything that needed to happen has happened. Often paired with 了 right after for a completed-and-done feel: 吃完了, 看完了.
Structure
[SUBJECT] [VERB] 完 ([OBJECT]) ([了])
[VERB] wán
How to Think About It
完 is the period at the end of the verb. The verb says what you did; 完 confirms there's nothing left of it. That's why it pairs naturally with consumable or finite objects (a meal, a book, a movie) — things that can be exhausted. With verbs that don't logically reach completion (爱, 想), 完 doesn't work. To turn it negative, you say 没 + verb + 完 ('didn't finish'), and to ask about potential completion you use the potential form 吃得完 / 吃不完 ('able to finish' / 'unable to finish').
Examples
我吃完饭了。
Wǒ chī wán fàn le.
I finished eating.
这本书我还没看完。
Zhè běn shū wǒ hái méi kàn wán.
I haven't finished reading this book yet.
作业写完了吗？
Zuòyè xiě wán le ma?
Have you finished your homework?
Common Mistake
Learners stick 不 in front of the verb to negate ('I'm not finished'). For 完, the negation is 没 + verb + 完 — the action just hasn't reached its endpoint yet.
我不吃完。
我没吃完。
Don't Confuse With
Verb + 好
好 marks an action done satisfactorily or properly (做好 = done well/ready). 完 marks an action done in full. 'Properly done' vs 'all done.'
Verb + 了
了 alone marks completion of an event but doesn't say the action reached its full extent. 完 specifically says 'nothing left.' 我吃了 = 'I ate'; 我吃完了 = 'I finished it all.'
Verb + 到
到 marks reaching a specific point or target (看到 = catch sight of). 完 marks running out of the action's content. Different kinds of endpoints.
Practice
Fill in the blank: 电影看___了，我们回家吧。
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完
Fill in the blank: 这么多菜，我吃不___。 (can't finish)
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完
Arrange: 完 / 还 / 我 / 没 / 写 / 作业
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我还没写完作业。
Translate to Chinese: He finished drinking the coffee and left.
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他喝完咖啡就走了。
Write a sentence with Verb + 完 about something you finished today.
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我今天看完了一本中文书。
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 5 Fluentide episodes:
他跑完了。
吃完饭小明看书。
如果买一块很大的肉，一次吃不完。