把 + Object + Verb Complement
Reach for 把 when you want to say what HAPPENS to an object — not just that an action occurred, but that the object ended up changed, moved, finished, or otherwise dealt with. '把 [OBJECT] [VERB] [COMPLEMENT]' = 'do something to [OBJECT] such that [COMPLEMENT].' The complement (起来, 到, 完, 好, 进去) tells you the result. Essential at HSK 3-4 for any sentence about handling, moving, storing, or transforming things.
Structure
[SUBJECT] 把 [OBJECT] [VERB] [COMPLEMENT]
bǎ [OBJECT] [VERB] [COMPLEMENT]
How to Think About It
The 把 is a flag, not a verb. It tells the listener 'this thing is about to get acted on — pay attention to what HAPPENS to it.' Without 把, '我存电' just says 'I store electricity' — neutral. With 把: '我把多余的电存起来,' the listener feels the deliberate disposal of a specific object. That's why the verb almost always needs a complement (起来 / 到 / 完 / 好) — a bare verb doesn't show disposal, and the sentence sounds incomplete.
Examples
把多余的电存起来。
Bǎ duōyú de diàn cún qǐlái.
Store the excess electricity.
请把门关上。
Qǐng bǎ mén guān shàng.
Please close the door.
他把作业写完了。
Tā bǎ zuòyè xiě wán le.
He finished writing the homework.
Common Mistake
Learners use 把 with a bare verb and no complement: '我把作业写.' Chinese listeners expect a result — what happened to the homework? 完 ('finished'), 好 ('done well'), or 完成 ('completed'). Without it, the sentence dangles.
我把作业写。
我把作业写完了。
Don't Confuse With
Subject + Verb + Object (default)
Default order ('我喝水') doesn't focus on disposal. Use 把 when the listener needs to know what RESULT befell the object, not just that an action happened.
被 + Agent + Verb
被 is the passive voice ('杯子被打碎了' = 'the cup was broken'). 把 is the active disposal ('他把杯子打碎了' = 'he broke the cup'). Same event, different subject focus.
把 with no result complement
Stative or non-disposal verbs ('喜欢,' '知道,' '是') don't take 把. You can't say '把他喜欢' — there's no disposal to flag.
Practice
请 ___ 门关上。
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把
他把作业写 ___ 了。
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完
Arrange: 把 / 喝 / 完 / 水 / 了 / 我
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我把水喝完了。
Please put the book on the table.
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请把书放在桌子上。
Describe an action you completed on an object using 把 + V + complement.
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我把房间打扫干净了。
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 1 Fluentide episode:
Related Grammar Patterns
Acquire by listening
Hear 把 + Object + Verb Complement in real Chinese, not in a textbook.
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