Trying something with V V 看

Repeat a verb before the try marker to suggest trying an action and seeing the result.

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beginnerA1 · TOCFL a1complementsentence pattern

V V 看

Pattern

Verb + verb + 看

看

kàn

A repeated verb plus 看 suggests trying an action to see what happens. It is practical, casual, and often used in suggestions.

The repeated verb makes the action feel light or tentative. 看 adds the “try and see” flavor.

This pattern overlaps with other softened action patterns, but 看 specifically points to trying something out and checking the result.

你问问看。

Nǐ wèn wen kàn.

Try asking.

我们找找看。

Wǒmen zhǎo zhao kàn.

Let’s try looking for it.

你写写看这个字。

Nǐ xiě xie kàn zhè ge zì.

Try writing this character.

Avoid

你问看问。

Use

你问问看。

看 comes after the repeated verb in this try-it-out pattern.