elementaryA2 · TOCFL a2complementgrammar
下
Pattern
Verb + 得下 / 不下
Key words
Core idea
得下 and 不下 show whether something can fit, contain, hold, or accommodate something else.
The pattern is:
verb + 得下 / 不下When to use it
Use this complement with actions involving space or capacity: sit, put, live, fit, write down, or remember.
Usage boundary
The meaning is not just “down.” It is the result that something can be taken in or held within a limit.
Examples
这辆车坐得下五个人。
Zhè liàng chē zuò de xià wǔ ge rén.
This car can seat five people.
这个包放不下电脑。
Zhè ge bāo fàng bù xià diànnǎo.
This bag cannot fit a computer.
房间里住得下三个人。
Fángjiān lǐ zhù de xià sān ge rén.
The room can fit three people.
Common mistakes
Avoid
这个包不放下电脑。
Use
这个包放不下电脑。
For the negative potential form, 不 goes between the verb and 下.