Result Complements with 著 (--tio̍h)

01

English Hides This

English marks the same difference with separate verbs — look and see, listen and hear, catch as opposed to chase — so learners often forget the complement and end up saying they looked at something without ever seeing it.

• 你敢有赴著火車？

  lí kám ū hù --tio̍h hué-tshialí kám ū hù --tio̍h hóe-chhiali2 kam2 u7 hu3 --tioh8 hue2-tshia1

  Did you catch the train?

02

Making It Negative

The negative goes in front of the verb, with 無 (bôbôbo5): looked but did not see. Note carefully that this negates the RESULT, not the attempt.

• 我無看著。

  guá bô khuànn --tio̍hgóa bô khoàⁿ --tio̍hgua2 bo5 khuann3 --tioh8

  I didn't see it.

This next sentence puts both halves side by side, and is worth learning whole — the same frame negated and then affirmed.

• 𪜶無看著，毋過有聽著。

  in bô khuànn --tio̍h m̄-koh ū thiann --tio̍hin bô khoàⁿ --tio̍h m̄-koh ū thiaⁿ --tio̍hin1 bo5 khuann3 --tioh8 m7-koh4 u7 thiann1 --tioh8

  They didn't see it, but they did hear it.

Because the complement is about achieving something, it combines naturally with stretches of time in which the result never came about.

• 我九年無看著你矣！

  guá káu nî bô khuànn --tio̍h lí --ahgóa káu nî bô khoàⁿ --tio̍h lí --ahgua2 kau2 ni5 bo5 khuann3 --tioh8 li2 --ah4

  I haven't seen you in nine years!

03

Together With 有

著 (--tio̍h--tio̍h--tioh8) combines readily with the affirming 有 (ūūu7) in front of the verb, giving the frame 有 (ūūu7) + VERB + 著 (--tio̍h--tio̍h--tioh8) — did manage to. That is the form most of the course's examples take.

• 恁逐家有看著無？

  lín ta̍k-ke ū khuànn --tio̍h --bôlín ta̍k-ke ū khoàⁿ --tio̍h --bôlin2 tak8-ke1 u7 khuann3 --tioh8 --bo5

  Did you all see it?

04

Toneless

著 (--tio̍h--tio̍h--tioh8) is toneless here, written --tio̍h. A full-toned 著 (tio̍htio̍htioh8) is a different word meaning right, correct.