把 with a Bare Verb plus 了 in Chinese
把……动词了
In an appropriate discourse context, a 把 sentence may end with a semantically sufficient verb plus 了, especially when the action disposes of a known object decisively. This compact form is restricted: the object must be identifiable and the verb must yield a clear affected result, rather than merely naming an unbounded activity.
Published July 23, 2026
Reviewed July 23, 2026
01 / PATTERN
See the Structure
MODEL
Subject + 把 + Definite Object + Verb + 了
Read the structure
In an appropriate discourse context, a 把 sentence may end with a semantically sufficient verb plus 了, especially when the action disposes of a known object decisively. This compact form is restricted: the object must be identifiable and the verb must yield a clear affected result, rather than merely naming an unbounded activity. Keep the model Subject + 把 + Definite Object + Verb + 了 visible while you compare each sentence.
你怎么把这件事忘了？
How could you forget this matter?
Choose the right context
Report forgetting a known matter: 你怎么把这件事忘了？ State that parties completed a decisive act: 双方把合同签了。 Confirm disposal of a known item: 我已经把旧电脑卖了。
双方终于把合同签了。
The two sides finally signed the contract.
Respect the boundary
Do not use an indefinite object that the listener cannot identify. Do not use a bare activity verb that leaves the object's disposition unclear. Do not put 了 between 把 and its object or before the disposal verb.
我昨天把了那台旧电脑卖。
(I yesterday BA-LE that old computer sell.)
Repair the pattern
了 is inserted before the known object: 把 must directly introduce its object. 了 follows the completed disposal predicate 卖, not 把. The disposal predicate is left completely unbounded: The isolated 把 sentence needs a bounded disposal predicate; 看完了 states the completed effect on the book.
我昨天把那台旧电脑卖了。
Use the repaired structure without changing the intended meaning.
02 / MAP
Read the Sentence
Read from left to right and notice the job performed by each part. The labels describe this example; they are not a rule that every Chinese sentence must copy.
你怎么把这件事忘了？
How could you forget this matter?
你
Subject
This part occupies the Subject position in the model pattern.
怎么
把
This part occupies the 把 position in the model pattern.
把
Definite Object
This part occupies the Definite Object position in the model pattern.
这
Verb
This part occupies the Verb position in the model pattern.
件
了
This part occupies the 了 position in the model pattern.
事
Subject
This part occupies the Subject position in the model pattern.
忘了
把
This part occupies the 把 position in the model pattern.
03 / EXAMPLES
Examples You Can Reuse
Keep the structure stable while changing the people, objects, times, or conditions. Pinyin is shown as reading support; use the Chinese sentence and translation to confirm the grammar relationship.
你怎么把这件事忘了？
How could you forget this matter?
双方终于把合同签了。
The two sides finally signed the contract.
我昨天把那台旧电脑卖了。
I sold that old computer yesterday.
04 / LIMITS
When to Use It — and When Not To
Use it when
- Report forgetting a known matter: 你怎么把这件事忘了？
- State that parties completed a decisive act: 双方把合同签了。
- Confirm disposal of a known item: 我已经把旧电脑卖了。
Do not use it when
- Do not use an indefinite object that the listener cannot identify.
- Do not use a bare activity verb that leaves the object's disposition unclear.
- Do not put 了 between 把 and its object or before the disposal verb.
05 / REPAIR
Compare Right and Wrong
Compare the smallest meaningful change. Each explanation identifies a placement, scope, form, or clause relationship instead of treating the whole sentence as one undifferentiated mistake.
我昨天把了那台旧电脑卖。
我昨天把那台旧电脑卖了。
了 is inserted before the known object
把 must directly introduce its object. 了 follows the completed disposal predicate 卖, not 把.
我把这本书看。
我把这本书看完了。
The disposal predicate is left completely unbounded
The isolated 把 sentence needs a bounded disposal predicate; 看完了 states the completed effect on the book.
我昨天把了那台旧电脑卖。
把 must directly introduce its object. 了 follows the completed disposal predicate 卖, not 把.
我把这本书看。
The isolated 把 sentence needs a bounded disposal predicate; 看完了 states the completed effect on the book.
06 / PRACTICE
Practice the Grammar Point
Complete three short tasks in order: judge the pattern, repair a common error, and build the sentence. Feedback is fixed and reviewed, so these activities do not use a checker allowance.
1. Judge the sentence
2. Choose the correction
3. Build the sentence
Build a complete sentence with 把……动词了.
07 / APPLY
Apply It in Your Sentence
Write one original sentence with 把……动词了. Your draft moves to the checker through this browser session, selects this grammar point as the first review focus, and waits for you to submit.
08 / QUESTIONS
把 with a Bare Verb plus 了 Questions
Can a 把 sentence really end with V了?
Yes, when discourse and verb meaning make the disposal complete and clear. It is not a license for every bare verb.
Why is 看了 often insufficient after 把?
看 merely names an activity. A result such as 完 usually clarifies what happened to the foregrounded object.
09 / SOURCES
Sources and Review Notes
These references support different parts of the lesson. GF0025-2021 supports level placement only; professional grammar works support the explanation, limits, examples, and cross-checks. Their inclusion does not imply endorsement.
Chinese Proficiency Grading Standards for International Chinese Language Education (GF0025-2021)
Ministry of Education and State Language Commission · Ministry of Education of the PRC · 2021
Locator: Appendix A, Level 5 grammar inventory, item 五39(3) (A.5.5.1), PDF page 228: 主语＋把＋宾语＋动词＋了
Supports placement in HSK 5; it does not independently establish the usage explanation.
Official sourceModern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical Guide, 3rd ed.
Ross, Ma, Chen, He and Yeh · Routledge · 2024
Locator: Chapter 20, sections 20.1 and 20.3, 把 predicates and aspect; Google Books preview pages PT204-PT209
Explains that 把 predicates must characterize disposal of a definite object and discusses when aspect-marked or result-bearing verbs satisfy that requirement.
Official source10 / CONTINUE
Continue with a Connected Rule
Compare
把字句中的状语Adverbials Inside a 把 Sentence
Compare this lesson with placing time, manner, or negation around a 把 predicate; both belong to special predicate requirements inside 把 sentences, but they organize a different sentence role or discourse job.
Compare
把……一……把 plus 一 and a Brief Action
Compare this lesson with 把……一…… presenting one bounded disposal action; both belong to special predicate requirements inside 把 sentences, but they organize a different sentence role or discourse job.
Compare
把……动词＋宾语2把 Disposal with a Second Object
Compare this lesson with a 把 predicate retaining a second object; both belong to special predicate requirements inside 把 sentences, but they organize a different sentence role or discourse job.
Continue learning
把The 把 (bǎ) Sentence
Continue with the reviewed follow-up lesson to apply this pattern inside a broader, explicitly connected grammar construction.
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