Verb-Quantity Complements (数量补语)
数量补语
Say HOW MANY TIMES an action happened using V + number + 次
A 数量补语 ("quantity complement") tells you HOW MANY TIMES an action was performed. It attaches AFTER the verb, never before. At HSK 1 the standard 动量词 is 次 (cì — "time / occurrence").
Word order is fixed: V → 了/过 → number → 次 → (object). 我看了三次电影 (I saw movies three times). Do NOT put the count before the verb.
Lesson Targets
Podcast
Podcast: Verb-Quantity Complements (数量补语) (数量补语)
Listen to Jason & Amy explain the 数量补语 pattern
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Understanding 数量补语
English happily puts frequency adverbs almost anywhere: "I saw the movie three times" or "Three times I saw the movie." Chinese is strict — the count comes AFTER the verb. 我看了三次 — literally "I saw three times." This little tail is called a 数量补语 (verb-quantity complement), and the most common counter at HSK 1 is 次 ("time / occurrence"). Combine it with 了 for "did N times" or 过 for "have done N times in life," and you have a clean way to talk about repeated experiences: trips, attempts, lessons, visits.
Key Points
- Pattern: V + (了/过) + Number + 次.
- 次 is THE measure word for "times an action occurred."
- With 了: 看了三次 — performed three times (specific past).
- With 过: 去过两次 — have gone two times (life experience).
- If there is an OBJECT, two slots are possible: V + 数量补语 + Object (我看了三次电影), or V + Object + V + 数量补语 (in spoken Chinese this becomes 我看电影看了三次, but stick to the simpler form first).
- Negate with 没: 我没去过日本一次 → 我没去过日本 (counting "zero times" is implicit).
- A single-occurrence emphasis uses 一次: 我去过一次北京.
- Other HSK-1-adjacent verb-measure words exist (遍 = "from start to finish"), but 次 covers all HSK 1 needs.
When Chinese speakers brag about food experiences, they tend to count out the visits: 我去过三次北京烤鸭店 (I've been to the Beijing duck restaurant three times). The 数量补语 pattern lets you participate in this very natural form of small talk.
Key Vocabulary
Example Sentences
我去过北京两次。
I've been to Beijing twice.
过 + 两次 — life experience with a count.
我看了三次电影。
I watched movies three times.
他每个星期来一次。
He comes once every week.
Frequency expression: every X, action + 一次.
我学过一次中文。
I studied Chinese once before.
请你再说一次。
Please say it one more time.
再 + V + 一次 — "do it one more time."
他打了三次电话。
He called three times.
我没去过那家饭馆，一次都没去过。
I've never been to that restaurant — not even once.
Emphatic zero-count.
老师讲了两次这个问题。
The teacher explained this question twice.
我一年回家一次。
I go home once a year.
Frequency: per year + once.
我们见过一次面。
We've met once before.
一次 slips INSIDE the separable verb 见面.
Common Mistakes
The count goes AFTER the verb, not before. 三次 sits at the end as a verb-quantity complement.
At HSK 1 the standard verb-measure word is 次. 遍 (full repetitions from start to finish) appears later in the syllabus.
了 + count + 次 sits next to the verb, BEFORE the object. Putting the count after the object is awkward at HSK 1.
Practice Exercises
Tips & Tricks
The count tail goes AFTER the verb. If you find yourself wanting to put it before, slow down — Chinese always lets the verb come first.
次 is your only verb-measure word at HSK 1. Don't worry about 遍, 趟, or 下 yet.
再 + V + 一次 = "do it one more time." Memorise this combo — it's pure gold in everyday conversation.
For separable verbs (见面, 看病, 上班), the count slips INSIDE: 见过一次面, 看过两次病.
Homework
Write six sentences using verb + 次 to count actions. Mix 了 (past completed counts) and 过 (life-experience counts). Include at least one frequency expression (per day / per week / per year + 一次) and one example with a separable verb.