想得到

xiǎngdédào

verb #18,971

Meanings

1 to be able to imagine
2 to expect
3 conceivable

Characters

to think; to imagine

potential complement marker (able to)

to reach; to arrive at

Examples

HSK 2

你想得到他会这样做吗？

Nǐ xiǎngdédào tā huì zhèyàng zuò ma?

Could you have imagined he would do this?

HSK 6

谁都想不到会发生这种事。

Shéi dōu xiǎngbudào huì fāshēng zhèzhǒng shì.

Nobody could have expected this to happen.

Tips

grammar

想得到 uses the potential complement structure (V + 得 + result). Its negative form is 想不到 (cannot imagine/expect). This pattern is very productive: 看得到/看不到, 听得到/听不到, etc.

Stroke Order

想 xiǎng

得 de

到 dào