Able / unable to (manage) — V 得/不了

Structure Verb + 得了 / 不了 (ability or possibility)

V + 不了 (… bùliǎo) and V + 得了 (… deliǎo) say whether you CAN or can’t manage/finish something, by ability or circumstances: 这么多菜，我一个人吃不了 = "I can’t finish this much food on my own"; 今天去不了 = "I can’t make it today". Here 了 reads liǎo (not le): the verb "to finish/be able". A very common potential complement.

Examples

这zhè么me多duō菜cài，我wǒ一yī个ge人rén吃chī不bù了liǎo。
I can’t finish this much food on my own.
下xià这zhè么me大dà雨yǔ，今jīn天tiān去qù不bù了liǎo了le。
With this much rain, I can’t make it today after all.
别bié担dān心xīn，这zhè点diǎn小xiǎo事shì忘wàng不bù了liǎo。
Don’t worry, I won’t forget such a small thing.

Levels are indicative: they follow the standard Chinese Grammar Wiki (AllSet Learning) progression, not an official HSK 3.0 mapping. We never assign levels by eye.

This point and the other 370, with audio on every example, inside Wanyu.