看得见 (kàn dé jiàn) — can see, be able to see; be visible, noticeable

Definition

看得见 is the potential complement form of 看见 ('to see'): 看 + 得 (potential marker) + 见 (result complement). It means 'can see' or 'be visible'. The negative form is 看不见. This pattern (verb + 得 + complement) is used to express ability or possibility in resultative compounds. For advanced learners: you can apply it to other verb-result pairs, e.g. 听得见 (can hear), 买得起 (can afford).

r.v.

can seebe able to seebe visiblenoticeable

Examples

看得见。
Yuǎn chù de shān dōu kàn dé jiàn.
The mountains in the distance are all visible.
看得见？
Wǒ xiě de xiǎo zì nǐ kàn dé jiàn ma?
Can you see the small characters I wrote?
，看得见。
Tiān liàng yǐhòu, xīngxing jiù bù kàn dé jiàn le.
After dawn, the stars are no longer visible.

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