Level 5 · Advanced
Can't afford it, can't stand it: 不起 / 不了
Verb + 不起 / 不了（liǎo）
Some potential complements are so common they've become words of their own. V不起 means "can't afford (to)": 买不起 "can't afford to buy", 吃不起 "can't afford to eat (there)". V不了 (liǎo!) means "physically can't manage": 受不了 "can't stand it", 吃不了 "can't finish (the food)".
Add the time-critical pair 来得及/来不及 ("there's still time / too late") and you have the survival kit. One booby trap: 看不起 doesn't mean "can't see" — it means "to look down on." "Can't see" is 看不见.
Examples
这个包太贵了，我买不起。
這個包太貴了，我買不起。
zhè ge bāo tài guì le wǒ mǎi bù qǐ
This bag is too expensive — I can't afford it.
快点，我们要来不及了！
快點，我們要來不及了！
kuài diǎn wǒ men yào lái bu jí le
Hurry up — we're going to be late!
这么吵，我真的受不了了。
這麼吵，我真的受不了了。
zhè me chǎo wǒ zhēn de shòu bù liǎo le
This noise — I really can't take it anymore.
菜太多了，我们吃不了。
菜太多了，我們吃不了。
cài tài duō le wǒ men chī bù liǎo
There's too much food — we can't finish it.
Common mistakes
✗ 太远了，我看不起。
✓ 太远了，我看不见。
看不起 means "to look down on someone." For "can't see," use 看不见.
Related grammar points
Practice this pattern in graded stories like Can't Take It Anymore (Part 1), The Late Train to the Sea (Part 2), The Picnic That Almost Wasn't (Part 1) inside the Literate Chinese app.
