我做到了
wǒ zuò dào le
The English phrase 'I did it' is translated into Chinese as 我做到了 (wǒ zuò dào le).
我做到了 is used to express that you have successfully achieved a goal or completed a difficult task.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 我 (I), 做 (to do), 到 (a complement indicating success/attainment) and 了 (a particle indicating a completed action or change of state).
Which one should you use?
While 我做到了 emphasizes the successful achievement of a goal, 我做了 simply means the action of doing something was performed, without necessarily implying success or completion of a difficult task.
How do you pronounce it?
wǒ zuò dào le
Did you know?
- In many Chinese social contexts, announcing 我做到了 can be seen as slightly boastful. To remain humble, one might instead say 总算完成了 (zǒng suàn wán chéng le), which translates to 'I finally managed to complete it'.
- The character 到 (dào) is also the word for 'to arrive'. When you say 我做到了, you are metaphorically saying that your action has 'arrived' at its intended target or destination.
- If you were to say 我做到了 while pointing at a physical object you just finished building, it would sound slightly odd. A native speaker would more likely say 我做好了 (wǒ zuò hǎo le), using the 'good/ready' character instead of the 'reach' character.
Examples in context
- 我做到了！I did it.This sentence is useful for expressing the achievement of a goal using 我做到了.Tatoeba #8709238 by crescat, translation #2549832 by CK
- 我完成演讲了 (Wǒ wánchéng yǎnjiǎngle)I finished the presentation
- 你看，我做到了！Nǐ kàn, wǒ zuò dào le!Look, I did it!
Example conversation
After a long training session, Xiaowen successfully finishes her first marathon.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen我做到了！Wǒ zuò dào le!I did it!
- 俊杰 Junjie太棒了，晓雯！Tài bàng le, Xiǎowén!That's amazing, Xiaowen!
- 晓雯 Xiaowen真的很不容易。Zhēn de bù róngyì.It really wasn't easy.
- 俊杰 Junjie你非常努力。Nǐ fēicháng nǔlì.You worked very hard.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
