Introduction
To say how well someone does something, Chinese does not put an adverb in front of the verb. It hangs the comment on the back with 得 (de): 他跑得很快。(Tā pǎo de hěn kuài.) — He runs fast. Everything about the quality of the action lives after 得.
Overview
Structure: Verb + 得 (de) + [Adj. phrase]
| Pattern | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| V + 得 + 很 + Adj | 他跑得很快。(Tā pǎo de hěn kuài.) | He runs fast. |
| V + 得 + 不 + Adj | 他跑得不快。(Tā pǎo de bú kuài.) | He doesn't run fast. |
| V + O + V + 得 … | 他说中文说得很好。(Tā shuō Zhōngwén shuō de hěn hǎo.) | He speaks Chinese well. |
| O + V + 得 … | 中文他说得很好。(Zhōngwén tā shuō de hěn hǎo.) | His Chinese is good. |
| V + 得 + 怎么样？ | 他跑得怎么样？(Tā pǎo de zěnmeyàng?) | How well does he run? |
With an object, the verb has to appear twice:
- ✓ 他说中文说得很好。(Tā shuō Zhōngwén shuō de hěn hǎo.)
- ❌ 他说中文得很好。(Tā shuō Zhōngwén de hěn hǎo.) — 得 cannot reach past the object.
- The alternative is to move the object to the front: 他中文说得很好。(Tā Zhōngwén shuō de hěn hǎo.) Both are correct and both are common.
- The negative 不 (bù) goes after 得, with the adjective: 他跑得不快。(Tā pǎo de bú kuài.) ❌ 他不跑得快。(Tā bù pǎo de kuài.)
Examples
他跑得很快。
Tā pǎo de hěn kuài.
He runs fast.
你说得太快了，我听不懂。
Nǐ shuō de tài kuài le, wǒ tīng bu dǒng.
You're speaking too fast, I can't follow.
他说中文说得很好。
Tā shuō Zhōngwén shuō de hěn hǎo.
He speaks Chinese very well.
我昨天睡得不好。
Wǒ zuótiān shuì de bù hǎo.
I didn't sleep well last night.
你写得怎么样？
Nǐ xiě de zěnmeyàng?
How's your writing coming along?
她唱得比我好多了。
Tā chàng de bǐ wǒ hǎo duō le.
She sings a lot better than I do.
Usage Notes
- 得 (de) here is neutral tone — pǎo de kuài. It is a different character from the 的 (de) that modifies nouns and the 地 (de) that marks adverbs, but all three are read the same.
- Just as in a plain adjective sentence, 很 (hěn) props the adjective up: 他跑得很快 (tā pǎo de hěn kuài). Dropping it — 他跑得快 (tā pǎo de kuài) — turns it into a comparison.
- The degree complement describes how an action is habitually or generally done. For one particular occasion, add a time: 他今天跑得很快。(Tā jīntiān pǎo de hěn kuài.)
- Ask about it with 怎么样 (zěnmeyàng) after 得: 他跑得怎么样？(Tā pǎo de zěnmeyàng?)
- A comparison slots in after 得 too: 她唱得比我好。(Tā chàng de bǐ wǒ hǎo.)