得 for Degree and Manner in Chinese

In Brief

Put 得 (de) directly after a verb when you want to describe how an action is performed: 他说得很好 means “He speaks very well,” and 你跑得太慢了 means “You run too slowly.” If the verb has an object, do not put that object between the verb and 得; move it before the verb or repeat the verb: 他中文说得很好 or 他说中文说得很好.

Overview

The particle 得 lets you comment on an action. Instead of merely saying that someone runs, writes, sings, or sleeps, you can say whether they do it quickly, clearly, beautifully, or badly. This is commonly called a degree or manner complement: a complement is a word or phrase placed after another word to complete its meaning. In 跑得快, the complement 快 tells us what the running is like.

This pattern is introduced around A2 and is extremely common in conversation. English often uses an adverb without changing the basic order—“speak clearly,” “drive carefully”—but Chinese marks the link between the action and its description with 得. That makes Chinese word order more fixed: the verb and 得 normally stay next to each other.

At beginner level, remember one rule first: action + 得 + description. Once that feels natural, add questions, negative descriptions, and objects. More complex uses are separated in the advanced section below.

How It Works

The basic pattern

Subject + verb + 得 + description

Part	Function	Example
Subject	who performs the action	他 “he”
Verb + 得	introduces a description of the action	跑得 “run + 得”
Description	says how, how well, or to what degree	很快 “very fast”

Together: 他跑得很快。 “He runs very fast.”

In this construction, 得 is pronounced de with a neutral tone. It has no independent English translation. Its job is grammatical: it connects the action to the comment that follows.

The description after 得 may be short or expanded:

Structure	Example	Meaning
Verb + 得 + adjective	跑得快	run fast
Verb + 得 + degree word + adjective	说得很清楚	speak very clearly
Verb + 得 + 太 + adjective + 了	开得太快了	drive too fast
Verb + 得 + comparative phrase	他跑得比我快	he runs faster than I do
Verb + 得 + short phrase	累得不想动	so tired that one does not want to move

Words such as 很 “very,” 非常 “extremely,” 真 “really,” 太……了 “too/so…,” and 不太 “not very” can adjust the degree. As elsewhere in Chinese, 很 does not always carry strong emphasis. In 他说得很好, it can simply make 好 sound like a natural complete description, although context may also give it the full meaning “very.”

Making the description negative

Put 不 inside the complement, after 得:

Subject + verb + 得 + 不 + adjective

• 我睡得不好。 — I do not sleep well.
• 他说得不清楚。 — He does not speak clearly.
• 她走得不太快。 — She does not walk very fast.

This negates the quality or manner of the action. It usually assumes that the action happens, then comments on it negatively. By contrast, 他不说 means “He does not speak”: 不 negates the action itself.

Do not treat every sequence 得不 as this pattern. In more advanced grammar, combinations such as 看得懂 / 看不懂 express whether something can be understood. There 得 and 不 alternate inside a potential complement (a form saying whether a result is possible). That is a different construction from 说得不好.

Asking how an action is done

Use 怎么样 “how; what is it like” after 得:

Subject + verb + 得 + 怎么样？

• 她唱得怎么样？ — How does she sing? / What is her singing like?
• 你昨天睡得怎么样？ — How did you sleep yesterday?

For a specific quality, use an affirmative-negative question:

• 他说得清楚不清楚？ — Does he speak clearly or not?
• 你跑得快不快？ — Do you run fast?

A yes-no question with 吗 is also possible: 他中文说得好吗？ “Does he speak Chinese well?”

Where to put an object

An object is the person or thing affected by the action—for example, 中文 in “speak Chinese” or 汉字 in “write Chinese characters.” The key restriction is:

verb + object + 得 + description is normally not the standard pattern.

The verb should stand directly before 得. Chinese has three common ways to arrange an object.

1. Put the object before the verb as the topic

Subject + object + verb + 得 + description

• 他中文说得很好。 — He speaks Chinese very well.
• 她汉字写得很漂亮。 — She writes Chinese characters beautifully.

A topic is what the sentence is about. Here 中文 or 汉字 is introduced first, and the rest of the sentence comments on it. This is concise and very natural.

2. Say the verb-object phrase, then repeat the verb

Subject + verb + object + verb + 得 + description

• 他说中文说得很好。 — He speaks Chinese very well.
• 她写汉字写得很漂亮。 — She writes Chinese characters beautifully.

The first verb belongs to the verb-object phrase; the repeated verb provides the position for 得. This pattern is especially useful when you want to keep the ordinary verb-object phrase intact.

3. With many verb-object compounds, repeat the verb

Words such as 唱歌 “sing,” 跳舞 “dance,” and 睡觉 “sleep” behave like verb-object combinations. In careful full sentences, repeat the verb before 得:

• 她唱歌唱得很好。 — She sings very well.
• 他们跳舞跳得很漂亮。 — They dance beautifully.

When the activity is already obvious, speakers often omit the object and simply say 她唱得很好 or 他们跳得很好.

Time, place, and other information

Time usually appears before the verb phrase:

• 他昨天睡得很晚。 — He went to sleep late yesterday.
• 你今天来得很早。 — You came very early today.

Place and setting are also normally established before the verb plus complement: 他在会上说得很清楚 “He spoke very clearly at the meeting.” The unit verb + 得 + description should remain together.

Examples in Context

Chinese	Pinyin	English	Note
他说得很好。	Tā shuō de hěn hǎo.	He speaks very well.	Basic positive description
你跑得太慢了。	Nǐ pǎo de tài màn le.	You are running too slowly.	太……了 marks an excessive degree
他中文说得不好。	Tā Zhōngwén shuō de bù hǎo.	He does not speak Chinese well.	Object placed before the verb
她唱得怎么样？	Tā chàng de zěnmeyàng?	How does she sing?	Open question about performance
我昨晚睡得不太好。	Wǒ zuówǎn shuì de bú tài hǎo.	I did not sleep very well last night.	不太 softens the negative judgment
请说慢一点，你说得太快了。	Qǐng shuō màn yìdiǎn, nǐ shuō de tài kuài le.	Please speak a little more slowly; you are speaking too fast.	Natural request followed by an explanation
她汉字写得很漂亮。	Tā Hànzì xiě de hěn piàoliang.	She writes Chinese characters beautifully.	Topic-style object placement
弟弟吃饭吃得很快。	Dìdi chīfàn chī de hěn kuài.	My younger brother eats very quickly.	Verb repeated after a verb-object phrase
老师讲得很清楚。	Lǎoshī jiǎng de hěn qīngchu.	The teacher explains things very clearly.	The object is understood from context
你今天来得真早！	Nǐ jīntiān lái de zhēn zǎo!	You came really early today!	真 expresses the speaker’s reaction
他开车开得很小心。	Tā kāichē kāi de hěn xiǎoxīn.	He drives very carefully.	Repeated verb with 开车
这个孩子长得很高。	Zhège háizi zhǎng de hěn gāo.	This child has grown very tall.	Description of the resulting state
他说得清楚不清楚？	Tā shuō de qīngchu bù qīngchu?	Does he speak clearly?	Affirmative-negative question
现在她游得比以前快。	Xiànzài tā yóu de bǐ yǐqián kuài.	She swims faster now than before.	Comparison inside the complement
我累得不想做饭。	Wǒ lèi de bù xiǎng zuòfàn.	I am so tired that I do not want to cook.	Advanced: 得 introduces a consequence

Common Mistakes

Putting the object between the verb and 得

• Wrong: 他说中文得很好。
• Right: 他中文说得很好。 / 他说中文说得很好。
• Why: In this construction, 得 must follow the verb it describes directly. Move 中文 before the verb or repeat 说.

Putting the negative before the action

• Wrong for “He does not speak well”: 他不说得好。
• Right: 他说得不好。
• Why: 不说 negates speaking itself. To judge the manner negatively, put 不 in the description after 得.

Copying English adverb order

• Wrong: 他很好说。
• Right: 他说得很好。
• Why: English places “well” after or near “speak,” but Chinese needs verb + 得 + description here. 很好说 can be parsed differently and does not mean “speak very well.”

Confusing 的, 地, and 得

• Wrong: 她唱的很好。 (when the intended meaning is “She sings very well”)
• Right: 她唱得很好。
• Why: In standard writing, 的 normally links a description to a noun, 地 links an adverbial description before a verb, and 得 introduces a description after a verb. All three are often pronounced de, but their written functions differ.

Forgetting to repeat a verb-object verb

• Awkward in a full explicit sentence: 他吃饭得很快。
• Right: 他吃饭吃得很快。 / 他饭吃得很快。
• Why: 吃饭 contains a verb and an object. Repeat 吃 before 得, or place 饭 before the verb as a topic.

Using 很 as if it always meant strongly “very”

• Potentially misleading translation: 她唱得很好 = “She sings extremely well.”
• Better: 她唱得很好。 = “She sings well/very well,” depending on context.
• Why: 很 may carry real emphasis, but it also commonly creates a smooth, unmarked adjective phrase. Use 非常 or 特别 when you clearly mean “extremely” or “particularly.”

Usage Notes

得 complements and 地 phrases describe from different positions

Chinese can describe manner before or after a verb, but the focus is not always identical:

• 他慢慢地说。 — He speaks slowly. The manner is presented as part of how the action unfolds.
• 他说得很慢。 — He speaks very slowly. The sentence comments on or evaluates his speaking.

The 地 pattern is description + 地 + verb; the 得 pattern is verb + 得 + description. They can overlap in translation, but learners should not swap the particles or combine both patterns mechanically. In everyday writing, 地 is sometimes omitted in short phrases, whereas 得 remains the normal marker of the post-verbal complement taught here.

Context often removes repeated material

If everyone knows which skill is being discussed, Chinese can leave out the object: after asking 她会唱歌吗？ “Can she sing?”, someone may answer 她唱得很好 “She sings very well.” This is usually more natural than repeating every word.

Descriptions can be neutral, complimentary, or critical

The grammar itself is neutral. 做得不错 “do quite well” is encouraging, 做得非常好 is strong praise, and 做得不够仔细 “not do it carefully enough” is criticism. In conversation, 还可以 and 不错 often offer moderate, friendly approval without sounding exaggerated.

Speech and informal writing

Native speakers may use compact wording when the object is obvious, and informal digital writing does not always distinguish 的、地、得 consistently. For clear standard writing, keep the three particles separate. Learning the standard distinction also makes edited prose and exam questions much easier to understand.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master all of the following at A2, but these patterns explain forms you will encounter later.

Comparison inside the complement

A comparison with 比 can follow 得:

• 他跑得比我快。 — He runs faster than I do.
• 今天我起得比昨天早。 — I got up earlier today than yesterday.

The action comes first; the comparison tells us its degree. Another natural order is 他比我跑得快, with the comparison placed before the verb phrase. The choice depends partly on what the speaker wants to foreground.

A whole consequence after 得

After a verb or adjective, 得 can introduce not merely one adjective but a result or consequence:

• 孩子们高兴得跳了起来。 — The children were so happy that they started jumping.
• 我忙得没时间吃饭。 — I am so busy that I have no time to eat.
• 他笑得肚子疼。 — He laughed so much that his stomach hurt.

English often translates this as “so…that…,” but Chinese does not need a separate word corresponding to “that.” The phrase after 得 shows the degree through its consequence.

Resulting states with particular verbs

Some common combinations describe a state associated with an action or development: 长得高 “grow/be tall,” 长得像妈妈 “look like one’s mother,” and 穿得很正式 “be dressed very formally.” The broad logic remains the same—the material after 得 describes the subject as seen through that verb—but the most natural English translation may not preserve the Chinese structure word for word.

Do not confuse degree complements with potential complements

Compare:

• 他写得很清楚。 — He writes very clearly. (degree/manner)
• 这个字我看得懂。 — I can understand/read this character. (possible result)
• 这个字我看不懂。 — I cannot understand/read this character. (impossible result)

In the potential pattern, 得 or 不 sits between a verb and a result such as 懂 “understand.” It answers “Can the result be achieved?”, not “How is the action performed?” The similar surface form is a common source of confusion, so learn each pattern with its own meaning.

Practice Tips

1. Build pairs from familiar verbs. Take five verbs such as 说、写、跑、唱、睡 and make one positive and one negative sentence: 写得很清楚 / 写得不清楚. This trains the position of 得 and 不 together.
2. Practise objects in two valid orders. Turn “She writes Chinese characters beautifully” into both 她汉字写得很漂亮 and 她写汉字写得很漂亮. Repeat this with 说中文、唱歌、开车 until verb repetition feels normal.
3. Ask and answer 怎么样 questions. Record yourself asking 你昨天睡得怎么样？ or 他中文说得怎么样？, then answer with a degree phrase. Listening back helps you notice whether you kept the verb and 得 together.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Common Verbs — supplies the everyday actions used before 得.
• Next step: Adjective Complements — develops related ways of describing degree, state, and consequence.