Chinese grammar · Elementary (A2)
得: how well something is done
How verb + 得 + comment says how well or how something is done, where the object goes, and 长得 for describing looks.
Verb + 得 + comment
To comment on how an action is done, put 得 (de) after the verb, then an adjective: (tā shuō de hěn hǎo), he speaks well; (nǐ zuò de búcuò), you've done a good job. Like any adjective on its own, the comment usually has (hěn) or another degree word.
The pattern is used for habits and for things that have already happened. The verb doesn't take 了 here.
- 她跑得很快。Tā pǎo de hěn kuài.She runs fast.
- 你今天来得真早。Nǐ jīntiān lái de zhēn zǎo.You're really early today.
- 我昨天睡得不太好。Wǒ zuótiān shuì de bú tài hǎo.I didn't sleep very well last night.
- 周末过得怎么样？Zhōumò guò de zěnmeyàng?How was your weekend?
Negatives and questions
(bù) goes after 得, before the comment: (tā chàng de bù hǎo), he doesn't sing well. To ask, use (zěnmeyàng), or the A-not-A form of the comment: (Wǒ shuō de duì bu duì?), am I right?
| Chinese | English |
|---|---|
| (Tā xiě de hěn hǎo.) | He writes well. |
| (Tā xiě de bù hǎo.) | He doesn't write well. |
| (Tā xiě de hǎo bu hǎo?) | Does he write well? |
| (Tā xiě de zěnmeyàng?) | How well does he write? |
With an object
得 must come straight after the verb, so an object can't stand between them. Either repeat the verb: (tā shuō Zhōngwén shuō de hěn hǎo), or put the object first and say the verb once: (tā Zhōngwén shuō de hěn hǎo). Both mean that he speaks Chinese well. 他说中文得很好 is wrong.
Verb + object words such as (yóuyǒng) and (zuòfàn) work the same way: (tā yóuyǒng yóu de hěn kuài), he swims fast.
- 她做饭做得特别好吃。Tā zuòfàn zuò de tèbié hǎochī.She cooks really well.
- 你汉字写得真漂亮。Nǐ Hànzì xiě de zhēn piàoliang.Your characters are really beautiful.
- 他说得太快了，我听不懂。Tā shuō de tài kuài le, wǒ tīng bu dǒng.He speaks too fast, I can't understand him.
Comparing how things are done
To compare how two people do something, put (bǐ) + the other person either before the verb or straight after 得: (tā bǐ wǒ pǎo de kuài) and (tā pǎo de bǐ wǒ kuài) both mean he runs faster than I do. As in every sentence with , leave out . For “not as well as”, use (méiyǒu): (wǒ pǎo de méiyǒu tā kuài).
Don't mix this pattern up with a word before the verb. (kuài zǒu ba), let's go, quick, tells someone what to do; (tā zǒu de hěn kuài), he walks fast, comments on how something is or was done. Only the second takes 得.
- 她说中文说得比我好。Tā shuō Zhōngwén shuō de bǐ wǒ hǎo.She speaks Chinese better than I do.
- 他比我来得早。Tā bǐ wǒ lái de zǎo.He got here earlier than I did.
- 我跑得没有他快。Wǒ pǎo de méiyǒu tā kuài.I don't run as fast as he does.
长得: describing looks
(zhǎng de) + adjective describes how someone looks: (tā zhǎng de hěn piàoliang), she's very pretty; (tā zhǎng de hěn gāo), he's tall. Here 长 (zhǎng) means to grow; the same character is read cháng when it means long: (cháng tóufa), long hair. (zhǎng de xiàng) means “looks like”.
- 你长得跟你妈妈很像。Nǐ zhǎng de gēn nǐ māma hěn xiàng.You look a lot like your mother.
- 我表姐长得很高，头发很长。Wǒ biǎojiě zhǎng de hěn gāo, tóufa hěn cháng.My cousin is tall and has long hair.
- 她个子不高，长得很可爱。Tā gèzi bù gāo, zhǎng de hěn kě'ài.She isn't tall, but she's very cute.