Subject + 走得 + Adjective
Reach for Subject + 走得 + Adj when you want to describe how someone walks — fast, slow, steadily, badly. The verb 走 names the action; 得 hands it off to an adjective phrase that grades the manner. It's the same Verb + 得 + Adj structure you'd use to talk about how someone runs, sings, or speaks, applied to walking. This is one of the first patterns learners use to talk about pace and movement.
Structure
[SUBJECT] 走得 [ADJ PHRASE]
[SUBJECT] zǒu de [ADJ PHRASE]
How to Think About It
走 names the activity; 得 opens the gradebook for that walk. The adjective after 得 almost always needs an intensifier like 很 to sound complete — 走得很慢, not bare 走得慢. Chinese is judging the walk's quality, so a single bare adjective feels lonely. Add 很, 太, 真, 非常 in front of the adjective and the sentence settles.
Examples
他走得很慢。
Tā zǒu de hěn màn.
He walks very slowly.
小孩走得不太稳。
Xiǎohái zǒu de bú tài wěn.
The little kid doesn't walk very steadily.
她今天走得特别快，我跟不上。
Tā jīntiān zǒu de tèbié kuài, wǒ gēn bú shàng.
She walked especially fast today; I couldn't keep up.
Common Mistake
Learners attach the manner adjective directly to the verb without 得 — 走慢慢 or 慢走. Chinese needs 得 to link a verb to its quality description; without it, the sentence describes intent or command, not how the walk actually went.
他走慢慢。
他走得很慢。
Don't Confuse With
慢慢地走
Adv + 地 + Verb describes the manner BEFORE the action: 'walks slowly' as instruction or general habit. 走得很慢 describes the action AFTER the fact: 'walked slowly (and we observed it).' Different particles, opposite slots.
走得太...了
Same pattern with 太...了 for emphasis: 走得太慢了 ('walked way too slowly'). Use 太...了 when the speed is excessive or surprising.
走来走去
Pacing back and forth — describes a repeated motion, not a quality. Different meaning entirely.
Practice
Fill in the blank: 他走___很快。
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得
Fill in the blank: 弟弟走得很___。 (slow)
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慢
Arrange: 走 / 得 / 慢 / 奶奶 / 很
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奶奶走得很慢。
Translate to Chinese: My little brother walks very fast.
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我弟弟走得很快。
Describe how two different people you know walk, using 走得 + Adj.
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我爷爷走得很慢，可是我哥哥走得特别快。
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 1 Fluentide episode: