Verb + 得 + Adjective
Reach for this when you want to describe HOW someone does an action — 'verb + (how well/poorly/fast/slowly).' 他跑得很快. (He runs fast.) 得 hooks a quality onto a verb: you're not just reporting that he runs, you're rating the manner. It's the standard way in Chinese to add a quality to an action: speaks fluently, writes neatly, sings beautifully, slept poorly.
Structure
[SUBJECT] [VERB] 得 [ADJECTIVE PHRASE]
[VERB] de [ADJ]
How to Think About It
得 (de) splits the verb from its review. Everything LEFT of 得 is the action; everything RIGHT is how it went. The adjective is doing the heavy lifting — '很/真/特别' usually precede it (说得很流利, not 说得流利). If there's an object, you have to repeat the verb: '他说中文说得很好' — first verb takes the object, second verb takes 得 + the rating. Forgetting this re-doubling is the most common mistake.
Examples
他跑得很快。
Tā pǎo de hěn kuài.
He runs very fast.
她中文说得真好。
Tā Zhōngwén shuō de zhēn hǎo.
She speaks Chinese really well.
我昨天晚上睡得不好。
Wǒ zuótiān wǎnshang shuì de bù hǎo.
I didn't sleep well last night.
Common Mistake
Learners try to put an object directly after 得, but the object has to live with its OWN verb. The 'verb + 得 + adj' chunk can't take an object. You either drop the object or repeat the verb.
他说得中文很好。
他说中文说得很好。
Don't Confuse With
的 (modifier 'de')
的 connects a description to a NOUN ('美丽的花' = beautiful flower). 得 connects an evaluation to a VERB ('跑得快' = run fast). Both pronounced 'de' but totally different jobs — and Chinese always writes them differently.
地 (adverbial 'de')
地 turns an adjective into an adverb BEFORE the verb ('快快地跑' = run quickly, with quickness as a manner). 得 puts the evaluation AFTER the verb as a complement ('跑得快'). Word order is the clue.
Adjective + Verb (adverbial)
Sometimes you can describe an action with an adverb in front: '慢慢走' (walk slowly). That's more direct/imperative. Verb + 得 + Adj is for evaluating completed/habitual actions after the fact ('他走得很慢').
Practice
他唱 ___ 很好听。
Show answer
得
她写汉字写得很 ___。
Show answer
漂亮
Put in order: [得 / 慢 / 很 / 走 / 他]
Show answer
他走得很慢。
Translate to Chinese: 'My little brother eats really fast.'
Show answer
我弟弟吃得很快。
Describe how someone you know does something, using Verb + 得 + Adjective.
Show answer
Example answer: 我妈妈做菜做得特别好吃。 (My mom cooks really deliciously.)
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 10 Fluentide episodes:
Related Grammar Patterns
Acquire by listening
Hear Verb + 得 + Adjective in real Chinese, not in a textbook.
Fluentide picks the next news episode at your level, so this pattern shows up again and again in real context. The transcript marks it, the audio drills it. Free to start, no card.