Verb + 得 + Adjective / Adverb
Reach for this when you want to comment on HOW someone does something — 'she sings well,' 'he runs fast,' 'they sleep deeply.' 得 (de) is the bridge between the action and the description of that action. The description sits AFTER the verb, not before it like an English adverb. Most everyday descriptions of skill, speed, and quality use this structure.
Structure
[VERB] 得 [DESCRIPTION]
...de...
How to Think About It
得 here is a connector, not a possessive. It opens a slot AFTER the verb where you describe the verb itself. The description is almost always 很 + adjective (or another degree word) — bare 得 + adjective sounds incomplete because Chinese descriptions need a degree marker. 跑得快 isn't quite right; 跑得很快 is.
Examples
他踢球踢得非常好。
Tā tī qiú tī de fēicháng hǎo.
He plays soccer extremely well.
小明睡得很好。
Xiǎomíng shuì de hěn hǎo.
Xiao Ming sleeps very well.
他们跑得很慢。
Tāmen pǎo de hěn màn.
They run very slowly.
Common Mistake
Learners write 得 as 的 (both pronounced 'de'). They're different characters with different jobs: 的 modifies a noun (好的人), 得 modifies a verb (跑得快).
他跑的很快。
他跑得很快。
Don't Confuse With
Adjective + 地 + Verb
地 puts the adjective BEFORE the verb as an adverb (认真地学习 = study seriously). 得 puts it AFTER, evaluating the verb's outcome.
Adjective + 的 + Noun
的 attaches descriptions to NOUNS, not verbs. 好的电影 vs 唱得好.
Verb + Object + Verb + 得 + Adjective
When there's an object, repeat the verb: 他说中文说得很好, not 他说中文得很好.
Practice
她唱_____ 很好听。 (de particle)
Show answer
得
他写字写得_____ 漂亮。 (very)
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很
Arrange: 得 / 很 / 快 / 跑 / 他
Show answer
他跑得很快。
Translate: My mom cooks really well.
Show answer
我妈妈做饭做得很好。
Write a sentence describing how someone does something using Verb + 得.
Show answer
我朋友说中文说得非常流利。
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 1 Fluentide episode:
Related Grammar Patterns
Acquire by listening
Hear Verb + 得 + Adjective / Adverb 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.