Verb + 得 (de) + Adjective/Complement
Reach for this whenever you want to describe HOW someone does an action — runs fast, sings well, sleeps badly. 得 sits between the verb and the description, marking what follows as a comment on the manner or result. It's the difference between 'he runs' and 'he runs fast.' Constantly used to add color: how she speaks, how he writes, how they played.
Structure
[VERB] 得 [ADJECTIVE/COMPLEMENT]
[VERB] de [ADJECTIVE]
How to Think About It
得 is a connector, not a verb. It links an action to its quality, the way English uses '-ly' to turn 'quick' into 'quickly.' If the verb has an object, the verb gets repeated: 他说中文说得很好 — say the object first, then repeat the verb, then 得, then the description. Forgetting to repeat the verb is the most common error.
Examples
他跑得很快。
Tā pǎo de hěn kuài.
He runs very fast.
她说中文说得非常好。
Tā shuō Zhōngwén shuō de fēicháng hǎo.
She speaks Chinese very well.
昨天晚上我睡得不好。
Zuótiān wǎnshang wǒ shuì de bù hǎo.
I didn't sleep well last night.
Common Mistake
When there's an object, learners forget to repeat the verb and squeeze 得 directly after the object. The verb-object pair has to come first, then the verb repeats before 得.
他说中文得很好。
他说中文说得很好。
Don't Confuse With
Adjective + 地 + Verb
地 goes BEFORE the verb (manner adverb); 得 goes AFTER. 高兴地说 vs 说得很高兴 — same idea, different placement, different particle.
的 (possessive/modifier)
的 modifies nouns ('my book,' 'red car'). 得 only links verbs to their descriptions. Same pinyin, different jobs.
Verb + 完/好/到 (result complement)
Result complements stick directly to the verb without 得 (吃完, 听到). Use 得 only when describing manner or degree, not completion.
Practice
他跑____很快。
Show answer
得
昨天晚上我睡得不____。
Show answer
好
Arrange: 中文 / 她 / 非常好 / 说得 / 说
Show answer
她说中文说得非常好。
In the photo, they smiled very happily.
Show answer
照片里, 他们笑得非常开心。
Write a sentence using V + 得 to describe how a friend does something.
Show answer
我妈妈做饭做得很好吃。
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 1 Fluentide episode: