得 + Verb Phrase
Reach for 得 (pronounced děi) when you want to say 'have to' or 'must' in casual spoken Chinese — the obligation feels practical, not moral. Use it for everyday necessities: you've got to pay, you've got to go, you've got to wait. It's the spoken alternative to 必须 and 应该, and it's what natives actually reach for in conversation about real-world chores and constraints.
Structure
[SUBJECT] 得 [VERB PHRASE]
děi + verb phrase
How to Think About It
Three things make 得(děi) tricky: it's the same character as the structural particle 得(de) but a totally different word, it's strongly colloquial (you rarely see it in writing), and its negation is not 不得 but 不用 or 不必 ('don't have to'). Hear the tone — falling third tone 'děi' — and remember it as the spoken 'gotta.' If you're writing a formal email, switch to 必须 or 需要; if you're texting a friend, 得 is what you want.
Examples
我得走了, 明天还要上班。
Wǒ děi zǒu le, míngtiān hái yào shàngbān.
I've got to go, I have work tomorrow.
这个药你得每天吃。
Zhège yào nǐ děi měitiān chī.
You have to take this medicine every day.
天太热, 我们得开空调。
Tiān tài rè, wǒmen děi kāi kōngtiáo.
It's too hot, we've got to turn on the AC.
Common Mistake
Learners try to negate 得 directly as 不得 by analogy with 不能, 不要. But 不得 is a separate fixed expression meaning 'must not' in formal/written Chinese, not the casual 'don't have to.' To negate spoken 得, switch to 不用 or 不必.
你不得花钱买。
你不用花钱买。
Don't Confuse With
必须 + Verb
必须 is the neutral or formal 'must,' good for written and spoken use. 得(děi) is strictly colloquial and a touch more weary or resigned in tone ('I gotta'). Same meaning, different register.
得 (de) as complement marker
Same character, different word. After a verb as 得(de) it introduces a degree complement: '跑得很快' (runs fast). At the start of a verb phrase as 得(děi), it means 'must.' Position and pronunciation tell them apart.
要 + Verb
要 means 'want to / going to / need to' — can express intention, future, or mild obligation. 得 is specifically obligation, not desire. '我要去' = 'I want to go'; '我得去' = 'I have to go.'
Practice
下雨了, 你 ___ 带伞。
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得
明天有考试, 我得 ___ 习。
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复
Put in order: [我 / 早 / 明天 / 起 / 得]
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明天我得早起。
Translate to Chinese (casual): 'I've got to buy a new phone.'
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我得买一个新手机。
Write one casual sentence about something you have to do this week, using 得.
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Example answer: 这个周末我得去机场接朋友。 (This weekend I've got to pick up a friend at the airport.)
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 1 Fluentide episode: