Result Complement 得 (de)

Imagine you are watching a friend run. You see the action: running. You see the quality: fast. In English, we just add "-ly" to make "fastly" (well, just "fast" in that case). In Chinese, we use 得 to glue the verb to the description. The description is usually an adjective. You place 得 directly after the verb. Then you add the adjective. It is like a grammar traffic light. The verb goes, the 得 signals the description is coming, and the adjective finishes the thought. It describes a state that already exists. It is not about what will happen. It is about how things usually are or how they just happened. It is the judge of the action.

1. 1Building sentences with 得 follows a very logical path. Follow these steps to build your own:
2. 2Basic Positive: [Subject] + [Verb] + 得 + [Adverb/Adjective]. Example: 他跑得快 (He runs fast).
3. 3Basic Negative: [Subject] + [Verb] + 得 + 不 + [Adjective]. Example: 他跑得不快 (He doesn't run fast).
4. 4The Question Form: [Subject] + [Verb] + 得 + [Adjective] + 吗? Example: 他跑得快吗？ (Does he run fast?).
5. 5The "A-not-A" Question: [Subject] + [Verb] + 得 + [Adjective] + 不 + [Adjective]? Example: 他跑得快不快？ (Does he run fast or not?).
6. 6The Object Challenge: If there is an object, you must repeat the verb! [Subject] + [Verb] + [Object] + [Verb] + 得 + [Adjective]. Example: 他说中文说得好 (He speaks Chinese well).

Use 得 whenever you want to comment on an action's performance. Use it when ordering food to say the chef 做得好 (cooked well). Use it in a job interview to say you 工作得努力 (work hard). Use it when asking directions to tell someone they 说得太快 (speak too fast). It is perfect for daily life. It describes habits, like how you sleep or how you study. It also describes specific past events. If you saw a movie and the actors 演得棒 (acted great), 得 is your best friend. It is the most natural way to provide feedback in Chinese.

Do not use 得 for future intentions. If you want to say "I will run fast tomorrow," this is not the right tool. 得 focuses on the state or result of the action. Also, do not use it to connect two verbs. It only connects a verb to a description. If you are just saying "I like to eat," you don't need 得. If you are using a simple adjective to describe a noun (like "the red car"), use 的 instead. 得 is strictly for actions and their qualities. Using it for future goals is like trying to use a fork to eat soup—it just won't work.

The biggest trap is the "Object Trap." Beginners often say 我说中文得好. This is wrong! The 得 must follow the verb directly. Because 中文 (Chinese) is in the way, you have to repeat the verb: 我说中文说得好. It feels repetitive at first. You might think, "Why say 'speak' twice?" But it is the secret to sounding like a pro. Another mistake is forgetting the 很 (very) before the adjective. In Chinese, we rarely say 得快. We usually say 得很快. It sounds more balanced. Think of 很 as the sidekick that 得 always wants to have around.

There are three "de" characters in Chinese: 的, 得, and 地. They are the "Triple Threat" of Chinese grammar.

• 的 (de) is for possession or describing nouns (My book, the blue sky).
• 地 (de) is for adverbs before the verb (He happily ran).
• 得 (de) is our star today. It goes AFTER the verb to describe the result.

Think of it this way: 的 is for things, 地 is for the way you start an action, and 得 is for the way the action turns out. If you use the wrong one, people will still understand you, but your Chinese teacher might shed a tiny tear.