Degree complements: 他跑得很快
得 + adjective judges how an action goes. Keep 很 as in any adjective sentence, negate the adjective rather than the verb, and repeat the verb when there is an object.
Structure
（主语）+ 动词 + 得 + 很／不 + 形容词 ｜ （主语）+（宾语）+ 动词 + 得 + 形容词
Explanation
Chinese words in this text can be activated to show a dictionary gloss.
“He runs fast.” Everything after is a comment on the action: how well, how fast, how late, how much. The comment behaves like an ordinary adjectival predicate — which is why belongs there. on its own sounds like the first half of a comparison, exactly as does.
In the negative, attaches to the comment, not to the verb: “He doesn’t run fast.” is impossible, because you are not denying that he runs.
Questions are formed the same way: ？ or ？ — the question is formed inside the comment, again leaving the verb alone.
Objects need a word of care. cannot reach past one, so a verb with an object has to be dealt with in one of two ways: repeat the verb — — or move the object forward — , or with a possessive, . is not possible. Both accepted versions are common; the fronted one is slightly lighter and very frequent in speech.
For a stronger comment, anything that could follow can follow : , , . The comment can even be a whole clause describing an extreme: “I’m so tired I don’t want to move”, “He was so happy he jumped up.”
Remember that this is written , not or — the three sound the same and only the position tells them apart.
Correct
Say each one out loud before moving on. The audio is a reference pronunciation, not a model to imitate exactly — match the tone contour, not the voice.
他跑得很快。
Tā (first tone, high and level) pǎo (third tone, dipping) de (neutral tone) hěn (third tone, dipping) kuài. (fourth tone, falling)···
He runs fast.
你的汉语说得真好！你的漢語說得真好！
Nǐ (third tone, dipping) de (neutral tone) Hànyǔ (fourth tone, falling) shuō (first tone, high and level) de (neutral tone) zhēn (first tone, high and level) hǎo! (third tone, dipping)···
You speak Chinese really well!
他昨天晚上睡得不太好。
Tā (first tone, high and level) zuótiān (second tone, rising) wǎnshang (third tone, dipping) shuì (fourth tone, falling) de (neutral tone) bú (second tone, rising) tài (fourth tone, falling) hǎo. (third tone, dipping)···
He didn’t sleep very well last night.
Incorrect — Common mistakes
These sentences are wrong. They are printed here on purpose, each one paired with the repair and the reason, because the error you can recognise is the error you stop making.
Not quite
Incorrect sentence: 他不跑得快。
Correct
Correct sentence: 他跑得不快。
Why: The negation belongs to the comment. You are not denying that he runs, only saying that the running is not fast.
Not quite
Incorrect sentence: 他说得汉语很好。
Correct
Correct sentence: 他说汉语说得很好。
Why: 得 must stand immediately after the verb, so an object cannot come between them. Repeat the verb, or front the object: 他汉语说得很好.
Not quite
Incorrect sentence: 他跑得快。
Correct
Correct sentence: 他跑得很快。
Why: As a plain statement the comment needs 很, exactly like 今天很热. Without it the sentence sounds like the opening of a comparison.
Compared with
Most errors with this pattern are not errors about this pattern — they are a neighbouring pattern arriving at the wrong moment. Read these side by side.
Both patterns hang something on 得 after the verb, but they answer different questions. A degree complement answers “how does he do it?” and describes what actually happens: 他跑得很快. A potential complement answers “can it be done?”: 他跑不快. The negatives keep them apart cleanly — 得不 belongs to degree (跑得不快), a bare 不 inside the verb belongs to potential (跑不快). And only the degree complement takes 很 and other intensifiers; a potential complement never does.
Potential complements: 看得懂 / 看不懂 →Learners who have just sorted out 的, 得 and 地 often over-apply the rule and write 他跑的很快 or 他地跑很快. Position decides: the *de* that follows a verb and introduces a judgement on it is always 得. 的 would need a noun after it (跑的人 “the person who runs”) and 地 would need a verb after it (快快地跑 “run quickly”). Notice how 快 changes side: before the verb with 地, after it with 得.
The three de: 的, 得 and 地 →Mini quiz
Question 1 / 3Total score: 0
Choose the correct sentence.