Describing Actions with 得(de) in Chinese: Tips and Examples

When it comes to describing actions in more detail, English relies on adverbs and adjectives to say things like “I run quickly.” or “I get up early.” However, describing verbs in Chinese is slightly more complex. This is where the particle 得 (de) comes in. In the most basic terms, this word is used to link a verb with other words that describe the action.

Let’s take a look at three basic sentence structures that use 得 (de) to describe verbs:

Structure One – Basic sentences

Subject + Verb + 得(de) + 很(hěn) + Adjective.

• 我吃得很慢(Wǒ chī de hěn màn)。I eat slowly.
• 我唱得很好(Wǒ chàng de hěn hǎo)。I sing well.
• 我说得很流利(Wǒ shuō de hěn liú lì)。I speak fluently.
• 我运动得很多(Wǒ yùndòng de hěn duō)。I work out often (a lot).

The most straightforward way to use this particle is to simply add 得 (de) and 很 (hěn) after the verb and before an adjective. This means that the adjective is now describing that verb.

But what if we want to use an object with the verb? For example, what if I only eat fish slowly, not everything slowly? In that case, the sentence would be 我吃鱼吃得很慢(Wǒ chī yú chī de hěn màn). Let’s examine that structure a little more closely.

Structure Two: Sentences with an object

Subject + Verb + Object + Verb(reduplication) + 得(de) + 很 (hěn) + Adjective.

• 我唱英语歌唱得很好(Wǒ chàng yīngyǔ gē chàng de hěn hǎo)。I sing English songs well.
• 我说汉语说得很流利(Wǒ shuō hànyǔ shuō de hěn liú lì)。I speak Chinese fluently.
• 我复习汉语复习得很好(Wǒ fùxí hànyǔ fùxí de hěn hǎo)。I review Chinese well.

This structure is very similar to the first one, but pay close attention to the placement of the object and the fact that we say the verb twice.

If you follow these two rules, you’ll be correct in most situations. However, there are still about 30% of cases where these rules don’t apply.

For example, the sentence “我睡觉睡得很好” (Wǒ shuìjiào shuì de hěn hǎo) means “I sleep well.” Even though the word 睡觉(shuìjiào) means “to sleep,” there is no object in this sentence, so it doesn’t fit either of the two rules we have already seen.

ד我睡觉得很好” – (Wǒ shuì jiào de hěn hǎo).

Structure Three: Sentences with special  two-character verbs

Subject + Verb + First character of the verb + 得(de) + 很(hěn) + Adjective.

• 我洗澡洗得很快。(Wǒ xǐzǎo xǐ de hěn kuài.) I take a shower quickly.
• 我跳舞跳得很好。(Wǒ tiàowǔ tiào de hěn hǎo.) I dance well.
• 我开车开得很慢。(Wǒ kāichē kāi de hěn màn.) I drive slowly.

In some cases, we repeat only the first character of a two-character verb. What makes these different from other verbs? There are certain two-syllable verbs in Chinese where the first character represents the action and the second character represents the object of that action.

For instance, 跳舞(tiàowǔ) means “to dance” with 跳(tiào) meaning “to jump” and 舞(wǔ) meaning “a dance (noun).” Therefore, we only duplicate the “action” character, which is the first character.

There is no shortcut for learning which two-character verbs fall into this type. Unfortunately, memorization is the most common way to learn them. Here is a list of the most common ones to get you started:

• 跳舞(tiào wǔ) to dance
• 唱歌(chàng gē) to sing
• 睡觉(shuìjiào) to sleep
• 开车(kāi chē) to drive
• 帮忙 (bāng máng) to help
• 见面(jiàn miàn) to meet (someone)
• 结婚(jié hūn) to get married
• 生气(shēng qì) to be angry

It may be discouraging if you can’t recall all of these special verbs from the get-go, but keep in mind that making mistakes is a part of the learning process. Even if you just say “我跳舞得很好” (wǒ tiàowǔ de hěn hǎo), most Chinese people will still understand you. The important thing is to repeatedly practice the grammar rules and vocabulary that challenge you.

From here, start practicing forming sentences with 得(de), and you may be surprised just how soon this particle becomes part of your language toolbox. 

(Check out more HSK3-related grammar tutorials and a detailed explanation of the differences between 的 vs 地 vs 得.)

Further reading: The Basic Sentence Structures in Chinese