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Level Everyday Chinese · HSK 2

得 and 地: How Well and How Something Is Done

English uses adverbs for both "he speaks well" and "he spoke quietly". Chinese splits them. When you evaluate how well someone does something, the comment comes after the verb with 得 (de). When you describe the way they do it, the description comes before the verb with 地 (de).

Both are pronounced exactly like 的, so the difference only shows in writing, and in word order.

Verb + 得 + comment

Use 得 to judge an action: how well, fast, late, clearly. The comment is an adjective phrase, usually with 很 or another degree word. Negate the comment, not the verb: 说得不好.

  • 他说得很好。

    Tā shuō de hěn hǎo.

    He speaks well.

  • 你来得太晚了。

    Nǐ lái de tài wǎn le.

    You came too late.

  • 我唱得不好。

    Wǒ chàng de bù hǎo.

    I don't sing well.

  • 她跑得快不快？

    Tā pǎo de kuài bu kuài?

    Does she run fast?

When there's an object

Nothing may come between a verb and 得, not even its object. Either say the verb twice (once with the object, once with 得), or move the object to the front.

  • 他说汉语说得很流利。

    Tā shuō Hànyǔ shuō de hěn liúlì.

    He speaks Chinese fluently.

  • 他汉语说得很好。

    Tā Hànyǔ shuō de hěn hǎo.

    His Chinese is good. (He speaks Chinese well.)

  • 我爸爸开车开得很慢。

    Wǒ bàba kāi chē kāi de hěn màn.

    My dad drives very slowly.

Adjective + 地 + verb: the way you do it

地 turns a description into an adverb before the verb: 高兴地说 (said happily), 认真地学习 (study conscientiously). Reduplicated adjectives are especially common here: 慢慢地走, 好好地休息. Short everyday phrases often drop 地 or skip it entirely: 大声说 (speak loudly), 快点儿走 (hurry up).

  • 他高兴地说：“太好了！”

    Tā gāoxìng de shuō: “Tài hǎo le!”

    "Great!" he said happily.

  • 请慢慢地说。

    Qǐng mànmàn de shuō.

    Please speak slowly.

  • 请大声说。

    Qǐng dàshēng shuō.

    Please speak up.

的, 地 and 得

All three are pronounced de. The character tells you which slot you're in.

CharacterPositionExample
的description + 的 + noun漂亮的衣服 pretty clothes
地description + 地 + verb认真地学习 study hard
得verb + 得 + comment学得很好 learn well

Common mistakes

  • ✗他说汉语得很好。

    ✓他说汉语说得很好。

    Tā shuō Hànyǔ shuō de hěn hǎo.

    得 must follow the verb directly. Repeat the verb after the object, or move the object to the front.

  • ✗他不说得好。

    ✓他说得不好。

    Tā shuō de bù hǎo.

    He does speak; it's the quality that's lacking. Negate the comment after 得.

  • ✗他很好地说汉语。

    ✓他汉语说得很好。

    Tā Hànyǔ shuō de hěn hǎo.

    Judging how well someone does something is 得's job. 地 describes the manner of a particular action, not a skill.

Questions learners ask

Do native speakers mix up 的, 地 and 得?

In casual typing, often, especially 的 for the other two. In careful writing the distinction is kept, and exams test it.

Can I compare with 得?

Yes: 他跑得比我快 (he runs faster than me). The 比 phrase can go after 得 or before the verb.

Practice this in lessons

The Everyday Chinese lessons teach this step by step, with exercises and review built in.

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