Complement of Degree and State: 得 Plus a Description (跑得很快)

Here's another job for 得. This time it links a verb to a description of how the action goes. 跑 ("run") plus 得很快 gives 跑得很快, "runs fast." It's how Chinese says someone does something well, badly, quickly, slowly, and so on. The pattern is simple once you see it, but it has one tricky rule about objects that trips people up. Let's work through it.

The basic shape: verb + 得 + description

You take a verb, add 得, then add a description (usually an adjective) of how the action came out.

verb + 得 + description

• 跑得很快 — runs fast
• 说得很好 — speaks well
• 写得不错 — writes pretty well
• 来得太晚 — came too late

The description part behaves like a normal adjective predicate, which is why it usually wants 很 in front (you met that rule with adjective predicates). So it's 跑得很快, not just 跑得快, in a plain statement.

• 他唱得很好。 — He sings well.
• 我睡得很晚。 — I sleep late.

This 得 is pronounced de, neutral tone, same as the potential one but doing a different job.

What it describes

This complement comments on how the action is performed or how it turns out. It's about manner, quality, or degree, not about a finished result.

• 你来得很早。 — You came early. (how the coming went)
• 这个孩子长得很高。 — This kid has grown tall.
• 他高兴得跳起来。 — He was so happy he jumped up.

That last one shows the "degree" flavor: 高兴得跳起来 means "happy to the point of jumping," with 得 introducing just how happy.

The negative

To make it negative, you put 不 in the description part, after 得, not before the verb.

• 他说得不好。 — He doesn't speak well.
• 我睡得不好。 — I didn't sleep well.

Don't negate the verb itself (不说得好 is wrong). The "how" is what's negative, so 不 lives in the description.

The object problem (and the fix)

Here's the rule everyone stumbles on. The complement needs to sit right after the verb, but so does the object. They can't both be there. So when there's an object, you repeat the verb.

The pattern becomes:

(verb + object) + verb + 得 + description

• 他说中文说得很好。 — He speaks Chinese well.

See what happened: 说中文 ("speak Chinese") states the action with its object, then 说 repeats so 得很好 has a verb to attach to. The repeated verb carries the complement.

• 她写汉字写得很漂亮。 — She writes characters beautifully.
• 我打篮球打得不好。 — I don't play basketball well.

This double-verb structure feels strange at first, but it's the standard solution and you'll get used to it fast.

A shortcut: drop the first verb

In practice, people often drop the first verb and just lead with the object as a topic:

• 他中文说得很好。 — His Chinese, he speaks it well.

Here 中文 sits up front as the topic, and only the second 说 remains. This is very common and sounds natural. Both 他说中文说得很好 and 他中文说得很好 are fine.

Telling this 得 apart from the others

You've now seen three different 得 jobs, so here's a quick way to keep them straight:

Pattern	Example	Meaning
verb + 得 + description	跑得很快	how the action goes (this article)
verb + 得/不 + result	看得懂	can / can't achieve a result
得 (děi) as a modal	我得走	have to (different pronunciation!)

The degree complement always has a description after 得 (an adjective or a vivid phrase). The potential one has a result word after 得 and offers a 不 twin. And the modal 得 is pronounced děi and sits before the verb, not after. Once you spot which slot 得 is in, the meaning's clear.

A quick recap

Use verb + 得 + description to say how an action goes: 跑得很快 (runs fast), 说得很好 (speaks well). The description acts like an adjective predicate, so it usually takes 很, and negation goes after 得 (说得不好). When there's an object, repeat the verb (他说中文说得很好) or front the object as a topic (他中文说得很好). Keep this 得 separate from the potential 得 and the modal 得 (děi), and you've got a clean handle on all three.