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Chinese Grammar Bank
HOW TO USE 的, 得 AND 地
Have you wanted to write a sentence with “de”, but not known which one to use in which type of sentence?
In this article, we’ll help you understand when to use 的, 得, 地 and the differences between them.
USING 的
The character 的 is used to modify nouns and pronouns and has two main uses:
- To show possession
- To give descriptions
To show possession
Here, it’s similar to using an apostrophe and s in English (‘s). It also modifies pronouns to possessive pronouns.
With this, you’ll be able to say “my mother”, “his book”, “her cat”, “yours” etc.
PATTERN
Noun/Pronoun + 的 + Noun
To give descriptions
Here, 的 is put after the description and before the noun to show the relationship between the description and the noun.
This is regardless of how long the description is.
The word description here is an umbrella word for adjectives, verbs and phrases; and they have been highlighted in the examples.
PATTERN
Description + 的 + Noun
USING 得
得 is used with complements. There are three ways in which 得 can be used:
- After verbs and before adjectives
- After verbs and before a result.
- After verbs/adjectives and before a result.
After verbs and before adjectives
In this kind of sentence, the adjective (or adverb) is an evaluation of how or how well someone did an action, so you’re making a comment on an action.
With this, you can say “speak well”, “drive fast”, etc. 得 must go directly after the verb so the verb is repeated, especially for verb-object words.
You can understand 得 here as “to the point of being”.
PATTERN
Verb + 得 + Adjective/Adverb
After verbs and before a result
得 is used after a verb to indicate whether a result can be achieved. If the result cannot be achieved, 得 is replaced by 不.
PATTERN
Verb + 得 + Resultative Complement
After verbs/adjectives and before a result
Here, 得 shows that the result is caused by the verb/adjective.
Here, 得 functions a bit like “so…that” or “too..to” because there is a cause and result. The cause is highlighted in the examples.
PATTERN
Verb/Adjective + 得 + Result
| CHINESE | PINYIN | ENGLISH |
|---|---|---|
| 她欢喜得说不出来。 | tā huānxǐ de shuō bu chūlái. | She is so delighted that she can’t speak. / She was too delighted to speak. |
| 我冷得睡不着。 | wǒ lěng de shuì bùzháo. | It’s so cold that I can’t sleep. / I was too cold to sleep. |
| 我男朋友生气得一句话也说不出来。 | wǒ nán péngyǒu shēngqì de yījù huà yě shuō bu chūlái. | My boyfriend is so angry that he can’t say a word. / My boyfriend was too angry to say a word. |
| 这件衣服是他洗得干净的。 | zhè jiàn yīfú shì tā xǐ de gānjìng de. | He is the one who washed this cloth (and made it clean.) |
USING 地
地 is an adverbial marker, meaning that is used after adverbial modifiers and before a verb.
The adverbial modifiers are generally adjectives. The adjectives are used to describe and put emphasis on how someone or something performs an action.
In some cases, 地 is equivalent to adding “-ly” to adjectives, making words like “fluently”, “quickly”, etc.
PATTERN
Adverbial Modifier + 地 + Verb
COMPARATIVE SUMMARY
Here, you’ll look at 的, 得, and 地 side by side and compare how each can be used.
The examples align with the number under the usage to give you an idea of how each structure is used.
| 的 | 得 | 地 |
|---|---|---|
| 的 is used before a noun to show possession and give descriptions. 1) Nouns/Pronouns + 的 + Noun 2) Adjectives + 的 + Noun 3) Verbs + 的 + Noun 4) Descriptive phrases + 的 + Noun | 得 is used with complements. 1) Verb + 得 + Adjective 2) Verb + 得 + Resultative complement 3) Verb/Adjective + 得 + Result | 地 is used to describe and emphasise how an action is performed. Adverbial modifier + 地 + Verb |
| 1) 我的狗。 My dog. 2) 漂亮的衣服。Beautiful clothes. 3) 吃的东西。Things to eat. 4) 我喜欢的人。The person I like. | 1) 开车开得很快。Drive fast. 2) 听得懂。(Listen and) Understand. 3) 笑得停不下来 Can’t stop laughing. | – 他们开心地讨论这部电影。They happily discussed the movie. – 很快地跑。Run quickly – 高兴地跳。Jump happily |
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FAQs
What is the sentence structure for 的?
的 is used before a noun to show possession and give descriptions. The noun before 的 describes the noun after 的. These are the sentence structures:
1) Nouns/Pronouns + 的 + Noun
2) Adjectives + 的 + Noun
3) Verbs + 的 + Noun
4) Descriptive phrases + 的 + Noun
What is the sentence structure for 得?
得 is used with complements. These are the sentence structures:
1) Verb + 得 + Adjective
2) Verb + 得 + Resultative complement
3) Verb/Adjective + 得 + Result
What is the sentence structure for 地?
地 is used to describe and emphasise how an action is performed. This is the sentence structure:
Adverbial modifier + 地 + Verb
What are some example sentences for 的?
– 我的爸爸很高。
wǒ de bàba hěn gāo.
My father is tall.
– 这是我的。
zhè shì wǒ de.
This is mine.
– 她喜欢那个红色的车。
tā xǐhuān nàgè hóngsè de chē.
She likes that red car.
What are some example sentences for 得?
– 他们跑得很快。
tāmen pǎo de hěn kuài.
They run fast.
– 他很厉害，他学得很快。
tā hěn lìhài, tā xué de hěn kuài.
He is amazing, he learns very fast.
– 我玩得开心。
wǒ wán de kāixīn.
I had a lot of fun
What are some example sentences for 地?
– 她耐心地说明了。
tā nàixīn de shuōmíng le.
She explained patiently.
– 他自信地跟他们说话。
tā zìxìn de gēn tāmen shuōhuà.
She confidently spoke to them.
– 他们开心地讨论这部电影。
tāmen kāixīn de tǎolùn zhè bù diànyǐng.
They happily discussed the movie.