Mandarin reading practice 7: using 得
Anyone who says that Chinese grammar is simplistic and easier than English is WRONG. You'll see there's been a trend in my Mandarin posts recently, moving from conversational Chinese to more grammartically focussed posts... and today is no exception. Yesterday we learnt about when to use 得.
How to explain 得 (de)...? Well, it is a word in it's own right (when pronounced děi instead of a neutral tone de), but it is also used in sentences after a verb to complement it. You use it when you want to describe HOW someone does something. There really is no equivalent in English. I guess the only way I can show when it's used is by example....
他说中文说得很快
ta shuo zhong wen shuo de hen kuai
he speaks Chinese very fast
What I don't quite get, is the difference between this and saying 他说中文很快 (ta shuo zhong wen hen kuai - he speaks Chinese very fast). Anyone who can help me clarify that bit for me?! I suppose you could say the first sentence is like saying "he speaks Chinese... how does he speak Chinese, very fast". The 得 (de) is used as a complement to the verb 说 (shuo - speak).
Sometimes you'll find that people drop the repetition of the verb, so the sentence goes from:
他说中文说得很快
ta shuo zhong wen shuo de hen kuai
he speaks Chinese very fast
to:
中文说得很快
zhong wen shuo de hen kuai
speaks Chinese very fast
I found a really useful link which describes when to use 得 on the Centre for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language website, which explains it a hell of a lot better than I do!
Click here to read the full page!
How to explain 得 (de)...? Well, it is a word in it's own right (when pronounced děi instead of a neutral tone de), but it is also used in sentences after a verb to complement it. You use it when you want to describe HOW someone does something. There really is no equivalent in English. I guess the only way I can show when it's used is by example....
他说中文说得很快
ta shuo zhong wen shuo de hen kuai
he speaks Chinese very fast
What I don't quite get, is the difference between this and saying 他说中文很快 (ta shuo zhong wen hen kuai - he speaks Chinese very fast). Anyone who can help me clarify that bit for me?! I suppose you could say the first sentence is like saying "he speaks Chinese... how does he speak Chinese, very fast". The 得 (de) is used as a complement to the verb 说 (shuo - speak).
Sometimes you'll find that people drop the repetition of the verb, so the sentence goes from:
他说中文说得很快
ta shuo zhong wen shuo de hen kuai
he speaks Chinese very fast
to:
中文说得很快
zhong wen shuo de hen kuai
speaks Chinese very fast
I found a really useful link which describes when to use 得 on the Centre for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language website, which explains it a hell of a lot better than I do!
The most important thing in a 得 construction is that verbs should always be placed before 得. If a verb is in a pattern of verb-object, then the verb should be separated from the object. For example, if 睡觉 (to sleep) is used in the 得 construction it can be formed in the following four ways:
(1) You must repeat the verb.
s. v- o. v. de adv.
I sleep very well.
(2) It sounds less repetitive if you omit the first verb of the above sentence:
s. o. v. de adv.
(3) If you want to emphasize the object of the sentence, then the object can be placed at the beginning of the sentence and it will be:
o. s . v. de adv.
(4) If the object of the sentence is clear to listeners, which it is in this case, you can just simply say:
s. v. de adv.
shuì de hĕn hăo
睡 得 很 好SLEEP DE VERY WELL
Click here to read the full page!
Comments