The Chinese De: A Simple Guide on Using 的, 得 and 地
The Chinese particle 'de' is not merely a simple sound; it is a vital and subtle aspect of Chinese grammar.
的 (de), 得 (de) and 地 (de) are classified as 结构助词 (jiégòu zhùcí) — structural particles, which illustrate the connections between different parts of a sentence.
We will now examine the distinctions among 的, 得 and 地, exploring their individual applications with example sentences.
What Is the Difference Between 的, 得 and 地?
You might compare 的, 得 and 地 to the English words their, they’re and there. Although they share the same pronunciation (the 'de' is neutral and does not carry any of the four Chinese tones), their meanings are entirely distinct and they cannot be used in place of one another.
The primary distinction is that 的 is used alongside nouns, 得 is used with verbs, and 地 is primarily used to alter an adjective (similar to adding "-ly" in English) to change it into an adverb.
How Are the De Particles Used in Chinese?
的 indicates possession, modifies nouns and emphasizes certainty
As a structural particle, 的 has two primary roles. The first is to denote possession.
For instance, to state that something belongs to 我 ( wǒ ) — I, me, you just place 的 after the pronoun.
我 的 (wǒ de) — My, mine
You can also apply the pattern owner + 的 + object being owned to show possession, as shown here:
我的猫很可爱。 (wǒ de māo hěn kě ài.) — My cat is very cute.
However, using 的 is not always required to show possession.
When indicating multiple levels of possession, 的 is used just once to prevent repetition. So instead of translating “my brother’s girlfriend” as 我的弟弟的女朋友 (wǒ de dìdi de nǚ péngyou) , you would say:
我弟弟的女朋友很漂亮。 (wǒ dìdi de nǚ péngyou hěn piàoliang.) — My little brother’s girlfriend is gorgeous.
的 can also be omitted when referring to close personal relationships or body parts.
我爸爸妈妈正在度假。 (wǒ bàba māma zhèngzài dùjià.) — My mom and dad are on vacation.
他头发太长了。 (tā tóufa tài chǎng le.) — His hair is too long.
The use of the possessive 的 is shown in the video below:
This clip demonstrates how simple it is to use 的.
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The second role of 的 as a structural particle is to link adjectives to nouns. For this, the pattern is adjective + 的 + noun.
她点了最辣的咖喱。 (tā diǎnle zuì là de gālí.) — She ordered the spiciest curry.
Much like its possessive role, however, 的 is not always needed to describe nouns.
他喜欢辣牛肉面。 (tā xǐhuan là niúròu miàn.) — He likes the spicy beef noodles.
Lastly, as a modal particle ( 结构助词 – jiégòu zhùcí ), 的 is attached to the end of a statement to add assurance, altering the "mood" of the sentence.
A: 把水烧开。 (bǎ shuǐ shāo kāi.) — Bring the water to a boil.
B: 我知道的！ (wǒ zhīdào de!) — I know!
While B could have just replied with 我知道 (wǒ zhīdào) , the 的 stresses that the person was already aware of what to do before being told.
得 modifies verbs
得 comes after a verb in a sentence to connect the verb to its corresponding complement.
The complement is the part of the sentence that describes the quality or extent to which the verb is performed. This might make it seem like the complement acts as an adverb, but it does not. In Chinese, the adverb is typically placed before the verb and does not require a structural particle to connect it.
Essentially, the complement answers the question of how well the action is performed.
The structure is therefore verb + 得 + adjective/complement.
他开得很小心。 (tā kāi de hěn xiǎoxīn.) — He drives carefully.
In this example, 小心 (xiǎoxīn) is the complement because it describes how well he drives.
Now, what if there is an object in the sentence?
One pattern you can use is subject + verb + object + verb + 得 + adjective/complement.
她做饭做得很好。 (tā zuò fàn zuò de hěn hǎo.) — She cooks (food) very well.
If you prefer not to repeat the verb, you use the subject + 的 + object + verb + 得+ adjective/complement pattern instead. Here, you are using two different structural particles.
他们的中文说得不太好。 (tāmen de zhōngwén shuō de bú tài hǎo.) — They don’t speak Chinese very well.
Note: 不 normally takes on the fourth tone (falling tone), unless it’s followed by a character with the fourth tone. In that case, 不 is pronounced with the second tone (rising tone).
地 turns adjectives into adverbs
As a noun, 地 (dì) means “ground” or “earth.” As a structural particle, 地 (de) changes adjectives into adverbs. It is largely the same as adding “-ly” to adjectives in English.
Remember that you do not need to use 地 with Chinese adverbs. 地 is only used after adjectives so that those adjectives can act as adverbs.
Follow this adjective + 地 + verb pattern as shown:
她自信地完成了考试。 (tā zìxìn de wánchéngle kǎoshì.) — She confidently finished the exam.
To give more emphasis to the adverb, you can also repeat the adjective before adding 地. Note that this only applies if the adjective is a single character and not a compound word.
老师跟学生们慢慢地说话。 (lǎoshī gēn xuéshēngmen màn man de shuōhuà.) — The teacher speaks slowly with the students.
That wasn’t too difficult, was it? It may require some practice to become comfortable using particles in writing, but you will at least understand how to use the Chinese de in conversations!
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