得 is one character hiding three separate words, and the only way to know which one you are looking at is its job in the sentence. As a full verb it reads 得 (dé) "to get / obtain" (得到 "obtain," 得病 "fall ill"). As a modal it reads 得 (děi) "must / have to," a very colloquial "gotta." And with no tone at all it is 得 (de), the structural particle that glues a complement to a verb (跑得快 "runs fast"). Because the same character carries the verb and the particle, learners mix them constantly — so this page pins down the two spoken verb readings and hands the particle off to its own home.
Reading 1: 得 (dé) — get / obtain
Full-verb 得 (dé) means to get, obtain, win, or come down with something. It is common in 得到 "obtain," 得病 "fall ill," and score/prize collocations. It is a normal transitive verb and takes 了 freely.
他这次考试得了满分。
tā zhè cì kǎoshì dé le mǎnfēn
He got a perfect score on this exam.
女儿最近得了流感，在家休息。
nǚ'ér zuìjìn dé le liúgǎn, zài jiā xiūxi
My daughter caught the flu recently and is resting at home. — 得病 'come down with an illness'.
他的努力终于得到了回报。
tā de nǔlì zhōngyú dédào le huíbào
His effort finally paid off. — 得到 'obtain, receive'.
Reading 2: 得 (děi) — must / have to / need
Modal 得 (děi) expresses obligation or necessity — "must, have to, gotta." It is markedly colloquial: in conversation it often replaces the more neutral 应该 or the formal 必须. It sits before the verb and can also mean "it'll take / it'll cost" when talking about required amounts.
不早了，我得走了。
bù zǎo le, wǒ děi zǒu le
It's getting late, I have to go. (informal)
你脸色不好，得多休息。
nǐ liǎnsè bù hǎo, děi duō xiūxi
You look pale, you should rest more. (informal)
在北京租房，一个月得多少钱？
zài Běijīng zūfáng, yí ge yuè děi duōshao qián
To rent in Beijing, how much does it take a month? — 得 'need/cost'.
明天早上我得早起赶飞机。
míngtiān zǎoshang wǒ děi zǎoqǐ gǎn fēijī
Tomorrow morning I have to get up early to catch a flight. (informal)
The negation trap: modal 得 (děi) has no negative form. "Need not / don't have to" is never ✗不得 — it is 不用 (búyòng) or 不必 (búbì). Compare 得 with its neighbours on the obligation modals page and with 应该 / 该 'should'; the fuller modal treatment is on the 得 (děi) 'must' verb page.
Reading 3: 得 (de) — the complement particle
Toneless 得 (de) is not a verb at all: it links a verb or adjective to a complement describing how, or to what degree, the action happens — 跑得快 "runs fast," 说得对 "well said." This is a whole topic of its own.
他汉语说得很好。
tā Hànyǔ shuō de hěn hǎo
He speaks Chinese very well. — 得 links 说 to its manner complement 很好.
你来得太早了，店还没开门。
nǐ lái de tài zǎo le, diàn hái méi kāimén
You came too early — the shop isn't open yet.
For the full pattern see the manner/degree complement with 得, and to keep 得 apart from its homophone particles 的 and 地, use the choosing 的 / 地 / 得 and particle-level 的/地/得 pages.
Telling the three apart
| Reading | Meaning | Position | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 得 dé | get, obtain, win, fall ill | main verb (takes 了/an object) | 得到, 得病, 得了第一名 |
| 得 děi | must, have to, need, cost | modal, before the verb | 我得走了, 得多少钱 |
| 得 de | (no meaning — links complement) | after V/adj, before complement | 跑得快, 说得对 |
Quick test: if 得 is before the verb and you can swap in "have to," it's děi; if it's after a verb and followed by a description, it's the particle de; if it is the verb and takes an object or 了, it's dé.
Common Mistakes
1. Negating 得 (děi) as 不得. "Need not" is 不用 / 不必.
❌ 明天你不得来。
Wrong — modal 得 has no negative. Use 不用 / 不必.
✅ 明天你不用来。
míngtiān nǐ búyòng lái
You don't have to come tomorrow.
2. Using 得 (dé) for every English "get." English "get home / get up" isn't 得 "obtain" — and before an action verb, 得 simply reads as děi "have to," never the English motion sense.
❌ 昨天我很晚才得家。
Wrong — 得家 isn't a word; 'get home / reach home' is 到家. 得 (dé) only means 'obtain'.
✅ 昨天我很晚才到家。
zuótiān wǒ hěn wǎn cái dào jiā
I got home very late yesterday.
3. Dropping the particle 得 in a manner comment. "Runs fast (as a comment on the running)" needs 得.
❌ 他跑很快。
Wrong — a manner complement needs 得: 跑得很快.
✅ 他跑得很快。
tā pǎo de hěn kuài
He runs really fast.
4. Calquing English "have to" with 有. "Have to" is 得 / 必须, never 有.
❌ 我今天有去公司。
Wrong — 'have to go' is 得去 / 必须去; 有 is 'to have/exist', not obligation.
✅ 我今天得去公司。
wǒ jīntiān děi qù gōngsī
I have to go to the office today.
Key Takeaways
- One character, three words: 得 dé "get/obtain," 得 děi "must/have to," 得 de complement particle.
- Position decides: before the verb = děi "must"; after the verb linking a description = de particle; standing as the verb with 了/object = dé "get."
- 得 (děi) is colloquial and has no negative — "need not" is 不用 / 不必, never ✗不得.
- Don't map English "get" onto 得 (dé) — only "obtain/win/fall ill," never "get up / get home."
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- 有 (yǒu) — have / there is / existHSK 1 — 有 (yǒu) covers both 'have/possess' (我有一个哥哥) and 'there is/exists' (桌子上有一本书); it is the ONE verb negated with 没, never 不 — the negative is always 没有, never *不有.
- 会 (huì) — can (learned) / will / be good atHSK 1 — 会 (huì) does three everyday jobs: 'can' for a learned skill (会说中文), 'will / likely' for a prediction (明天会下雨, often framed 会…的), and the noun 'meeting' (开会) — but it is never the 'can' of permission or one-off circumstance.
- 的 vs 得 vs 地 — The Three deHSK 3 — Three characters, one sound (all neutral-tone de), three different jobs. 的 links a modifier to a NOUN (我的书 'my book'). 得 links a verb or adjective to a COMPLEMENT that follows (跑得快 'runs fast'). 地 links a manner word to a VERB (慢慢地走 'walk slowly'). Decide by grammatical slot: what sits on each side of the de.