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)
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.
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'.
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.
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."
Related Topics
- 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.