得, when read děi, is the warm, colloquial "gotta / have to / need to" of spoken Mandarin — 我得走了 ("I gotta go"), 你得多喝水 ("you've got to drink more water"). It states a necessity: something is required by the situation, common sense, or plain practicality. Two things make 得 trickier than its meaning suggests. First, it's a three-way homograph — the same character 得 is also structural de (the complement marker in 跑得快) and dé "to obtain" (得到) — so you have to read the sentence to know which one you're looking at. Second, and this catches everyone: its negation is not 不得. To say "don't have to," you switch words entirely, to 不用 or 不必.
得 (děi): everyday "have to"
Placed before a verb, 得 (děi) says the action is necessary — you must, you've got to. It's the spoken default for obligation, warmer and more casual than the formal 必须.
我得走了，公交车快来了。
wǒ děi zǒu le, gōngjiāochē kuài lái le
I gotta go — the bus is almost here. (informal) — 得 = spoken 'have to'.
你脸色这么差，得去看看医生。
nǐ liǎnsè zhème chà, děi qù kànkan yīshēng
You look so unwell — you've got to see a doctor. (informal) — 得 giving urgent practical advice.
要想把中文学好，你得每天练。
yào xiǎng bǎ Zhōngwén xué hǎo, nǐ děi měi tiān liàn
If you want to master Chinese, you have to practice every day. (neutral) — 得 for a practical necessity.
得 for a confident estimate: "it'll take / it must be"
得 (děi) also does a second, subtler job: a confident estimate of what something will take or amount to — "it'll take a good hour," "that must've cost a fortune." Here the necessity is logical rather than a duty.
从这儿到机场，开车得一个小时。
cóng zhèr dào jīchǎng, kāichē děi yí ge xiǎoshí
Driving from here to the airport takes a good hour. (neutral) — 得 = 'it'll take'.
这么大一桌菜，得花不少钱吧。
zhème dà yì zhuō cài, děi huā bù shǎo qián ba
A spread this big must've cost quite a bit. (informal) — 得 as a confident guess.
The three lives of 得: děi / de / dé
This is the character's most notorious trap. One written form 得, three jobs and three sounds. You disambiguate by position and structure, not by the character.
| Reading | Job | Position | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 得 děi | modal: must / have to | before the main verb | 我得走 (wǒ děi zǒu) — I have to go |
| 得 de | structural complement marker (toneless) | after a verb/adjective, before a complement | 跑得快 (pǎo de kuài) — runs fast |
| 得 dé | full verb: obtain / get | as the verb itself | 得到 (dédào) — to obtain; 得奖 (dé jiǎng) — win a prize |
他得快跑，不然赶不上。
tā děi kuài pǎo, bùrán gǎn bú shàng
He has to run fast, or he won't make it. (informal) — 得 (děi) modal, before the verb 跑.
他跑得很快，一下子就到了。
tā pǎo de hěn kuài, yíxiàzi jiù dào le
He runs very fast — got there in no time. (neutral) — 得 (de) complement marker, after the verb 跑.
Negation: NOT 不得 — use 不用 / 不必
Here is the rule that trips up every learner. The negation of 得 (děi) is not 不得. To say "don't have to / needn't," you switch to 不用 (búyòng) or the slightly more formal 不必 (búbì).
你不用担心，这件事我来处理。
nǐ búyòng dānxīn, zhè jiàn shì wǒ lái chǔlǐ
You don't have to worry — I'll handle this. (informal) — 'don't have to' is 不用, not 不得.
这点小事，不必特地跑一趟。
zhè diǎn xiǎo shì, búbì tèdì pǎo yí tàng
For such a small thing, there's no need to make a special trip. (neutral) — 不必 = needn't.
There is a written string 不得 — but it's read bùdé and means "must not / may not," a formal prohibition (不得入内 "no entry," 不得吸烟 "no smoking"). It's a different word, not the negation of děi. So 不得 exists; it just doesn't mean "don't have to."
馆内不得大声喧哗。
guǎn nèi bùdé dàshēng xuānhuá
No loud noise inside the hall. (formal) — 不得 (bùdé) = 'must not', a written prohibition — unrelated to 得 (děi).
Questions: ask with 要不要 / 用不用, not 得
得 (děi) is awkward in questions — you rarely hear 得不得. To ask "do I have to?", Mandarin uses 要不要, 用不用, or 需不需要, and answers with 得 or 不用.
——我明天用不用来？——你得来，会上要签到。
— wǒ míngtiān yòng bu yòng lái? — nǐ děi lái, huì shàng yào qiāndào
— Do I have to come tomorrow? — Yes, you have to; there's a sign-in at the meeting. (informal) — question with 用不用, answer with 得.
Common Mistakes
1. Negating with 不得. The negation of 得 (děi) is 不用 or 不必 — never 不得 (which is a formal "must not").
❌ 明天我不得去上班。
Wrong — for 'I don't have to go to work' use 不用 / 不必, not 不得.
✅ 明天我不用去上班。
míngtiān wǒ búyòng qù shàngbān
I don't have to go to work tomorrow. — 不用 for 'needn't'.
2. Using colloquial 得 in formal writing. 得 (děi) is spoken register. On a written rule or official notice, use 必须 instead.
❌ 所有人得按时到场。
Too casual for a formal notice — a written rule uses 必须: 所有人必须按时到场.
✅ 所有人必须按时到场。
suǒyǒu rén bìxū ànshí dàochǎng
Everyone must arrive on time. — 必须 for the formal register.
3. Forming an A-not-A question with 得. 得不得 isn't idiomatic; use 要不要 / 用不用 / 需不需要 instead.
❌ 你得不得现在交作业？
Unnatural — ask with 用不用 or 要不要: 你现在用不用交作业？
✅ 你现在用不用交作业？
nǐ xiànzài yòng bu yòng jiāo zuòyè?
Do you have to hand in the homework now? — question with 用不用.
4. Confusing modal 得 (děi) with complement 得 (de). Before the verb = "must"; after the verb linking to a description = the complement marker. Watch the position.
❌ 他得快很。
Wrong structure — 'he's very fast' needs the complement 得: 他跑得很快. Modal 得 goes before the verb (他得跑).
✅ 他跑得很快。
tā pǎo de hěn kuài
He runs very fast. — complement 得 (de), after the verb.
Key Takeaways
- 得 (děi) is the everyday spoken "gotta / have to" — a practical necessity, warmer and more casual than 必须.
- It also gives confident estimates: 得一个小时 "it'll take an hour," 得花不少钱 "must cost a fair bit."
- One character, three readings: modal děi (before the verb), toneless complement de (跑得快), full verb dé "obtain" (得到).
- Negation is not 不得 — say 不用 / 不必 for "don't have to." The string 不得 (bùdé) is a separate formal "must not."
- Don't question with 得不得 — ask 要不要 / 用不用 / 需不需要 and answer with 得 or 不用.
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- 必须 (bìxū): Must (Strong Necessity)HSK 3 — 必须 (bìxū) is the strong, categorical 'must' of rules and firm advice — 你必须完成作业, 乘客必须系安全带. It's firmer and more formal than 得 (děi). Its negation is 不必 / 不用 (need not), NOT 不必须; 'must not' is 不能 / 不得 / 别.
- 应该 / 该 (yīnggāi / gāi): ShouldHSK 2 — 应该 (yīnggāi) covers both English 'should's: advice (你应该多休息 'you should rest more') and inference (他应该到了 'he should have arrived by now'). The short form 该 (gāi) is colloquial, especially 该…了 'it's time to…'. Negation: 不应该.
- Choosing 应该 / 得 / 必须 / 要 / 需要HSK 3 — The 'should / must / need to' cluster on one strength scale — 应该 (advisable) < 要 / 需要 (need to) < 得 děi (gotta) < 必须 (categorical must) — and the negation minefield: 不应该 = shouldn't, 不用 / 不必 = needn't, 不能 / 别 = must not. You almost never negate 得 or 必须 directly.
- Choosing 的 / 得 / 地HSK 3 — The decision guide for the three de's. 的 goes before a noun (红的花), 得 after a verb before a complement (跑得快), 地 before a verb as a manner adverb (快乐地唱). One test settles it: look at what comes right after.