Expressing "must" with "dei"

Revision as of 13:47, 22 September 2014 by Noemi (talk | contribs) (→‎Examples: You needs → You need)

Learning how to use 得 to mean "must" must be done by those wishing to master Chinese!

Structure

Normally when you see 得 it's a particle and is pronounced "de". However, it can also be an auxiliary verb. In this case it's pronounced děi and means "must".

Subject + 得 + Verb + Object

Examples

  • 时间 不早了,我 回 家 了。It's getting late. I have to go home.
  • 你 病得 太严重了,去看医生。You are badly ill. You need to go see a doctor.
  • 朋友们 都 在 等,我们 走了。Our friends are waiting, we need to go.

See also

Sources and further reading

Videos

Books