"我的哥哥打篮球打得不错。"

Translation: My older brother plays basketball pretty well.

[IgnatiusRyan]

Could someone please explain the syntax? Why is 打 repeated here? Thanks a lot!

[Patrick_Dark]

This seems to be explained in Chinese Grammar Wiki's Degree Complements article: https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Degree_complement#Degree_Complements_with_Objects.

Based on the article, this is a "degree complement with [an] object" where "得不錯" is the degree complement and "籃球" is the object. Since both must be adjacent to the verb ("打"), one must copy the verb to get what is literally, "My older brother plays basketball, plays well.

It also looks like "打" is a special verb that "verbifies" a noun, so "打籃球" (to play basketball) is literally "to basketball" while "打電話" (to call) is literally "to telephone".

[RaynaLThompson]

Excellent answer. Thank you.

[bnbnb2]

+最近总国人只说一样’他篮球打的很不错‘

[SilviaFaja5]

Why is "not bad" not allowed for "不错"?

[SummerYin2]

Then it would be "my older brother plays basketball not bad" which isn't proper English

[Kivolamuzikisto]

I think "My older brother isn't bad at (playing) basketball" would be perfectly fine tho

[Fekkezaum]

"My older brother plays basketball not badly" would be grammatically correct but it sounds very unnatural.

"My older brother plays basketball pretty well" sounds more natural.

But I think "My [older] brother is pretty good at [playing] basketball" is what a native English speaker would say. I'm not a native English speaker though.

Anyway, I have the feeling that Chinese speakers use "不错" in a slightly different way compared to how English speakers use "not bad". I feel like "不错" is better translated as "pretty well".

[Nana344213]

"my big brother is not bad at playing basketball" is accepted

[MoVprN]

Pretty well and very well?

[KarmaAkabane7757]

why is 得 used at the end instead of 的?

[Elder-Simmons]

The first one is used to modify a verb, while the second is used to show possession (usually)

[Fekkezaum]

Why 我的哥哥 and not 我哥哥? I thought we had to drop the 的 for close family members.

[xCA712]

I don't know if ppl actually read the whole comment thread (I'm on mobile and I'm not sure how the comment section looks like on computer/web form but if you did you should be able to already clarify your doubts on what “不错” means or how it's usually translated as.)

If you didn't, I'll put up some of the main things that are important to know.

”不错” means "not bad" literally as Yomalyn said which in English we would think of it as "decent" or "ok" when talking about e.g. someone's ability/skill (to do something)

In my daily usage of English it's usual for me to say "He plays basketball pretty well" (like the recommended ans by Duolingo) Or "He's not bad at basketball".

I could also say "He's decent at (playing) basketball"

So I think it depends on how the sentences are phrased. And the e.g. shows that both direct/literal and implied meanings of the word “不错” are used and it's not wrong to translate the word into its implied meanings because it fits into English daily usage rather than the literal sometimes. (After taking a long time typing I'm not sure if im explaining things right, sorry if it might seem confusing.)

[LindsayRaf2]

Is "My older brother is pretty good in playing basketball" wrong?

[Stephen241623]

Technically, yes, as a point of English grammar you are good “at” playing something.

[jasmine959]

why was da used twice

[FirstUntakenName]

Would "my older brother's basketball playing is pretty good" (or "not bad") be a reasonable translation here?
To me in English the meaning seems the same.

[Geoff470860]

.....'pretty well' should be deemed correct (because it is)