"你说得很慢。"
Translation:You speak very slowly.
60 Comments
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Short answer: 得 goes between a verb and an adjective to essentially turn that adjective into an adverb.
很慢 very slow -> 得很慢 very slowly
Long answer: This video from Chinesepod really helped me with 'de' particles; I re-watch it from time to time to understand more in-depth as my level improves (I also like that it's explained in both English and Chinese for listening practice):
The Three De's
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggPbyZN96ss
(This character specifically is discussed at 6:55)
I can't give you enough Lingots for that, this really helped a lot! I love how they also hand-count the different parts of the video in English and Chinese respectively. Very great resource, 谢谢！ I don't know how to say "Thank you very much" yet lol sorry
It's annoying that I cannot open the link while using the app on android... Do you mind sharing the link directly?
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Here is an updated link to the video for anyone still having problem https://goo.gl/rerPtV
Your video is impossible for me to access - something wrong with your link?
Using 得 in front of an adjective (e.g. slow) transforms it into an adverb (slowly).
Its a descriptive particle, essentially say that they speak to such an extent that is it slow
What is a descriptive particle? When do you need or use them? Are there many kinds? Are they easily identified in a sentence?
See the video linked above. Here is the very fast version: there are 3 particles in Chinese that link descriptors to the words they describe: 的, 地, and 得. They are all pronounced "de". They are absolutely 100% grammatically necessary in many, many sentence structures.
Usage:
descriptor + 的 + noun
descriptor + 地 + verb
verb + 得 + descriptor
It is a complement of degree or 程度补语，得 usually take place after verb and often followed by adjectives,we used them to describe how well an action is done. In this case 说 (Verb) + 得 (Compl. Degree) + 很慢 (慢 itself is an Adj).
It pretty much links a verb or an adjective to a complement which describes the manner or degree.
It is a complement of degree or 程度补语，得 usually take place after verb and often followed by adjectives, we used them to describe how well an action is done. In this case 说(Verb) + 得 (Compl. Degree) + 很慢 (慢 itself in an Adj).
Please watch the video that Yomalyn gives the link for in the response above. It does a pretty good job of explaining the differences.
Because:
descriptor + 的 +noun
descriptor + 地 + verb
verb + 得 + descriptor
Literally your sentence should be "你说得非常慢。" 非常 is stronger than 很. The general concept doesn't differ too much, though.
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There is a Chome extension for Duolingo by RobinCard that adds a slow talk option. Has some other nice features as well, well worth using. Go to the google chrome store and search for "Duolingo Chinese".
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I actually had never heard of the google chrome store or extensions! You've changed the whole game :D
Another HUGE advantage of that extension is that you can switch between Simplified and Traditional characters! Thank you so much!
I'm reviewing this lesson and I got tripped up on this translation the first time I did this. When I hovered over the 得, the hints say it is 'need.' So when I type in "You need to speak slowly" it's wrong. According to that Chinese Pod video link Yomalyn posted, 得 does not mean need. It is particle that denotes a degree. That hint should not be in there.
Agreed. Duolingo fails to distinguish polyphones almost every time they appear. Keep reporting it! 得 is a polyphone, a character with more than one pronunciation, and those pronunciations have different meanings. 得 as "de" is a grammatical particle in the structure verb + 得 +descriptor. 得 as "děi" is a verb meaning "need".
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This sentence is just an observation? Not requesting the speaker to change anything?
得 is just a connection between the verb and the adv, it must not be omitted. such as 他死的很快， means he dies very fast
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The audio for 慢 is incorrect. It should be a 4th tone, not a 3rd like I hear.
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Not in this case. 得 here is used to make 慢 an adverb instead of an adjective, as Yomalyn stated up above.
It's not idiomatic English, and there's no implication of "too" in the sentence...
