How to say “must” in Chinese with 得 (děi)
Subj. + 得 (děi) + Verb Phrase
得 (dé) — must, have to
Subj. + 得 (děi) + Verb Phrase
HSK 4Auxiliary verbs得 (dé) — must, have to
Rule structure
得 (děi) expresses necessity or obligation. It is stronger than 应该 (yīng gāi) (yīnggāi) and is used in spoken Chinese. Negated as 不用 (bùyòng) or 别 (bié).
Rule structure
得 (děi) expresses necessity or obligation. It is stronger than 应该 (yīng gāi) (yīnggāi) and is used in spoken Chinese. Negated as 不用 (bùyòng) or 别 (bié).
Examples
我得走了。
Wǒ děi zǒu le.
I have to go.
Examples
我得走了。
Wǒ děi zǒu le.
I have to go.
Build the sentence
Drag the characters to put them in the correct order
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “must, have to” in Chinese with 得?
Use the structure: Subj. + 得 (děi) + Verb Phrase. For example: 我得走了。 — “I have to go.”.
What is an example sentence with this grammar rule?
我得走了。 — “I have to go.”.
Which HSK level includes this grammar rule?
This grammar rule is part of HSK 4.
Tomyo
Learn Chinese grammar with smart reviews
Grammar explanations, exercises and spaced repetition — all in one app.
More HSK 4 grammar rules
不用 — don't need to
Subj. + 不用 (bú yòng) + Verb Phrase
全 — whole, entire
全 (quán) + Measure Word + Noun
到 — until (time/place/degree)
Verb + 到 (dào) + Time / Place / Degree
连 + verb — not even
连 (lián) + Verb + 都 (dōu) + 不 (bù) / 没 (méi) + Verb
原来 — it turns out, originally
Subj. + 原来 (yuánlái) + Predicate
不管 — no matter
不管 (bùguǎn)⋯⋯，都 (dōu) / 也 (yě)⋯⋯
无论 — no matter what
无论 (wúlùn) / 不论 (bùlùn)⋯⋯，都 (dōu) / 也 (yě)⋯⋯
难道 — rhetorical question “isn’t it…?”
难道 (nándào) + Statement + 吗 (ma)?