结构助词 得 和补语
得 and the complement

“他跑得很快”“他说汉语说得很好”“跑得快不快”——这些句子你从第五级就在说，第十级又给它们起了名字，叫程度补语。上一课的“地”站在动词前边，这一课的“得”跟在动词后边，正好相反。

他跑得很快, 他说汉语说得很好, 跑得快不快 — you have been saying these since level 5, and level 10 gave them a name, 程度补语. Last lesson's 地 stands in front of the verb; this lesson's 得 follows it. They are exact mirror images.

这个“得”读轻声。同一个字还有两个读音，用处完全不同：“得到”读 dé，“我得走了”读 děi。一个字三个读音，靠句子里的位置分辨。动词加“得”加补语，叫述补结构：补语补充说明前边的动词，位置永远后置——这是汉语很老的规矩。

This 得 is a neutral-tone de. The same character carries two other readings with quite different jobs: 得到 dédào 'to obtain', and 我得走了 wǒ děi zǒu le 'I have to go'. One character, three readings, sorted out by position. Verb plus 得 plus complement is a 述补 structure: the complement fills out (补充) what the verb has said, and it always stands behind the verb — that placement is 后置, a very old Chinese habit.

光说“他跑得快”听着没说完，像要接下半句：他跑得快，我跑得慢。加上“很”，句子就站住了。这跟第十级的形容词谓语一样：“他高”要说成“他很高”，“很”在这里不表示程度，只是把话说圆。

On its own 他跑得快 sounds unfinished, as though a second half were coming: 他跑得快，我跑得慢. Add 很 and the sentence stands. It is the same 很 you met with adjectival predicates in level 10: 他高 must become 他很高, and that 很 marks no degree at all — it simply rounds the sentence off.

“他说汉语得很好”不成话，因为“得”一定要紧挨着动词。补救的办法有两个：把动词重复一次，说“他说汉语说得很好”；或者把宾语提到前边做话题，说“他汉语说得很好”。两个都对，口语里第二个更常听见。

他说汉语得很好 is not Chinese, because 得 must touch the verb. Two repairs: repeat the verb (他说汉语说得很好), or move the object forward as a topic (他汉语说得很好). Both are correct, and the second is the one you hear more in speech.

还要跟第十级的可能补语分开：“看得懂”是可能补语，否定式是“看不懂”，“不”把“得”换掉了；“看得很清楚”是程度补语，否定式是“看得不清楚”，“得”还在。看否定式，一下子就分得出来。

Keep it apart from level 10's potential complement: 看得懂 is potential and its negative is 看不懂, where 不 replaces 得; 看得很清楚 is a degree complement and its negative is 看得不清楚, where 得 stays. Look at the negative and the two come apart at once.