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Adj + 得不得了 (extremely)
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Good news prompts a strong reaction
- A student has won a place on a team and is delighted.
- she / her她happy高兴(degree marker)得desperately serious不得了。 — The speaker describes very strong happiness.
A student has won a place on a team and is delighted. What does 她高兴得不得了。 communicate?
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The speaker describes very strong happiness. The intensifier follows the adjective. It is expressive speech, not a measured level of emotion.
Build the form
- The pattern in this lesson is Adj + (degree marker)得desperately serious不得了 (extremely). Locate it in the original interlinear examples below.
- Keep the words in their demonstrated positions; the pattern must fit the intended situation as well as the sentence form.
he他happy高兴extremely得不得了。
Using the lesson pattern in this demonstrated example: He's extremely happy: 他高兴 ____。
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Adj + 得不得了 = extremely: 高兴得不得了.
Read examples in context
- In the opening example, she / her她happy高兴(degree marker)得desperately serious不得了。: The speaker describes very strong happiness.
- Explain who acts, what is described and which time or group is relevant before choosing an English paraphrase.
得不得了 expresses…
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It's a strong, colloquial intensifier: 累得不得了.
Know the boundary
- The intensifier follows the adjective.
- It is expressive speech, not a measured level of emotion.
得不得了 comes after the adjective.
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Yes — Adj + 得不得了: 高兴得不得了.
In the opening situation: The speaker describes very strong happiness.
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The intensifier follows the adjective. It is expressive speech, not a measured level of emotion. The speaker describes very strong happiness.
Use the distinction
- The speaker describes very strong happiness.
- The intensifier follows the adjective. It is expressive speech, not a measured level of emotion.
Read the full reference: HSK 5 grammar — Adjectives.
A student has won a place on a team and is delighted. Close the examples. Say a Mandarin response, then write it in Chinese. Explain briefly in English what the lesson’s pattern adds. Compare with the model, then change one detail and try again.
This is supported productive practice. Compare meaning and structure; your answer need not copy the model. A partner or teacher must hear the spoken response to comment on pronunciation.