Adj + 得不得了 (extremely) · Adj + 得不得了 (extremadamente)
Good news prompts a strong reaction
- A student has won a place on a team and is delighted.
- 她高兴得不得了。 — The speaker describes very strong happiness.
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?
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 + 得不得了 (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。
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 ____。
Adj + 得不得了 = extremely: 高兴得不得了. · Adj + 得不得了 = extremadamente: 高兴得不得了.
Read examples in context
- In the opening example, 她高兴得不得了。: The speaker describes very strong happiness.
- Explain who acts, what is described and which time or group is relevant before choosing an English paraphrase.
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… · 得不得了 expresa…
It's a strong, colloquial intensifier: 累得不得了. · Es un intensificador coloquial fuerte: 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. · 得不得了 viene después del adjetivo.
Yes — Adj + 得不得了: 高兴得不得了. · Sí — Adj + 得不得了: 高兴得不得了.
In the opening situation: The speaker describes very strong happiness.
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.