<p>From my experience, the use of 得 (<em>dei</em>， sometimes <em>di</em>) to mean &quot;have to&quot; is generally seen in Northern China, and rarely elsewhere. Interestingly, the use of &quot;不得不&quot; (<em>bu de bu</em>) to mean the exact same thing seems more prevalent, according to this <a href="http://www.pkucn.com/viewthread.php?tid=234815&amp;extra=page=59" rel="nofollow noreferrer">thread</a>.</p>
<p>Other combinations that can communicate similar meanings:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>我该走了 (I should go)</p>
<p>是时候走了 ([It] is time to go)</p>
<p>我要走了 (I need to go)</p>
</blockquote>
<p>(P.S.: Based on my amateurish understanding of the phrase, the use of &quot;不得&quot; to mean &quot;cannot&quot; is an abbreviation for the more ancient phrase &quot;不得已&quot;, which translates to &quot;cannot stop&quot;/&quot;does not have an alternative&quot; （已 means &quot;end&quot;). This is possibly the same reason why in Cantonese, &quot;得&quot; (when used alone) means &quot;can&quot;.</p>
<p>If this is true, then the word &quot;得&quot; here is indeed the same word that we commonly see it refer to (to have, to obtain), so the pronunciation of &quot;得&quot; as &quot;dei&quot; in Beijing Mandarin is probably a corruption (or a vernacular reading), which might be intended to differentiate it from the words 的 and 地 in this particular context. This explains why &quot;bu de bu&quot; does not have the same corruption.)</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-04-11T03:12:15.973Z
I just read the [thread](http://www.pkucn.com/viewthread.php?tid=234815&extra=page=59) you mentioned. I didn't see any reference to 不得不. Wrong link?
Betty
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-04-08T22:43:55.390Z
2012-04-08T23:41:33.447Z
2020-06-17T09:50:11.587Z
Yang
<p>我得走了is fine. Howver, we usually give a reason why you have to go. Such as:
我得走了，我要去参加一个会议. Means I have to go, for I'm going to attend a meeting.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-04-11T05:30:13.057Z
2012-04-11T05:30:13.057Z
Kevin Li
<p>This is just fine, and it's a very native usage. :)</p>

<p>「得」 has the meaning of 'must' when read as 'dei3' in pinyin or 'ㄉㄟ ˇ' in zhuyin.</p>

<p>For expressing this, you could also say:</p>

<blockquote>
  <ul>
  <li>我不得(<em>note</em>: 'de2', not 'dei3')不走了。</li>
  <li>我必須走了。</li>
  </ul>
</blockquote>

<p>But '我得走了' is better in speaking and the above two are more used in writing.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-04-19T21:48:19.957Z
Actually.. both pronunciations of 得 are acceptable. There are plenty of people who would pronounce this sentence as: wǒ bùdé bùzǒu le. This is not uncommon.
deutschZuid
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-04-08T18:47:40.637Z
2012-04-10T21:02:40.200Z
2012-04-10T21:02:40.200Z
shouya
<p>Today I was chatting online with a Chinese person. I wanted to say "I have to go" to end the conversation and disconnect, so I wrote this: </p>

<blockquote>
  <p>我得走了</p>
</blockquote>

<p>but I don't know if there is a better sentence. Or that sentence is just fine?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-04-08T18:04:59.277Z
Do you need the `得` (de) in this sentence? I've heard just `我走了` before, and haven't heard it with the `得`. Maybe someone else can help clarify?
Cocowalla
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-04-08T23:23:16.720Z
@Cocowalla: my Chinese level is not high so I might be making mistakes.
dusan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-04-09T01:06:45.543Z
@Cocowalla: Both form sounds OK to me.
fefe
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-04-09T06:11:14.810Z
@Cocowalla The `得` in this sentence is pronounced (děi). `走了啊！` means "Bye bye (in face to face conversation, don't use in forum or over phone)" and `我得走了` means "I should/must leave now". My English is not good enough to translate to native level, just approximate. As @ShouYa's answer, `我得走了` is way better than `我走了` in conversation.
Mengdi Gao
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-04-09T19:03:49.667Z
@MdGao ah, thanks for clarifying, this makes sense now! I know the spoken word děi is 'to have', but didn't realise it shared the same character as de (得).
Cocowalla
<expressions>
Saying "I have to go" in chat
# Saying "I have to go" in chat

(Asked by: username_0 on 2012-04-08)

Today I was chatting online with a Chinese person. I wanted to say "I have to go" to end the conversation and disconnect, so I wrote this:

> 我得走了

but I don't know if there is a better sentence. Or that sentence is just fine?

**Tags:** expressions

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Do you need the `得` (de) in this sentence? I've heard just `我走了` before, and haven't heard it with the `得`. Maybe someone else can help clarify?  
> **username_0**: @username_1: my Chinese level is not high so I might be making mistakes.  
> **username_2**: @username_1: Both form sounds OK to me.  
> **username_3**: @username_1 The `得` in this sentence is pronounced (děi). `走了啊！` means "Bye bye (in face to face conversation, don't use in forum or over phone)" and `我得走了` means "I should/must leave now". My English is not good enough to translate to native level, just approximate. As @ShouYa's answer, `我得走了` is way better than `我走了` in conversation.  
> **username_1**: @MdGao ah, thanks for clarifying, this makes sense now! I know the spoken word děi is 'to have', but didn't realise it shared the same character as de (得).  

---

## 3 answers

### Answer by username_7 on 2012-04-08. Score: 6 | Accepted answer

This is just fine, and it's a very native usage. :)

「得」 has the meaning of 'must' when read as 'dei3' in pinyin or 'ㄉㄟ ˇ' in zhuyin.

For expressing this, you could also say:

> * 我不得(*note*: 'de2', not 'dei3')不走了。
> * 我必須走了。

But '我得走了' is better in speaking and the above two are more used in writing.

> **Comments:**
> **username_8**: Actually.. both pronunciations of 得 are acceptable. There are plenty of people who would pronounce this sentence as: wǒ bùdé bùzǒu le. This is not uncommon.  

---

### Answer by username_4 on 2012-04-08. Score: 4

From my experience, the use of 得 (*dei*， sometimes *di*) to mean "have to" is generally seen in Northern China, and rarely elsewhere. Interestingly, the use of "不得不" (*bu de bu*) to mean the exact same thing seems more prevalent, according to this [thread](http://www.pkucn.com/viewthread.php?tid=234815&extra=page=59).

Other combinations that can communicate similar meanings:

> 我该走了 (I should go)
>
> 是时候走了 ([It] is time to go)
>
> 我要走了 (I need to go)

(P.S.: Based on my amateurish understanding of the phrase, the use of "不得" to mean "cannot" is an abbreviation for the more ancient phrase "不得已", which translates to "cannot stop"/"does not have an alternative" （已 means "end"). This is possibly the same reason why in Cantonese, "得" (when used alone) means "can".

If this is true, then the word "得" here is indeed the same word that we commonly see it refer to (to have, to obtain), so the pronunciation of "得" as "dei" in Beijing Mandarin is probably a corruption (or a vernacular reading), which might be intended to differentiate it from the words 的 and 地 in this particular context. This explains why "bu de bu" does not have the same corruption.)

> **Comments:**
> **username_5**: I just read the [thread](http://www.pkucn.com/viewthread.php?tid=234815&extra=page=59) you mentioned. I didn't see any reference to 不得不. Wrong link?  

---

### Answer by username_6 on 2012-04-11. Score: 2

我得走了is fine. Howver, we usually give a reason why you have to go. Such as:
我得走了，我要去参加一个会议. Means I have to go, for I'm going to attend a meeting.


---

