Chinese Grammar Bank
HOW TO USE 都?
Do you know there is a functional character in Chinese can cover several words, including ‘both’, ‘all’, ‘both not/neither’, and ‘all not’?
都 (dōu) is a commonly used adverb in Chinese.
Generally, you can change the extent of expression by adding it into the middle of your sentence.
都 FOR “ALL”
In most cases, the meaning of 都 (dōu) equals “all” in English.
But unlike “all” in English, 都 always appears after the subject instead of the at beginning of the sentence. So, the basic sentence structure should be like this:
PATTERN
Subject + 都 + [Verb Phrase]
你们都认识John吗？
Do you all know John?我们都很喜欢滑雪。
We all love skiing.View More Phrases
| CHINESE | PINYIN | ENGLISH |
|---|---|---|
| 这些苹果都是送给你的。 | zhè xiē píng guǒ dōu shì sòng gěi nǐ de | These apples are all for you. |
| 所有新员工在正式工作前都要参加入职培训。 | suǒ yǒu xīn yuán gōng zài zhèng shì gōng zuò qián dōu yào cān jiā rù zhí péi xùn | All new employees are required to undergo induction training before they start working. |
| 生物、物理和历史都是我很喜欢的学科。 | shēng wù、wù lǐ hé lì shǐ dōu shì wǒ hěn xǐ huān de xué kē | Biology, physics, and history are all my favorite subjects. |
| 你们都用Facebook吗？ | nǐ men dōu yòng Facebook ma | Do you all use Facebook? |
| 我们都要冰水，谢谢。 | wǒ men dōu yào bīng shuǐ，xiè xiè | We all want ice water, thank you. |
都 FOR “BOTH”
To make things easier, we don’t need to distinguish between “all” and “both” in Chinese.
Instead, we use 都 (dōu) when there are more than one subject.
Chinese also doesn’t have a particular pattern like “neither/nor”. In negative situations, we can simply add “不 (bù)” before “都 (dōu) ”. The sentence structure remains the same:
PATTERN
Subject + 都 + [Verb Phrase]
我们两个人都很想念你。
We both miss you so much.我们都是学生。
We are both students.View More Phrases
| CHINESE | PINYIN | ENGLISH |
|---|---|---|
| 这两个项目我都参加过。 | zhè liǎng gè xiàng mù wǒ dōu cān jiā guò | I have participated in both projects. |
| 你们两个都喜欢吃中国菜吗？ | nǐ men liǎng gè dōu xǐ huān chī zhōng guó cài ma | Do you both like to eat Chinese food? |
| 我和我太太都是运动员。 | wǒ hé wǒ tài tài dōu shì yùn dòng yuán | My wife and I are both athletes. |
EMPHASIZING QUANTITY
都 (dōu) can also be used to emphasize the quantity or extent in Chinese.
For example, if you want to express stay healthy is very important and that you do exercises every day, then you can say “我每天都锻炼。/ I work out every day.”
Apart from collocating 都 (dōu) with 每天 (měi tiān), it is also quite common to collocate it with 很多 (hěn duō) or 大家 (dàjiā) to stress the number of the subject. And the basic sentence structure is:
PATTERNS
Subject + 都 + Verb + Object
Subject + 都 + Adjective
EXAMPLES WITH 很多 (hěn duō)
| CHINESE | PINYIN | ENGLISH |
|---|---|---|
| 很多人都有喝咖啡的习惯。 | hěn duō rén dōu yǒu hē kā fēi de xí guàn | A lot of people have the habit of drinking coffee. |
| 很多企业都坐落在纽约。 | hěn duō qǐ yè dōu zuò luò zài niǔ yuē | A lot of businesses are located in New York. |
| 很多企业都有固定的经营模式。 | hěn duō qǐ yè dōu yǒu gù dìng de jīng yíng mó shì | Many companies have a fixed business model. |
| 很多事情都有风险。 | hěn duō shì qíng dōu yǒu fēng xiǎn | Many things are risky. |
EXAMPLES WITH 大家 (dàjiā)
| CHINESE | PINYIN | ENGLISH |
|---|---|---|
| 大家都准备好了吗？ | dà jiā dōu zhǔn bèi hǎo le ma | Are you all ready? |
| 不要担心，大家都很友好。 | bú yào dān xīn，dà jiā dōu hěn yǒu hǎo | Don’t worry, everyone is friendly. |
| 大家都说你很聪明。 | dà jiā dōu shuō nǐ hěn cōng míng | Everyone says you are smart. |
EXAMPLES WITH 每天 (měi tiān)
| CHINESE | PINYIN | ENGLISH |
|---|---|---|
| 她每天都不吃早饭。 | tā měi tiān dōu bú chī zǎo fàn | She doesn’t eat breakfast every day. |
| 我们每天都一起踢足球。 | wǒ men měi tiān dōu yī qǐ tī zú qiú | We play football together every day. |
| 爸爸每天都看球赛。 | bà bà měi tiān dōu kàn qiú sài | Dad watches football games every day. |
| 我每天都晨跑。 | wǒ měi tiān dōu chén pǎo | I run in the morning every day. |
OTHER EXAMPLES
Here are some other examples that don’t use 很多 (hěn duō) or 大家 (dàjiā) or 每天 (měi tiān), but are still quite typical.
| CHINESE | PINYIN | ENGLISH |
|---|---|---|
| 我们都喜欢吃中国菜。 | wǒ men dōu xǐ huān chī zhōng guó cài | We all love Chinese food. |
| 我的家人都没去过中国。 | wǒ de jiā rén dōu méi qù guò zhōng guó | None of my family has ever been to China. |
| 大多数学生都要学习英文。 | dà duō shù xué shēng dōu yào xué xí yīng wén | Most students are required to study English. |
| 每位老人都应该被关爱。 | měi wèi lǎo rén dōu yīng gāi bèi guān ài | Every elderly person should be cared for. |
EVERYTHING WITH 什么…都
什么……都 (shén me… dōu) is also a pattern often used to express “all” or “everything.”
However, it is a more colloquial and informal expression than 都 (dōu). So, remember not to use it in any formal situations. Now, the basic structure to use this phrase is:
PATTERN
什么 + Noun + 都 + Verb
她什么歌都会唱。
She sings any song.我什么运动都想尝试。
I would like to try any sport.See More Phrases
| CHINESE | PINYIN | ENGLISH |
|---|---|---|
| 我什么类型糖果都喜欢吃。 | wǒ shí me lèi xíng táng guǒ dōu xǐ huān chī | I like to eat all types of candy. |
| 谈到历史，他什么都知道。 | tán dào lì shǐ，tā shí me dōu zhī dào | When it comes to history, he knows everything. |
| 你不应该什么事情都和他讲。 | nǐ bú yīng gāi shí me shì qíng dōu hé tā jiǎng | You shouldn’t tell him everything. |
NEGATIVE FORM
Now let’s get straight its negative form. There are two basic structures to say “all not” using this phrase:
PATTERNS
什么 + Noun + 都 / 也 + 不 + Verb
什么 + Noun + 都 / 也 + 没 (有) + Verb
Notice that it follows a different order than in English, so it might be a bit tricky to get the hang of at first. Here are more examples to help you better command this usage:
| CHINESE | PINYIN | ENGLISH |
|---|---|---|
| 今天我不舒服，什么东西都没吃。 | jīn tiān wǒ bú shū fú，shí me dōng xī dōu méi chī | I’m not feeling well today, so I didn’t eat anything. |
| 上午的会议上她什么话也没说。 | shàng wǔ de huì yì shàng tā shí me huà yě méi shuō | She didn’t say a word at the morning meeting. |
| 今天是周末，我什么也不想做。 | jīn tiān shì zhōu mò，wǒ shí me yě bú xiǎng zuò | Today is the weekend and I don’t want to do anything. |
| 老板现在很生气，什么人也不想见。 | lǎo bǎn xiàn zài hěn shēng qì，shí me rén yě bú xiǎng jiàn | The boss is very angry now and doesn’t want to see anyone. |
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FAQs
What does 都 mean?
In most cases, the meaning of 都 equals “all” in English.
What is the basic sentence structure for 都?
Unlike “all” in English, 都 always appears after the subject instead of the at beginning of the sentence. So, the basic sentence structure should be like this:
– Subj. + 都 + [Verb Phrase]
What does 什么…都 mean?
什么……都 (shén me… dōu) is a pattern often used to express “all” or “everything.” However, it is a more colloquial and informal expression than 都(dōu).
How can I stress the meaning of 都?
You can use 都 in combination with words like 每天 (měi tiān), 很多 (hěn duō) or 大家 (dàjiā) to emphasize the frequency of the action.
What are some sample sentences of 都?
– 我们都很喜欢滑雪。wǒ men dōu hěn xǐ huān huá xuě. We all love skiing.
– 我们两个人都很想念你。wǒ men liǎng gè rén dōu hěn xiǎng niàn nǐ. We both miss you so much.
– 很多人都有喝咖啡的习惯。hěn duō rén dōu yǒu hē kā fēi de xí guàn. A lot of people have the habit of drinking coffee.
Will I ever be able to learn Chinese?
Yes! Learning Chinese is not as hard as you may think! Remember that well over a billion people speak this wonderful language, so if they could all learn it, so can you! The key is using effective study strategies and staying consistent.
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