Chinese Grammar Bank
HOW TO USE 什么 + 都/也
什么……都 (shén me… dōu) is a pattern often used to express “all” or “everything” in Chinese.
It can be used when describing how a particular action applies to a general object, as in “我 什 么水 果 都 爱 吃 ( I like to eat any fruit).”
BASIC USAGE FOR ALL IN CHINESE
When using the pattern “什么……都”, we often place it after the sentence’s subject to modify it and add a verb or an adjective afterward. The basic structure is as follows:
PATTERN
Topic (+ Subject) + 什么都 / 也 + Verb / Adjective
Note that 都 (dōu) is more frequently used than 也 (yě) in this structure. See the following sentences for examples:
什么都 STRUCTURE WITH A NOUN
Sometimes we place the subject between 什么 and 都.
In these cases, only the word order is different, but the sentence’s meaning remains the same. The modified sentence structure is as follows:
PATTERN
什么 + Noun + 都 + Verb
什么都 NEGATIVE STRUCTURE
So how do we form a negative sentence with the 什么……都 (shén me… dōu) pattern?
Well, we can simply add a 不 (bù) or a 没 (méi) after the 都 (dōu) / 也 (yě).
Instead of “all” or “everything”, this negative form expresses “none” or “not any.”
The following two sentence structures are the ones we often use:
STRUCTURE #1
什么 + Noun + 都 / 也 + 不 + Verb
STRUCTURE #2
什么 + Noun + 都 / 也 + 没 (有) + Verb
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FAQs
What does the pattern “什么……都/也” mean?
This pattern is used to express “all” or “everything” in Chinese. It can be used when describing how a particular action applies to a general object, as in “我 什 么水 果 都 爱 吃 (I like to eat any fruit).”
How do you pronounce 什么……都 in Chinese?
This structure is pronounced shén me… dōu.
Is using 都 or 也 more common?
The pattern with 都 (dōu) is more frequently used than 也 (yě).
What are some examples for 什么……都/也?
Here are some sample sentences:
– 她什么都相信。tā shén me dōu xiāng xìn. She believes in everything.
– 妈妈做的什么菜都好吃。mā mā zuò de shén me cài dōu hǎo chī. Everything my mother cooks is delicious.
– 今天我不舒服，什么东西都没吃。jīn tiān wǒ bù shū fú ，shén me dōng xī dōu méi chī. I’m not feeling well today and haven’t eaten anything.
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