The "all" adverb "dou"

The adverb 都 (dōu) is used to express "all" in Chinese. It's very common to use 都 (dōu) in all sorts of sentences where we would find it unnecessary in English.

都 for "all"

Structure

Subject + 都 + [Verb Phrase]

Remember that 都 (dōu) appears after the subject. A common mistake learners make is to put 都 (dōu) at the beginning of the sentence (as "all" often appears there in English). This isn't good Chinese - make sure you put 都 (dōu) after the subject and before the verb.

Examples

• 你们 都 认识 John 吗 ？Nǐmen dōu rènshi John ma? Do you all know John?
• 我们 都 在 上海 。Wǒmen dōu zài Shànghǎi. We are all in Shanghai.
• 我们 都 可以 去 吗 ？Wǒmen dōu kěyǐ qù ma? Can we all go?
• 你们 都 用 wiki 吗 ？Nǐmen dōu yòng wiki ma? Do you all use the wiki?
• 你们 都 要 冰水 吗 ？Nǐmen dōu yào bīngshuǐ ma? Do you all want ice water?

都 for "both"

Chinese doesn't normally use a special word for "both" like English does. It just uses 都 (dōu) as if it were any other number greater than one. This is actually really easy; you just have to get used to it.

Structure

[Subject which is two people or things ] + 都 + [Verb Phrase]

This pattern should look familiar.

Examples

These examples follow exactly the same form in Chinese as the ones above. The only difference is that here we don't translate 都 (dōu) as "all" in English; we translate it as "both," and for negative cases, we translate it as "neither."

• 我们 两 个 都 爱 你 。Wǒmen liǎng gè dōu ài nǐ. The two of us both love you.
• 你们 两 个 都 学 中文 吗 ？Nǐmen liǎng gè dōu xué Zhōngwén ma? Do you both study Chinese?
• 我 和 我 老公 都 是 美国 人 。Wǒ hé wǒ lǎogōng dōu shì Měiguó rén. My husband and I are both Americans.
• 我 和 我 太太 都 在 上海。Wǒ hé wǒ tàitai dōu zài Shànghǎi. My wife and I are both in Shanghai.
• 我 和 他 都 喜欢 中国 菜 。Wǒ hé tā dōu xǐhuan Zhōngguó cài. He and I both like Chinese food.
• 你 爸爸 和 妈妈 都 是 中国 人 吗？Nǐ bàba hé māma dōu shì Zhōngguó rén ma? Are your mom and dad both Chinese?
• 我 和 我 男朋友 都 不 想 工作。Wǒ hé wǒ nánpéngyou dōu bù xiǎng gōngzuò. Neither my boyfriend nor I want to work.
• 我 的 儿子 和 女儿 都 不 吃 肉。Wǒ de érzi hé nǚ’ér dōu bù chī ròu. Neither my son nor my daughter eat meat.
• 他们 两 个 都 不 喝 酒。Tāmen liǎng gè dōu bù hē jǐu. Neither of the two of them drink alcohol.
• 你们 两 个 都 不 可以 走。Nǐmen liǎng gè dōu bù kěyǐ zǒu. Neither of you two may leave.

See also

• "Ye" and "dou" together
• The "also" adverb

Sources and further reading

Books

• Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed) (pp. 53-4) →buy
• New Practical Chinese Reader 1 (新实用汉语课本1) (p. 88) →buy
• Basic Patterns of Chinese Grammar (p. 35) →buy