Difference between revisions of "The "all" adverb "dou""

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The adverb 都 is used to express "all" in Chinese. In Chinese, it's more common to mark this than in English. If the subject is plural, 都 is often expected.
 
The adverb 都 is used to express "all" in Chinese. In Chinese, it's more common to mark this than in English. If the subject is plural, 都 is often expected.
  
The structure is:
+
== Structure ==
  
 
<div class="jiegou">
 
<div class="jiegou">

Revision as of 06:54, 14 May 2012

The adverb 都 is used to express "all" in Chinese. In Chinese, it's more common to mark this than in English. If the subject is plural, 都 is often expected.

Structure

Subject + 都 + Verb + Object

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

  • 我们 是 德国人。
  • 他们 踢足 球。
  • 你们 学习 中文 吗?

See also

Sources and further reading

Books