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

Line 15: Line 15:
 
* 我们 <em>都</em> 是 德国人。
 
* 我们 <em>都</em> 是 德国人。
 
* 他们 <em>都</em> 踢足 球。
 
* 他们 <em>都</em> 踢足 球。
* 你们 <em>都</em> 学习 中文 吗?
+
* 你们 <em>都</em> 中文 吗?
  
 
</div>
 
</div>

Revision as of 10:29, 15 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 中文 吗?

See also

Sources and further reading

Books