The "also" adverb "ye"
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The English adverb "too" or "also" is expressed in Chinese as 也 (yě). In Chinese, it always needs to come before the verb (or adjective).
Contents
也 (yě) with Verb Phrases
Structure
Since it is an adverb, 也 (yě) is inserted after the subject, before the verb or verb phrase.
Subj. + 也 + Verb / [Verb Phrase]
Examples
- 我 也 喜欢。 I also like it.
- 我 也 是 学生 。 I am a student too.
- 她 也 有 一个 儿子。 She also has a son.
- 他们 也 是 法国 人 吗？ Are they also French?
- 我 也 想 学 中文。 I also want to study Chinese.
- 他们 也 会 去吗？ Are they also going?
- 我 妈妈 也 喜欢 吃 饺子。 My mother likes to eat boiled dumplings too.
- 孩子 也 可以 喝酒 吗？ Can kids drink alcohol too?
- 你 也 想 来 我 家 吗？ Do you want to come to my house too?
- 她 也 觉得 这 个 老师 不 好。She also thinks this teacher isn't good.
Let's take one more look at two different English sentences which mean the same thing, but can result in bad Chinese if you translate word-for-word.
- 我也喜欢。I also like it.
- 我 喜欢 也。 I like it too.
Note that the translation for the first sentence is "I also like it." The translation of the second sentence is "I like it too," which is equally correct in English, but translated word-for-word into Chinese, the 也 (yě) comes at the end of the sentence, which is 100% wrong in Chinese.
A Note on the Negative Form
Please note that in English, we replace the word "too" with "either" in negative sentences. For example:
- A:I like cats.
- B:I like cats too.
- A: I don't like cats.
- B: I don't like cats either.
In Chinese, regardless of whether the sentence is positive ("I like them too") or negative ("I don't like them either"), 也 (yě) is used the same way. Just make sure you put the 也 (yě) before the 不 (bù) or other negative part that comes before the verb.
- 我 也 不 喜欢。 I don't like it either.
- 我 也 不 知道。 I don't know either.
- 他 也 没 有。 He doesn't have it either.
- 你 也 不 想 来 我 家 吗？ You don't want to come to my house either?
也 (yě) with Adjectives
Structure
也 (yě) can also be used with adjectives. Remember that for simple "noun + adjective" sentences you normally need to include an adverb like 很 (hěn) before the adjective. In that case, just put the 也 (yě) before the adverb.
Subj. + 也 (+ Adv.) + Adj.
Examples
- 你 也 很 高。 You are also tall.
- 他 也 很 胖。 He is also fat.
- 我 爸爸 也 很 帅。 My dad is also handsome.
- 湖南 菜 也 很 辣。 Hunan food is very spicy too.
- 这 种 酒 也 很 好喝。 This kind of alcohol is also good.
- 这 个 地方 也 很 漂亮。 This place is also pretty.
- 昨天 很 冷 ， 今天 也 很 冷。 Yesterday was cold, and today is also cold.
- 他 生气 了 ？ 我 也 很 生气！ He got angry? I'm also angry!
- 这 个 问题 也 很 麻烦。 This problem is also very troublesome.
- 我 觉得 这 个 餐厅 也 很 好 。 I think that this restaurant is also good.
Expressing "Me Too" with 也 (yě)
It can be tricky to know how to say "me too" when you first study 也 (yě), as you can't say "wǒ yě" all by itself. That's not a complete sentence; you can't just leave 也 (yě) hanging there with nothing after it.
The all-purpose correct sentence is "wǒ yě shì," which literally means, "I am too," but can also stand in for "me too."
Structure
The correct structure uses the verb 是 (shì):
- 我 也 是。The 是 fills in for whatever was just said.I am too. / Me too.
- 我 也 。 Always put something after 也! It never ends a sentence.
Examples
The "me too" structure works with other subjects, as well. But for these simple examples, we'll stick to the classic 我 (wǒ) subject.
- A: 我 是 美国人 。I am an American.
- B: 我 也 是。Me too. / I am too.
For this next one, you'll notice that the "me too" reply repeats the original verb 喜欢 (xǐhuan) instead of using 是 (shì). Both ways are possible.
- A: 我 喜欢 看 书 。I like to read.
- B: 我 也 喜欢。Me too. / So do I.
You'll notice that some of those English translations use "so do I." The Chinese works exactly the same; they're just translated that way to produce more natural-sounding English.
See also
- "Ye" and "dou" together
- Expressing "and also" with "hai"
- The "all" adverb "dou"
- Expressing "and also" with "hai"
