Emphasizing quantity with "dou"

都 (dōu) is one of those characters that on the surface may seem simple, but actually has many different subtle uses. In this article, we will look at using 都 to emphasize quantity.

Structure

You can use 都 (dōu) to emphasis the large quantity of something, particularly a group of people. The subject should be some sort of large group (like a majority of people or things), e.g. "很多人" or "大部分".

Subject + 都 + Verb + Object


Examples

  • 很 多 人 想 减肥。A lot of people want to lose weight.
  • 大家 应该 知道。Everyone should know.
  • 很 多 书以后有时间都 要读一读。A lot of books are worth reading If I could spare some time later.
  • 爱尔兰人 喜欢 喝 啤酒。Irish people all like drinking beer.

See also

Sources and further reading

Books