The "also" adverb "ye"
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The English adverb "too" or "also" is expressed in Chinese as 也 (yě). In Chinese, it needs to always come before the verb (or adjective), though.
Contents
也 with Verb Phrases
Structure
Since it is an adverb, 也 (yě) is inserted after the subject, before the verb or auxiliary verb:
Subj. + 也 + Verb / [Verb Phrase]
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.
Examples
- 我 也 喜欢。 I like it too. / I also like it.
- 我 也 不 知道。 I don't know either.
- 她 也 有 一个 儿子。 She, too, has a son.
- 他们 也 是 法国 人 吗？ Are they also French?
- 我 也 想 学 中文。 I, too, want to study Chinese.
- 他们 也 会 去吗？ Are they also going?
- 我 妈妈 也 喜欢 吃 水饺。 My mother likes to eat boiled dumplings too.
- 小孩 也 可以 喝 酒 吗？ Can kids drink 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.
也 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.
Subject + 也 + Adverb + Adjective
Examples
- 你 也 很 高。 You are also tall.
- 他 也 很 胖。 He is also very tall.
- 我 爸爸 也 很 帅。 My dad is also very handsaome.
- 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 very good.
- 这 个 地方 也 很 漂亮。 This place is also very beautiful.
- 昨天 很 冷 ， 今天 也 很 冷。 Yesterday was very cold, and today is also very cold.
- 他 生气 了 ？ 我 也 很 生气！ He got angry? I'm also very 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
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.
