The "all" adverb "dou"
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:
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 都 是 德国人。
- 他们 都 踢足 球。
- 你们 都 学习 中文 吗？
See also
Sources and further reading
Books
- Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (pp. 53 - 54) →buy
- New Practical Chinese Reader 1 (新实用汉语课本1) (pp. 88) →buy
