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.

也 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

  • 喜欢。 xǐhuān. I like it too. / I also like it.
  • 是 学生 。 shì xuéshēng. I am a student too.
  • 有 一个 儿子。 yǒu yī gè érzi. She, too, has a son.
  • 他们 是 法国 人 吗? Tāmen shì Fǎguó rén ma? Are they also French?
  • 想 学 中文。 xiǎng xué Zhōngwén. I, too, want to study Chinese.
  • 他们 会 去吗? Tāmen huì qù ma? Are they also going?
  • 我 妈妈 喜欢 吃 水饺。 Wǒ māma xǐhuān chī shuǐjiǎo. My mother likes to eat boiled dumplings too.
  • 小孩 可以 喝 酒 吗? Xiǎohái kěyǐ hē jiǔ ma? Can kids drink alcohol too?
  • 想 来 我 家 吗? xiǎng lái wǒ jiā ma? Do you want to come to my house too?
  • 觉得 这 个 老师 不 好。 juéde zhè ge lǎoshī bù hǎo. She also thinks this teacher isn't good.

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.

  • 喜欢。 bù xǐhuān. I don't like it either.
  • 知道。 bù zhīdào. I don't know either.
  • 我 妈妈 喜欢 吃 水饺。 Wǒ māma bù xǐhuān chī shuǐjiǎo. My mother doesn't like to eat boiled dumplings either.
  • 想 来 我 家 吗? bù xiǎng lái wǒ jiā ma? You don't want to come to my house either?

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

  • 高。 hěn gāo. You are also tall.
  • 胖。 hěn pàng. He is also fat.
  • 我 爸爸 帅。 Wǒ bàba hěn shuài. My dad is also handsome.
  • 湖南 菜 辣。 Húnán cài hěn là. Hunan food is very spicy too.
  • 这 种 酒 好喝。 Zhè zhǒng jiǔ hěn hǎohē. This kind of alcohol is also good.
  • 这 个 地方 漂亮。 Zhège dìfāng hěn piàoliang. This place is also pretty.
  • 昨天 很 冷 , 今天 冷。 Zuótiān hěn lěng, jīntiān hěn lěng. Yesterday was cold, and today is also cold.
  • 他 生气 了 ? 我 生气! Tā shēngqì le? Wǒ hěn shēngqì! He got angry? I'm also angry!
  • 这 个 问题 麻烦。 Zhè ge wèntí hěn máfan. This problem is also very troublesome.
  • 我 觉得 这 个 餐厅 好 。 Wǒ juéde zhè ge cāntīng hěn hǎo. 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):

  • 也 是(The 是 fills in for whatever was just said.) yě shì. I am too. / Me too.
  • (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 。 Wǒ shì Měiguó rén. I am an American.
  • B:也 是yě shì.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 。Wǒ xǐhuan kànshū. I like to read.
  • B: 也 喜欢 yě xǐhuān.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

Sources and further reading

Books