The adverb 都 (dōu) is used to express "all" in Chinese. It's common to
use 都 (dōu) in a variety of sentences where it would seem unnecessary
in English.

都 (dōu) for "All"
------------------

### Structure

<div class="jiegou">
Subj. + 都 + \[Verb Phrase\]

</div>
Remember that 都 (dōu) appears *after* the subject. A common mistake
learners make is to put 都 (dōu) at the beginning of the sentence (as
"all" often appears there in English). This isn't good Chinese - make
sure you put 都 (dōu) after the subject and before the verb.

### Examples

<div class="liju">
-   你们 <em>都</em> 认识 John 吗 ？<span class="pinyin">Nǐmen
    <em>dōu</em> rènshi John ma?</span><span class="trans">Do you all
    know John? </span>
-   他们 <em>都</em> 在 上海 。<span class="pinyin">Tāmen <em>dōu</em>
    zài Shànghǎi.</span><span class="trans">They are all in
    Shanghai.</span>
-   明天 我们 <em>都</em> 可以 去 。<span class="pinyin">Míngtiān wǒmen
    <em>dōu</em> kěyǐ qù.</span><span class="trans">Tomorrow we all can
    go.</span>
-   你们 <em>都</em> 用 wiki 吗 ？<span class="pinyin">Nǐmen
    <em>dōu</em> yòng wiki ma?</span><span class="trans">Do you all use
    the wiki? </span>
-   我们 <em>都</em> 要 冰水。<span class="pinyin">Wǒmen <em>dōu</em>
    yào bīngshuǐ .</span><span class="trans">We all want ice
    water.</span>

</div>
都 (dōu) for "Both"
-------------------

Chinese doesn't normally use a special word for "both" like English
does. It just uses 都 (dōu) as if it were any other number greater than
one. Chinese also doesn't have a special pattern like "neither / nor"
for the negative case. Just use 都 (dōu) and make the sentence negative.

### Structure

<div class="jiegou">
Subj. + 都 + \[Verb Phrase\]

</div>
This pattern should look familiar.

### Examples

These examples follow exactly the same form in Chinese as the ones
above. The only difference is that here we don't translate 都 (dōu) as
"all" in English; we translate it as "both," and for negative cases, we
translate it as "neither."

<div class="liju">
-   我们 两 个 <em>都</em> 爱 你 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒmen liǎng gè
    <em>dōu</em> ài nǐ.</span><span class="trans">The two of us both
    love you.</span>
-   你 爸爸 和 你 妈妈 <em>都</em> 是 美国人 吗？<span class="pinyin">
    Nǐ bàba hé nǐ māma <em>dōu</em> shì Měiguó rén
    ma?</span><span class="trans">Are your father and your mother both
    Americans? </span>
-   我 和 我 太太 <em>都</em> 不 吃 肉。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ hé wǒ
    tàitai <em>dōu</em> bù chī ròu.</span><span class="trans">Neither my
    wife nor I eat meat.</span>
-   你们 两个 <em>都</em> 喜欢 中国 菜 吗？<span class="pinyin">Nǐmen
    liǎng gè <em>dōu</em> xǐhuan Zhōngguó cài ma?
    </span><span class="trans">Do you both like Chinese food? </span>
-   她 和 她 老公 <em>都</em> 没有 工作。<span class="pinyin"> Tā hé tā
    lǎogōng <em>dōu</em> méiyǒu
    gōngzuò.</span><span class="trans">Neither she nor her husband has a
    job.</span>

</div>
See also
--------

-   ["Ye" and "dou" together]("Ye"_and_"dou"_together "wikilink")
-   [The "also" adverb "ye"](The_"also"_adverb_"ye" "wikilink")

Sources and further reading
---------------------------

### Books

-   [Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1
    (3rd ed)](Integrated_Chinese:_Level_1,_Part_1_(3rd_ed) "wikilink") (pp.
    53-4)
    [→buy](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0887276385/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0887276385)
-   [New Practical Chinese Reader
    1 (新实用汉语课本1)](New_Practical_Chinese_Reader_1_(新实用汉语课本1) "wikilink") (p.
    88)
    [→buy](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/7561910401/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=7561910401)
-   [Basic Patterns of Chinese
    Grammar](Basic_Patterns_of_Chinese_Grammar "wikilink") (p. 35)
    [→buy](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1933330899/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=1933330899)

[Category:A1 grammar points](Category:A1_grammar_points "wikilink")