The English adverb "too" or "also" is expressed in Chinese as 也 (yě).
In Chinese, it *always* needs to come before the verb (or adjective).
也 (yě) with Verb Phrases
-------------------------
### Structure
Since it is an [adverb](adverb "wikilink"), 也 (yě) is inserted after
the subject, before the [verb](verb "wikilink") or [verb
phrase](verb_phrase "wikilink").
Subj. + 也 + Verb / \[Verb Phrase\]
### Examples
- 我 也 喜欢。 Wǒ yě
xǐhuan.I also like it.
- 我 也 是 学生 。 Wǒ yě shì
xuésheng.I am a student too.
- 她 也 有 一个 儿子。 Tā yě
yǒu yī gè érzi.She also has a son.
- 他们 也 是 法国 人 吗? Tāmen
yě shì Fǎguó rén ma?Are they
also French?
- 我 也 想 学 中文。 Wǒ yě
xiǎng xué Zhōngwén.I also want to study
Chinese.
- 他们 也 会 去吗? Tāmen yě
huì qù ma?Are they also going?
- 我 妈妈 也 喜欢 吃 饺子。 Wǒ māma
yě xǐhuan chī jiǎozi.My mother
likes to eat boiled dumplings too.
- 孩子 也 可以 喝酒 吗? Háizi
yě kěyǐ hējiǔ ma?Can kids drink
alcohol too?
- 你 也 想 来 我 家 吗? Nǐ yě
xiǎng lái wǒ jiā ma?Do you want to come
to my house too?
- 她 也 觉得 这 个 老师 不 好。 Tā
yě juéde zhège lǎoshī bù hǎo.She
also thinks this teacher isn't good.
Let's take one more look at two different English sentences which mean
the same thing, but can result in bad Chinese if you translate
word-for-word.
- 我也喜欢。 Wǒ
yě xǐhuan.I
also like it.
- 我 喜欢 也。 Wǒ
xǐhuan yě.I like it too.
Note that the translation for the first sentence is "I also like it."
The translation of the second sentence is "I like it too," which is
equally correct in English, but translated word-for-word into Chinese,
the 也 (yě) comes at the end of the sentence, which is *100% wrong* in
Chinese.
### A Note on the Negative Form
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.
- 我 也 不 喜欢。 Wǒ
yě bù xǐhuan.I don't like it
either.
- 我 也 不 知道。 Wǒ
yě bù zhīdào.I don't know
either.
- 他 也 没 有。 Tā
yě méiyǒu.He doesn't have it
either.
- 你 也 不 想 来 我 家 吗?
Nǐ yě bù xiǎng lái wǒ jiā
ma?You don't want to come to my house
either?
也 (yě) with Adjectives
-----------------------
### Structure
也 (yě) can also be used with adjectives. Remember that for [simple
"noun + adjective"
sentences](simple_"noun_+_adjective"_sentences "wikilink") you normally
need to include an adverb like 很 (hěn) before the adjective. In that
case, just put the 也 (yě) before the adverb.
Subj. + 也 (+ Adv.) + Adj.
### Examples
- 你 也 很 高。 Nǐ
yě hěn gāo.You
are also tall.
- 他 也 很 胖。 Tā
yě hěn pàng.He
is also fat.
- 我 爸爸 也 很 帅。 Wǒ
bàba yě hěn
shuài.My dad is also handsome.
- 湖南 菜 也 很 辣。
Húnán cài yě hěn
là.Hunan food is very spicy too.
- 这 种 酒 也 很 好喝。
Zhè zhǒng jiǔ yě hěn
hǎohē.This kind of alcohol is also
good.
- 这 个 地方 也 很 漂亮。
Zhège dìfang yě hěn
piàoliang.This place is also
pretty.
- 昨天 很 冷 , 今天 也 很 冷。
Zuótiān hěn lěng, jīntiān yě
hěn lěng.Yesterday was
cold, and today is also cold.
- 他 生气 了 ? 我 也 很 生气!
Tā shēngqì le? Wǒ yě
hěn shēngqì!He got
angry? I'm also angry!
- 这 个 问题 也 很 麻烦。
Zhège wèntí yě hěn
máfan.This problem is also very
troublesome.
- 我 觉得 这 个 餐厅 也 很 好 。
Wǒ juéde zhège cāntīng yě
hěn hǎo.I think that
this restaurant is also good.
Expressing "Me Too" with 也 (yě)
--------------------------------
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.Wǒ
yě shì.I
am too. / Me too.
- 我 也 。 Always put something after 也!
It never ends a sentence.Wǒ
yě.
### 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: 我 也
是。 Wǒ 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 kàn
shū.I like to read.
- B: 我 也
喜欢。 Wǒ yě
xǐhuan.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
--------
- ["Ye" and "dou" together]("Ye"_and_"dou"_together "wikilink")
- [Expressing "and also" with
"hai"](Expressing_"and_also"_with_"hai" "wikilink")
- [The "all" adverb "dou"](The_"all"_adverb_"dou" "wikilink")
- [Expressing "and also" with
"hai"](Expressing_"and_also"_with_"hai" "wikilink")
Sources and further reading
---------------------------
### Books
- [Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1
(3rd ed)](Integrated_Chinese:_Level_1,_Part_1_(3rd_ed) "wikilink") (pp.
31-2)
[→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)
- [40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course
(基础汉语40课上册)](40_Lessons_for_Basic_Chinese_Course_(基础汉语40课上册) "wikilink") (p.
73)[→buy](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001FTL8D8/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001FTL8D8&linkCode=as2&tag=allset-20)
[Category:A1 grammar points](Category:A1_grammar_points "wikilink")