City University of Hong Kong CLASS CLASS
Making Sense of Grammar
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asked Feb 2, 2021 in Questions about Chinese Grammar by Ariel (34,480 points) | 129 views

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When the adverb 都dōu is used with a verb (都dōu + V) to refer to the object, object

pre-position is no longer an option but a must.

这两个人,我都不认识。

Zhè liǎng gè rén,wǒ dōu bú rèn shí 。

I don’t know either of these two people.

李:你喜欢喝茶还是(喜欢喝)咖啡?

Lǐ:Nǐ xǐ huān hē chá hái shì (xǐ huān hē) kā fēi?

Li: Do you like to drink tea or coffee?

丁:(茶跟咖啡,)我都喜欢。

Dīng :(Chá gēn kā fēi, ) Wǒ dōu xǐ huān。

Ding: I like both (tea and coffee).

When 都 is used to refer to the subject, object pre-position becomes optional.

我和我妹妹都认识那个人。(= 那个人,我和我妹妹都认识。)

Wǒ hé wǒ mèi mèi dōu rèn shí nà gè rén。(= Nà gè rén,wǒ hé wǒ mèi mèi dōu rèn shí。)

Both my younger sister and I know that person.

[1] Yip, P. C., Rimmington, D., Xiaoming, Z., & Henson, R. (2009). Basic Chinese: a grammar and workbook. Taylor & Francis.

[2] Teng, W. H. (2016). Yufa! A practical guide to Mandarin Chinese grammar. Taylor & Francis.

answered Feb 2, 2021 by Ariel (34,480 points)

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1,613 questions
1,882 answers
207 comments
15,645 users