Chinese Grammar: Expressing “everything” with 什么… 都

什么… 都 (shénme… dōu) is a pattern often used to express “all” or “everything.” Because it’s not just one word, it can be a little tricky to get the hang of at first.

 

Basic Usage

In this structure, 都 (dōu) is more frequently used than 也 (yě)。

Structure: Topic (+ Subj.) + 什么 + 都 / 也 + Verb / Adj.

In some sentences, there will be a subject after the topic in the pattern above. See the following sentences for examples.

Examples:

When used in the positive sense, it is more natural to follow 什么 (shénme) with 都 (dōu) rather than 也 (yě) to express “everything.”

我觉得这里的菜什么都好吃。(wǒ juéde zhèlǐ de cài shénme dōu hǎochī) = I think everything is delicious here.

中国的历史爸爸什么都知道。(zhōngguó de lìshǐ bàba shénme dōu zhīdào) = My dad knows everything about Chinese history.

工作的事情老公什么都跟我说。(gōngzuò de shìqing lǎogōng shénme dōu gēn wǒ shuō) = My husband tells me everything about work stuff.

妈妈做的菜我什么都喜欢。(māma zuò de cài wǒ shénme dōu xǐhuan) = I like everything that mom cooks.

我女朋友觉得外国的东西什么都好。(wǒ nǚpéngyou juéde wàiguó de dōngxi shénme dōu hǎo) = My girlfriend thinks that all foreign things are good.

 

Structure with a Noun

Structure: 什么 + Noun + 都 + Verb

Examples:

我们什么果汁都喝。(wǒmen shénme guǒzhī dōu hē) = We drink any kind of fruit juice.

她什么衣服都是黑色的。(tā shénme yīfu dōu shì hēisè de) = All of her clothes are black.

妈妈做的什么菜都好吃。(māma zuò de shénme cài dōu hǎochī) = All of the dishes mom makes are tasty.

我男朋友什么运动都喜欢。(wǒ nánpéngyou shénme yùndòng dōu xǐhuan) = My boyfriend likes all kinds of sports.

你不应该什么话都跟他说。(nǐ bù yīnggāi shénme huà dōu gēn tā shuō) = You shouldn’t tell him everything.

 

Negative Structure

Structures:

什么 + Noun + 都 / 也 + 不 + Verb

什么 + Noun + 都 / 也 + 没 (有) + Verb

The negative structure simply adds a 不 (bù) or a 没 (méi) after the 都 (dōu) / 也 (yě). Instead of “all” or “everything,” this expresses “none” or “not any.”

Examples:

生病以后,爸爸什么酒都不能喝了。(shēngbìng yǐhòu, bàba shénme jiǔ dōu bù néng hē le) = After dad got sick, he can’t drink any kind of alcohol.

老板现在很生气,什么人也不见。(lǎobǎn xiànzài hěn shēngqì, shénme rén yě bù jiàn) = The boss is very angry. He’s doesn’t want to see anybody.

今天我不舒服,什么东西都没吃。(jīntiān wǒ bù shūfu, shénme dōngxi dōu méi chī) = Today I don’t feel well, so I didn’t eat anything.

昨天开会的时候,她什么话也没说。(zuótiān kāihuì de shíhou, tā shénme huà yě méi shuō) = She didn’t say anything at yesterday’s meeting.

你在家里怎么什么事都不做?(nǐ zài jiālǐ zěnme shénme shì dōu bù zuò) = How come you haven’t done anything at home?

 


Post time: May-28-2020