Grammar reference
Subject + 也/都 + Verb/Adjective
Adverbs 也 (also) and 都 (all) — and their order
也 ('also') and 都 ('all/both') are adverbs that always go right before the verb or adjective, never before the subject and never after the verb. When a sentence needs both, the order is fixed: 也 comes before 都 — 我们也都是学生 (we are also all students). Both apply to the subject that comes before them, so word order changes the meaning: 他也很忙 (he is also busy) vs 也他很忙 is simply wrong.
Examples
- 我也是学生。wǒ yě shì xué sheng
I'm also a student.
- 我们都喜欢中国菜。wǒ men dōu xǐ huan zhōng guó cài
We all like Chinese food.
- 他们也都很累。tā men yě dōu hěn lèi
They are also all tired.
Common mistake
✗ Wrong: 我都也是学生。
✓ Right: 我也都是学生。
When 也 and 都 appear together, 也 always comes first: 也都, never 都也.
Practice this pattern
Fill in the missing character:
我＿是学生。
I'm also a student.