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Level Independent Chinese · HSK 3

Emphasis: 连…都, 一点儿也不, 根本, 不是…吗, 难道 and 到底

Real conversation is full of emphasis: "not even", "not at all", "didn't you say ...?", "what on earth ...?". Chinese has a fixed pattern for each, and most of them hang on 都 or 也 before the verb.

连…都 / 也: even

连 (lián) + the surprising item + 都 / 也 + verb. The item can be the subject or the object; either way it moves in front of the verb.

  • 这个问题连孩子都知道。

    Zhège wèntí lián háizi dōu zhīdao.

    Even a child knows this.

  • 他忙得连饭都没吃。

    Tā máng de lián fàn dōu méi chī.

    He was so busy he didn't even eat.

Not at all, not a single one

一点儿也 / 都 + 不 / 没: not at all. 一 + measure word (+ noun) + 也 / 都 + 不 / 没: not a single one. 根本 (gēnběn) + negative: simply not, not in the least. 绝对 (juéduì): absolutely.

  • 我一个人也不认识。

    Wǒ yí ge rén yě bú rènshi.

    I don't know a single person.

  • 他一次也没来过。

    Tā yí cì yě méi lái guo.

    He hasn't come once.

  • 我根本不知道这件事。

    Wǒ gēnběn bù zhīdao zhè jiàn shì.

    I had no idea about this at all.

  • 我绝对不会告诉别人。

    Wǒ juéduì bú huì gàosu biéren.

    I absolutely won't tell anyone.

Rhetorical questions: 不是…吗, 难道…吗

不是…吗 reminds or objects: "didn't you say ...?". 难道 (nándào) …吗 is stronger disbelief: "surely you don't mean ...?". Neither expects an answer.

  • 你不是说你今天不来吗？

    Nǐ bú shì shuō nǐ jīntiān bù lái ma?

    Didn't you say you weren't coming today?

  • 难道你不知道吗？

    Nándào nǐ bù zhīdao ma?

    Surely you knew?

到底, 究竟, 干吗

到底 (dàodǐ) in a question means "on earth, after all" and pushes for a real answer; 究竟 is its written twin. 干吗 (gànmá) is casual "why, what for". 怎么 can mean "how come", and 如何 is the formal "how".

  • 你到底去不去？

    Nǐ dàodǐ qù bu qù?

    Are you going or not?

  • 你干吗不早说？

    Nǐ gànmá bù zǎo shuō?

    Why didn't you say so earlier?

Common mistakes

  • ✗连孩子知道。

    ✓连孩子都知道。

    Lián háizi dōu zhīdao.

    连 always needs 都 or 也 before the verb.

  • ✗我不认识一个人。 (meaning "not a single person")

    ✓我一个人也不认识。

    Wǒ yí ge rén yě bú rènshi.

    For "not a single", the 一 + measure word phrase moves before the verb with 也 / 都.

  • ✗你到底去吗？

    ✓你到底去不去？

    Nǐ dàodǐ qù bu qù?

    到底 goes with question words or A-not-A, not with 吗.

Questions learners ask

How do I answer 你不是说…吗?

It's a reminder, so you respond to the content: 对，可是… (yes, but ...) or 我没说过 (I never said that).

Does 到底 have other meanings?

Yes, in statements it means "in the end, after all": 他到底还是来了 (he came after all).

Practice this in lessons

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