Breakdown of yuèzūfèi hé ānzhuāngfèi dōu bù guì.
Questions & Answers about yuèzūfèi hé ānzhuāngfèi dōu bù guì.
Why is there no 是 before 贵?
What does 都 mean here?
都 means both or all, depending on how many things you are talking about.
In this sentence, there are two things:
- 月租费
- 安装费
So 都不贵 means both are not expensive.
A very common pattern is:
A 和 B 都 + predicate
So here:
- 月租费和安装费都不贵。
- The monthly fee and the installation fee are both not expensive.
Why is 都 placed before 不贵?
都 usually comes after the full subject and before the comment/predicate about that subject.
So the structure is:
- 月租费和安装费 = the two things being discussed
- 都不贵 = the statement that applies to both of them
That is why the word order is:
月租费 和 安装费 都 不贵
not something like:
- 都月租费和安装费不贵 ❌
A useful rule is:
[things/persons mentioned] + 都 + [what is true about them]
Is 和 just the same as English and?
Yes, in this sentence 和 works like and to connect two nouns:
- 月租费和安装费 = the monthly fee and the installation fee
It is a very common conjunction for linking nouns.
Other words can sometimes also mean and, such as:
- 跟
- 同
- 以及 (more formal)
But 和 is the most neutral and common choice here.
Why does the sentence use 不贵 instead of 很便宜?
They are similar, but not exactly the same.
- 不贵 = not expensive
- 很便宜 = very cheap/inexpensive
不贵 is a bit softer and more neutral. It means the price is reasonable, but it does not necessarily mean it is extremely cheap.
For example:
- 这个不贵。 = This isn’t expensive.
- 这个很便宜。 = This is very cheap.
So 不贵 is often a more natural choice when someone simply wants to say the price is acceptable.
Why is there no 很 before 贵?
In Mandarin, when an adjective is used as the main predicate in an affirmative sentence, it often needs a degree word such as 很:
- 这个很贵。 = This is expensive.
But when the adjective is negated with 不, you usually do not need 很:
- 这个不贵。 = This is not expensive.
So:
- 贵 by itself can sound abrupt in many contexts
- 很贵 is the normal affirmative form
- 不贵 is the normal negative form
That is why 都不贵 sounds natural.
How are 月租费 and 安装费 built as words?
Both words end with 费, which means fee or cost.
月租费
- 月 = month
- 租 = rent
- 费 = fee/cost
So 月租费 is the monthly rental fee or monthly subscription fee, depending on context.
安装费
- 安装 = install / installation
- 费 = fee/cost
So 安装费 means installation fee.
This pattern is very common in Chinese:
- 学费 = tuition fee
- 服务费 = service fee
- 停车费 = parking fee
How is 不 pronounced before 贵?
Even though 不 is normally fourth tone (bù), it changes to second tone when it comes before another fourth-tone syllable.
Since 贵 is fourth tone (guì), 不贵 is pronounced:
- bú guì
This is a very common tone change rule.
Examples:
- 不是 → bú shì
- 不对 → bú duì
- 不贵 → bú guì
So in actual speech, you should say bú guì.
Can 都 be translated as both here rather than all?
Yes. In English, when there are exactly two things, both is usually the most natural translation.
So:
- 月租费和安装费都不贵。
can be understood as:
- Both the monthly fee and the installation fee are not expensive.
Mandarin still uses 都 even when there are only two items. It does not need a separate word that means only both.
Could I use 也 instead of 都?
Not in the same way.
- 都 means the statement applies to all the items mentioned.
- 也 means also.
So in this sentence, 都 is the correct word because you are saying one fact applies to both fees.
Correct:
- 月租费和安装费都不贵。
With 也, you would need a different structure:
- 月租费不贵,安装费也不贵。 = The monthly fee is not expensive, and the installation fee is also not expensive.
So 都 is more compact and natural for this sentence.
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