Questions & Answers about pǎobùjī hé yǎlíng dōu shì qìxiè.
Why is 都 used here? There are only two things, not a big group.
In Mandarin, 都 means all or both, depending on context.
So in:
跑步机和哑铃都是器械。
the subject is 跑步机和哑铃 = treadmills and dumbbells / a treadmill and a dumbbell, and 都 tells you that the statement applies to both of them.
A natural English gloss is:
- Treadmills and dumbbells are both equipment.
So even with just two items, 都 is completely normal.
Where exactly should 都 go in the sentence?
都 usually comes after the whole subject and before the predicate.
So:
- 跑步机和哑铃 都 是 器械。
Structure:
- 跑步机和哑铃 = subject
- 都 = both/all
- 是器械 = are equipment
That is why 跑步机和哑铃都是器械 sounds right, but something like 跑步机和哑铃是都器械 is not correct.
A useful pattern is:
- A 和 B 都是 C = A and B are both C
Examples:
- 猫和狗都是动物。 = Cats and dogs are both animals.
- 中文和日文都很难。 = Chinese and Japanese are both difficult.
Can I leave out 都 and just say 跑步机和哑铃是器械?