Questions & Answers about wǒmen dōu hěn hǎo.
What does 都 (dōu) do in this sentence?
Do I need more than one person to use 都?
Yes. 都 quantifies a set (2+ people/things), either explicitly (我、他、她都…) or implicitly via a plural like 我们/你们/他们. With a single individual, 都 is wrong unless there’s another kind of “set” word (e.g., 他什么都…).
Where should 都 go?
Put 都 after the element(s) it quantifies and before the predicate:
- 我们都很好 (We all are fine)
- 我和他都很好 (He and I are both fine) With time words, both are common: 现在我们都很好 / 我们现在都很好. Avoid 我们都现在很好.
Why isn’t there a 是 (shì)?
Adjectives function as predicates directly in Chinese. You don’t say “我们是好.” Instead, use a degree adverb like 很/挺/非常 before the adjective: 我们很好. Use 是 before nouns: 我们是老师 (We are teachers).
Does 很 (hěn) really mean “very” here?
Often it doesn’t carry strong “very” force in neutral statements; it’s a natural linker before predicate adjectives. In context or with emphasis/contrast, 很 can mean “very.” If you want clearly strong degree, use 非常/特别/挺/相当 etc.
Can I drop 很 and say 我们都好?
Usually don’t. Bare adjectives in modern Mandarin often sound contrastive/comparative (A is good, B is not). In everyday speech, say 我们都很好. You might hear 我们都好 in very clipped replies or poetry/headlines, but 很好 is the safe, natural choice.
How do I pronounce the whole sentence with tones?
Pinyin: wǒmen dōu hěn hǎo. Because of third-tone sandhi, 很好 is pronounced “hén hǎo” (the first 3rd tone becomes a rising tone). 们 is neutral (wǒmen), 都 is first tone (dōu).
What’s the difference among 很好 / 非常好 / 挺好 / 太好了?
- 很好: natural/neutral “(very) good,” often just “good/fine.”
- 非常好: clearly “very/very much” good, stronger.
- 挺好: “pretty good,” colloquial.
- 太好了: “so great/excellent!” strong praise/exclamation (the 了 is typical in positive use).
Does 好 mean “good” or “well” here?
Both are possible depending on context. After greetings, 我们都很好 = “We’re all well.” Talking about performance/quality, it’s “good.” You can add context words: 我们身体都很好 (We’re all in good health).
What does 们 do in 我们?
Does 我们 include the listener?
It can be inclusive or exclusive depending on context. Northern Mandarin often uses 咱们 for inclusive “we” (speaker + listener). So “we all are fine” to include the listener is often 咱们都很好.
How do I ask and answer this kind of sentence?
- Question: 你们都好吗? (Nǐmen dōu hǎo ma?) Are you all well?
- Answer: 我们都很好,谢谢。你呢? We’re all fine, thanks. And you?
How do I negate it, and what’s the difference between 都不 and 不都?
- 我们都不好: None of us is well (all are not).
- 我们不都好: Not all of us are well (some are, some aren’t). Scope matters: placing 不 before or after 都 changes the meaning.
How do I say “both of us are well”?
What’s the traditional-character version?
我們都很好. Only 们→們 changes here.
Can I add other adverbs like “now,” “already,” or modal words?
What’s the difference between 我们都好 and 我们都好了?
- 我们都好/我们都很好: a general state (we are all fine).
- 我们都好了: change-of-state; we have now become fine/recovered (e.g., after being unwell).
Can I emphasize “all” even more?
Yes: 全都, 全部都, or 都 alone with stress.
- 我们全都很好 / 我们全部都很好: stronger “every single one of us.”
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