Learn Hardcore Chinese: tā de xiǎngfǎ gēn wǒ de yíyàng, dōu bú yuànyì fàngqì xuéxí zhōngwén. - Her way of thinking is the same as mine; neither of us is willing to give up studying Chinese.

她的想法
- 她 = she / her
- 的 = possessive marker
- 想法 = idea(s), way of thinking
  ⇒ 她的想法 = her ideas / her way of thinking.
  Here, 的 directly links the possessor (她) to the noun (想法).
跟我的一样
- 我 = I / me
- 的 = possessive marker
- The noun (想法) is omitted because it’s clear from context.
  ⇒ 我的 (想法) = my ideas / mine.
  So 跟我的一样 literally means “the same as mine.”

So:

First 的: her ideas (她的想法).
Second 的: my ideas (我的想法), with 想法 left out because it’s understood.

What does 跟 mean in 跟我的一样? Is it the same as 和? Could I say 和我的一样 instead?

跟 (gēn) here means “with / as compared with / to” and is used in a comparison pattern:

A 跟 B 一样 = A is the same as B.

In this sentence:

她的想法跟我的一样
⇒ Her way of thinking is the same as mine.

跟 and 和 are very similar in this usage, and you can say:

她的想法和我的一样

It is also correct and common. Differences:

跟 often sounds slightly more colloquial in many regions.
和 sometimes feels a bit more neutral/formal, but in this structure they’re essentially interchangeable.

How does the structure A 跟 B 一样 work exactly?

The pattern is:

A 跟 B 一样 + (adjective / noun phrase)
or simply
A 跟 B 一样 (when what is being compared is clear).

Basic meaning: “A is the same as B.”

In this sentence:

A = 她的想法 (her way of thinking)
B = 我的 (想法) (mine—my way of thinking)
一样 = the same

So:

她的想法跟我的一样
Literally: Her way of thinking, compared with mine, is the same.
Natural English: Her way of thinking is the same as mine.

Other examples:

这个问题跟上次的一样。
This problem is the same as last time’s.
他跟你一样高。
He is as tall as you.

What exactly does 都 do in 都不愿意放弃学习中文?

都 (dōu) means all / both and refers to a group mentioned earlier.

The relevant “group” here is:

她 (she)
我 (I)

So the logic is:

她的想法跟我的一样，都不愿意放弃学习中文。
Her thinking is the same as mine; (we) both are not willing to give up studying Chinese.

Grammatically:

都 comes after the subject(s) it refers to (here, both people) but before the verb phrase (不愿意放弃学习中文).
It bundles 她 and 我 together and applies the same statement to both of us.

Without 都, the “both” meaning is weaker and more inferred rather than clearly stated.

Can I omit 都? What would the difference be?

If you say:

她的想法跟我的一样，不愿意放弃学习中文。

It is still understandable, but:

都 explicitly means “both / all”, so:
- With 都: clearly says she and I both are not willing.
- Without 都: the listener has to infer that the unwillingness applies to both, based on context.
Native speakers normally keep 都 in this kind of structure, because:
- You mention two people (她, 我)
- Then use 都 to apply the following statement to both.

So:

Grammatically, you can drop it.
Natural, clear Chinese: keep 都 here.

Why use 不愿意 instead of 不想 in this sentence?

Both relate to not wanting something, but they have different nuances:

不想 (bù xiǎng)
- Literally: don’t want / don’t feel like
- Describes a simple desire or preference.
不愿意 (bú yuànyì)
- Literally: am not willing to
- Emphasizes reluctance / refusal / unwillingness, often with a sense of determination or principle.

In 不愿意放弃学习中文:

It suggests: They are not willing to give up, implying some effort or sacrifice is needed but they refuse to quit.
If you said 不想放弃学习中文, it would sound more like:
- “We don’t want to give up studying Chinese” (less strong emotionally, more about desire than determination).

So 不愿意 is slightly stronger and more “committed” than 不想 here.

Why is 不 pronounced bú (second tone) in 不愿意, not bù?

This is a tone sandhi rule (tone change rule) for 不 (bù):

不 is normally fourth tone: bù.
But when it is followed by another fourth-tone syllable, it changes to second tone: bú.

Here:

愿 (yuàn) is fourth tone.
So 不 + 愿 ⇒ bú yuàn.

Other examples:

不是 = bú shì (是 is fourth tone)
不对 = bú duì

If the next syllable is not 4th tone, 不 usually stays bù:

不好 = bù hǎo (好 is 3rd tone)
不行 = bù xíng (行 is 2nd tone)

Why is 一 in 一样 pronounced yí and not yī?

一 also has tone sandhi rules:

Basic tone: yī (first tone).
Before a fourth-tone syllable, 一 usually becomes second tone: yí.
Before a first, second, or third-tone syllable, 一 usually becomes fourth tone: yì (when it is a numeral before a classifier or word).

In 一样:

样 (yàng) is fourth tone.
So 一 changes to yí ⇒ yíyàng.

You’ll also see yí in:

一样 (yíyàng)
一次 (yícì) when 次 is 4th tone (cì)

Compare with:

一个人 usually pronounced yí ge rén in speech (个 is neutral but historically 4th)
一共 is typically yígòng.

So: 一 + 4th tone → yí in many cases, including 一样.

How does 放弃学习中文 work grammatically? Is 学习中文 the object of 放弃?

Yes. The structure is:

放弃 = to give up, to abandon
学习中文 = to study Chinese (a verb-object phrase, verb: 学习, object: 中文)

In Chinese, a verb can take as its object:

a noun (e.g. 放弃机会 – give up an opportunity), or
another verb phrase acting like a noun (here: 学习中文).

So:

放弃学习中文
Literally: to give up (the activity of) studying Chinese.

You can think of 学习中文 working like “studying Chinese” as a noun phrase in English (a gerund phrase).

Whole verb phrase:

不愿意放弃学习中文
= am not willing to give up studying Chinese.

What’s the difference between 学习中文 and 学中文 here? Are both correct?

Both are correct; the difference is mostly in tone/formality:

学习中文
- Slightly more formal / academic.
- Common in written language, school context, or when speaking more carefully.
学中文
- More colloquial / everyday spoken Chinese.
- Very natural in casual conversation.

In this sentence, you could say:

都不愿意放弃学习中文。 (a bit more formal)
都不愿意放弃学中文。 (more colloquial)

Meaning is essentially the same: “not willing to give up learning Chinese.”

What’s the difference between 中文, 汉语, and 普通话? Why use 中文 here?

They all relate to “Chinese,” but not in exactly the same way:

中文 (Zhōngwén)
- Literally: Chinese language/writing.
- Broad: can refer to the Chinese language generally, including written Chinese.
- Very common when talking about learning Chinese as a foreign language:
  - 学习中文 / 学中文 = to learn Chinese.
汉语 (Hànyǔ)
- Literally: Han language.
- Emphasizes the language of the Han ethnic group.
- Common in textbooks, more linguistic/academic term.
- 学习汉语 = study the (Han) Chinese language.
普通话 (Pǔtōnghuà)
- Literally: common speech.
- Specifically refers to Standard Mandarin Chinese, the official standard language in Mainland China.
- 学普通话 = learn (Standard) Mandarin.

In the given sentence, 中文 is natural because:

The context is a foreign learner of Chinese.
We typically say 学中文 / 学汉语 in that context; 学中文 is very common and friendly-sounding.

What is the role of the 的 after 我 in 跟我的一样? Could we just say 跟我一样?

Both are possible, but they’re slightly different:

跟我一样
- Literally: “the same as me.”
- Often followed by an adjective or verb phrase:
  - 她跟我一样高。 She is as tall as me.
- More about the person as a whole.
跟我的一样
- Literally: “the same as mine.”
- Here, 的 stands for (想法) and turns 我 into “my one / mine.”
- Very natural when a specific noun has just been used:
  - 她的想法跟我的一样 = Her way of thinking is the same as mine.

In this sentence:

想法 has just appeared as 她的想法, so 我的 is understood to mean 我的想法.
跟我的一样 is slightly more precise here: “the same as my (ideas)”.

You can say 她的想法跟我一样, and people will understand; it’s just less explicit about 想法 being the implied noun. Using 的 here is clearer and very natural.

Could this sentence be reordered as something like 我和她都不愿意放弃学习中文? Would that mean the same thing?

Yes, you can say:

我和她都不愿意放弃学习中文。

This means:

She and I are both not willing to give up studying Chinese.

Differences:

Original:
- 她的想法跟我的一样，都不愿意放弃学习中文。
- Focus is first on the similarity of our ideas, then explains what that idea is (not giving up).
Alternative:
- 我和她都不愿意放弃学习中文。
- Focus is directly on our shared action/attitude (both not willing to give up), without explicitly mentioning “ideas” (想法).

So:

Meaning in practice is very close.
Original sentence highlights “our ideas are the same”;
Reordered version simply states “both of us aren’t willing to give up.”