Breakdown of wǒ xiāngxìn měi gè rén dōu yīnggāi yǒu zìyóu biǎodá zìjǐ xiǎngfǎ de quánlì.
我wǒ
I
人rén
person
有yǒu
to have
都dōu
all
Questions & Answers about wǒ xiāngxìn měi gè rén dōu yīnggāi yǒu zìyóu biǎodá zìjǐ xiǎngfǎ de quánlì.
Why is there 都 (dōu) after 每个人 (měi ge rén)? I thought 都 just meant “all.”
In Mandarin, 每…都… is a very common pattern:
- 每个人都应该… = “Every person should…”
- 每个学生都知道… = “Every student knows…”
Here, 每 (every) picks out individuals one by one, and 都 adds the idea “all of them, without exception.”
So 每个人都应该有… literally feels like: > For each person, they all should have…
You almost always put 都:
- after 每 / 每个 / 每位 / 每张…
- and before the verb or modal verb (应该, 会, 能, etc.)
Without 都, 每个人应该有… is still understandable, but it sounds a bit less natural and less complete. Native speakers strongly prefer the 每…都… combination.
Why is there a 个 (ge) between 每 (měi) and 人 (rén)? Can I just say 每人?