Learn Hardcore Chinese: wǒmen dōu zài túshūguǎn lǐ ānjìng de kàn xiǎoshuō. - We are all quietly reading novels in the library.

If you say 我们在图书馆里安静地看小说。 (without 都), context might still suggest “all of us,” but grammatically it’s just “we,” with no emphasis that every person in the group is doing it.

So:

Use 都 when you want to stress all members of the subject (我们、他们、学生们、三个人，都, etc.).
In this sentence you can omit 都, but you’ll lose that explicit “all” emphasis.

What is the function of 在 (zài) here? Is it “to be doing” something or just “at/in”?

In this sentence, 在 (zài) mainly marks location:

在图书馆里 → “in the library / at the library”

So the structure is:

我们都在图书馆里 = We all are (located) in the library
安静地看小说 = (and we) quietly read novels

However, when 在 is placed right before a verb, it can also mark a progressive action (similar to “be doing”):

我在看小说。= I am reading a novel.

In your sentence, you can understand 在 as combining both:

location: 在图书馆里
and, by extension, a present ongoing situation: we are (there) reading.

If you wanted to emphasize the progressive aspect even more, you could say:

我们都在图书馆里正在安静地看小说。 (a bit heavy, often you’d drop either 在 or 正在 in natural speech)

Why do we need 里 (lǐ) after 图书馆? What’s the difference between 在图书馆 and 在图书馆里?

Both are correct and common:

在图书馆 = “at the library”
在图书馆里 = “inside the library”

里 (lǐ) literally means “inside.” Often, 在 + place already implies being in/at that place, so adding 里:

Can make the idea of being inside a bit clearer.
Sometimes just sounds more natural or complete, especially with enclosed spaces (房间里, 家里, 学校里).

In everyday speech:

在图书馆看书 and 在图书馆里看书 both sound natural.
The difference is subtle; 里 just makes the “inside” feel a bit stronger.

What is 地 (de) doing after 安静? Why is it 安静地 and not just 安静 or 安静的?

Chinese uses three common particles: 的、地、得, and they mark different functions.

安静 (ānjìng) is an adjective: “quiet.”
To use an adjective as an adverb (“quietly”), we usually add 地 (de):
- 安静地看小说 = “quietly read novels”

Rough guide:

的 → often links adjective to noun: 安静的图书馆 (a quiet library)
地 → turns adjective into adverb modifying a verb: 安静地看 (to read quietly)
得 → introduces complements: 看得很安静 (reading in a quiet way / very quietly)

So:

安静地看小说 = “quietly read novels” (adverb)
安静的图书馆 = “a quiet library” (adjective + noun)
看得很安静 = “(they) read very quietly” (descriptive result of reading)

Could I say 我们都在图书馆里看安静的小说 instead? Does that mean the same thing?

No, that changes the meaning.

安静地看小说 = quietly read novels
→ 安静 modifies 看 (how you read).
看安静的小说 = read quiet novels
→ 安静的 modifies 小说 (what kind of novels they are).

The original sentence describes how they read (in a quiet way), not the type of novels. So:

We quietly read novels → 安静地看小说 ✔
We read quiet novels → 看安静的小说 (different meaning)

Why is 都 placed after 我们 and before 在? Could I move 都 somewhere else?

The usual pattern is:

Subject + 都 + (other adverbs like 在) + Verb + Object

So 我们都在图书馆里安静地看小说 follows:

Subject: 我们
Scope marker: 都
Adverb of location / progressive: 在图书馆里
Manner: 安静地
Verb + object: 看小说

You can move 都 sometimes, but it changes focus or can sound unnatural.

Grammatical but with different emphasis:

我们在图书馆里都安静地看小说。

This can emphasize that “at the library, we all quietly read novels (maybe contrasting with other places where we do other things).”

Incorrect or awkward:

都我们在图书馆里安静地看小说。 ✘

So the safest and most neutral is:

我们都在…… for “We all are (doing something) …”

There’s no word like “are” in the Chinese sentence. How does it express “are reading”?

Chinese doesn’t use a separate verb “to be” for continuous actions like English does.

The idea of “are doing” is usually expressed by:

在 + verb or
正在 + verb (even more clearly progressive)

In your sentence:

看小说 = read novels
在图书馆里安静地看小说 = (be) quietly reading novels in the library

So 在 + Location + Verb can imply a present ongoing situation, especially in the right context.

If you want a very explicit “are (in the middle of) reading,” you could say:

我们都在图书馆里在安静地看小说。 (colloquial, some people will drop the second 在 or adjust the word order)
我们都在图书馆里正在安静地看小说。 (more formal/emphatic)

Why is there no measure word before 小说 (xiǎoshuō)? Shouldn’t it be 一本小说?

It could be 一本小说, but the meaning shifts slightly:

看小说 = read novels / read fiction (the activity in general; not specifying quantity)
看一本小说 = read one novel (a particular single book)

In your sentence:

安静地看小说 is more about what we are doing as an activity: “quietly reading (some) novels / fiction.”
Using a measure word (一本、两本小说) makes the quantity more specific, which isn’t necessary here.

Could we replace 小说 with 书 and say 看书 instead? What’s the difference?

Yes, you can say 看书, but the meaning changes:

看小说 = read novels / fiction specifically.
看书 = read books (general; could be novels, textbooks, nonfiction, etc.).

So:

我们都在图书馆里安静地看小说。
→ We’re all quietly reading novels.
我们都在图书馆里安静地看书。
→ We’re all quietly reading books (unspecified type).

How would I make this sentence negative? What’s the difference between 都不 and 不都?

To negate it, you typically insert 不 (bù) before the verb phrase (or after 都, depending on what you want to negate):

我们都不在图书馆里安静地看小说。
→ None of us is quietly reading novels in the library.
(都 + 不 = “all not,” i.e., zero people are doing it.)
我们不都在图书馆里安静地看小说。
→ Not all of us are quietly reading novels in the library.
(不 + 都 = “not all,” i.e., some are, some are not.)

Meaning difference:

都不: 0 out of N
不都: some subset (< N)

Is 里 (lǐ) always pronounced with a third tone? I often hear it very light.

The dictionary tone of 里 is third tone (lǐ), but in everyday speech it’s very often pronounced in a neutral tone, especially in common combinations:

图书馆里 → túshūguǎn li (neutral tone on 里)
在家里 → zài jiā li
在屋里 → zài wū li

So:

Full form (careful/slow speech): lǐ (3rd tone)
Natural speech: li (neutral tone)

Could the subject 我们 be dropped in conversation? Would the sentence still be correct?

Yes, if the context already makes it clear that “we” are being talked about, you can drop the subject:

都在图书馆里安静地看小说。

This is grammatical and natural in Chinese, which is a pro-drop language (subjects and sometimes objects can be omitted when obvious from context).

However:

In a standalone sentence (no context), 我们都在图书馆里安静地看小说。 is clearer.
In a conversation where the subject has been established (e.g., “What are you guys doing now?”), dropping 我们 is fine.