tā lián pénzāi dōu méi jiāoshuǐ.

连...都... is a common pattern meaning even..., often with a sense of surprise, emphasis, or that something is the minimum expected thing.

So in:

他连盆栽都没浇水。

the speaker is emphasizing that he didn't even water the potted plant(s). The idea is that watering the plant should have been easy or expected, but he failed to do even that.

A very natural English gloss is:

He didn’t even water the potted plant(s).

Yes, 都 often means all, but in the pattern 连...都..., it does not simply mean all.

Here, 都 helps create the emphatic even meaning. In other words:

• 连盆栽都没浇水 = didn’t even water the potted plant(s)

So although 都 by itself often means all, in this grammar pattern it works as part of the structure and adds emphasis.

You can think of 连...都... as a chunk to learn together.

Because this sentence is talking about a completed action in the past that did not happen.

• 没 + verb is commonly used for did not do
• 不 + verb is usually used for do not / does not / will not / generally do not

So:

• 他没浇水 = He didn’t water (it).
• 他不浇水 = He doesn’t water (it) / He refuses to water (it) / He won’t water (it), depending on context

In this sentence, the meaning is about a specific failure to do the action, so 没 is the natural choice.

盆栽 means a potted plant or plants grown in a pot.

• 盆 = pot, basin
• 栽 = to plant / cultivate

In everyday use, 盆栽 usually refers to a plant kept in a pot as a decorative or household plant.

It does not automatically mean bonsai, although in some contexts a bonsai is also a kind of 盆栽. If you specifically mean bonsai, Chinese often uses 盆景 instead.

It can be either singular or plural, depending on context.

Chinese nouns usually do not have special singular/plural forms the way English nouns do. So:

• 盆栽 could mean the potted plant
• or the potted plants

If the context does not make it clear, English translators choose whichever sounds most natural.

In this sentence, many learners will first understand it as the potted plant, but potted plants is also possible.

Normally, Chinese word order is:

subject + verb + object

For example:

• 他没浇盆栽。

But with 连...都..., the thing being emphasized is moved earlier:

• 他连盆栽都没浇水。

This structure highlights 盆栽 as the surprising or extreme item.

So the sentence is not using ordinary neutral word order. It is using an emphatic focus pattern.

Because 浇水 is a very common verb-object expression meaning to water or more literally to pour water.

• 浇 = to pour / to water
• 水 = water

So 浇水 functions like the action water (plants) in English.

Then 盆栽 is the thing affected by that action, and it is brought forward by the 连...都... pattern.

A more explicit version could be something like:

他连给盆栽浇水都没做。

But that is less natural here. 连盆栽都没浇水 is compact and idiomatic.

It is best to think of 浇水 as a fixed verb-object phrase meaning to water.

In this sentence, the important point is that the whole action 浇水 comes after 没:

• 没浇水

That means didn’t water.

Because 盆栽 is already highlighted earlier with 连...都..., the sentence does not need to repeat it after 浇.

Chinese often does this when the object has already been introduced or fronted for emphasis.

Yes, that is possible.

Both 连...都... and 连...也... can mean even....

• 连盆栽都没浇水
• 连盆栽也没浇水

Both are grammatical. In many contexts, 都 sounds a little more common or a little stronger in this kind of sentence, but the difference is often small.

As a learner, it is very useful to remember both patterns:

• 连...都...
• 连...也...

It usually implies criticism, disappointment, or surprise.

The speaker is not just stating a fact. They are suggesting something like:

• watering the plant was simple
• the plant needed care
• he neglected even this basic task

So the tone may be:

• He was careless.
• He was neglectful.
• He couldn’t even do that.

The sentence often carries a slight emotional judgment.

Yes. That is often exactly the implication of 连...都....

The structure suggests that 盆栽 is one item on a scale, and it may be the least demanding, most obvious, or most surprising item. So there may be an unstated background like:

• he didn’t take care of anything
• he ignored multiple responsibilities
• among all the things he failed to do, even watering the plant was neglected

So the sentence often implies a broader situation, even if it mentions only one item directly.

The pinyin is:

• 连 = lián (second tone)
• 盆栽 = pénzāi
  
  • 盆 = pén (second tone)
  • 栽 = zāi (first tone)

Full sentence:

他连盆栽都没浇水。
tā lián pénzāi dōu méi jiāoshuǐ

A natural rhythm is:

tā | lián pénzāi dōu | méi jiāoshuǐ

Try not to stress every syllable equally. The emphasis usually falls around 连盆栽都 and 没.

Yes, if the subject is already clear from context.

Chinese often omits subjects when they are understood. So:

• 他连盆栽都没浇水。 = He didn’t even water the potted plant(s).
• 连盆栽都没浇水。 = [He/She/Someone] didn’t even water the potted plant(s).

Without 他, the sentence is still natural in conversation if everyone already knows who you are talking about.

A more neutral sentence would be:

他没给盆栽浇水。
or
他没浇盆栽。

These mean:

• He didn’t water the potted plant(s).

Compared with those, 他连盆栽都没浇水 is more emphatic and expressive. It highlights the idea that neglecting the plant was especially surprising or disappointing.