Introduction
Put 什么 (shénme) and 都 (dōu) in one sentence and the question word stops asking. 我什么都吃。(Wǒ shénme dōu chī.) — I eat everything. The pair is fixed: the question word first, 都 (dōu) or 也 (yě) second, then the verb.
Overview
Structure: (Topic +) Subj. + 什么 (shénme) + 都 (dōu) / 也 (yě) + Verb
| Pattern | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 什么 + 都 + V | 我什么都吃。(Wǒ shénme dōu chī.) | I eat anything. |
| 什么 + 都 + 不 + V | 他什么都不知道。(Tā shénme dōu bù zhīdào.) | He doesn't know anything. |
| 什么 + 也 + 没 + V | 我什么也没买。(Wǒ shénme yě méi mǎi.) | I didn't buy anything. |
| 谁 + 都 + V | 谁都知道。(Shéi dōu zhīdào.) | Everyone knows. |
| 哪儿 + 都 + 不 + V | 我哪儿都不去。(Wǒ nǎr dōu bú qù.) | I'm not going anywhere. |
The question word comes first, 都 (dōu) second, verb last:
- ✓ 我什么都吃。(Wǒ shénme dōu chī.) ❌ 我吃什么都 (wǒ chī shénme dōu)
- Positive, it means "everything"; with 不 (bù) or 没 (méi) after 都, it means "nothing": 我什么都不吃。(Wǒ shénme dōu bù chī.)
- 也 (yě) can replace 都 (dōu) in the negative, and sounds slightly stronger: 我什么也不吃。(Wǒ shénme yě bù chī.)
- The same frame works with every question word: 谁都 (shéi dōu) everyone，哪儿都 (nǎr dōu) everywhere，怎么都 (zěnme dōu) no matter how.
Examples
我什么都吃。
Wǒ shénme dōu chī.
I'll eat anything.
他什么都不知道。
Tā shénme dōu bù zhīdào.
He doesn't know anything.
我什么也没买。
Wǒ shénme yě méi mǎi.
I didn't buy a thing.
谁都知道这件事。
Shéi dōu zhīdào zhè jiàn shì.
Everybody knows about it.
周末我哪儿都不去。
Zhōumò wǒ nǎr dōu bú qù.
At the weekend I'm not going anywhere.
这个问题谁都不会。
Zhège wèntí shéi dōu bú huì.
Nobody can do this question.
Usage Notes
- 什么 (shénme) here is not a question. The sentence takes no question mark and no 吗 (ma).
- The order never varies: question word, then 都 (dōu) or 也 (yě), then the verb. Nothing may come between 都 and the verb except a negative.
- 都 (dōu) works in both positive and negative sentences; 也 (yě) in this frame is used almost only in the negative.
- Fronting the object is what makes this work — 我什么都吃 (wǒ shénme dōu chī) puts the "what" before the verb, which is exactly what 都 (dōu) needs, since it always looks backwards.
- 什么都行。(Shénme dōu xíng.) — "anything's fine" — is the most useful sentence here, and the standard answer to "what would you like to eat?"