Introduction
也 (yě) means "also" or "too". English drops "too" at the end of the sentence — I'm a student too. Chinese cannot. 也 is an adverb and lives in one place only: after the subject, before everything else. 我也是学生。(Wǒ yě shì xuéshēng.)
Overview
Structure: Subj. + 也 (yě) + Verb / Adj.
| Pattern | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Subj + 也 + Verb | 我也去。(Wǒ yě qù.) | I'm going too. |
| Subj + 也 + 是 | 我也是学生。(Wǒ yě shì xuéshēng.) | I'm a student too. |
| Subj + 也 + 很 + Adj | 我也很高兴。(Wǒ yě hěn gāoxìng.) | I'm glad too. |
| Subj + 也 + 不 + Verb | 我也不去。(Wǒ yě bú qù.) | I'm not going either. |
| Subj + 也 + 没 + Verb | 我也没吃。(Wǒ yě méi chī.) | I didn't eat either. |
也 (yě) goes before the verb — never at the end:
- ✓ 我也是学生。(Wǒ yě shì xuéshēng.) — I'm a student too.
- ❌ 我是学生也。(Wǒ shì xuéshēng yě.) — This is the English word order, and it is wrong.
- With an adjective, 也 comes before 很 (hěn): 我也很累。(Wǒ yě hěn lèi.) — I'm tired too.
- With a negative, 也 comes before 不 (bù) or 没 (méi): 我也不喜欢。(Wǒ yě bù xǐhuan.) — I don't like it either.
Examples
我也是学生。
Wǒ yě shì xuéshēng.
I'm a student too.
他也喜欢喝茶。
Tā yě xǐhuan hē chá.
He likes tea too.
我也很高兴认识你。
Wǒ yě hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ.
I'm pleased to meet you too.
今天很热，明天也很热。
Jīntiān hěn rè, míngtiān yě hěn rè.
It's hot today, and hot tomorrow too.
我也不知道。
Wǒ yě bù zhīdào.
I don't know either.
你去，我也去。
Nǐ qù, wǒ yě qù.
If you go, I'll go too.
Usage Notes
- 也 (yě) always needs a subject in front of it. It can never open a sentence.
- 我也是。(Wǒ yě shì.) — "me too" — is the standard short reply, and 我也不 (wǒ yě bù) plus the verb is "me neither".
- When 也 (yě) and 都 (dōu) appear together, the order is 也都: 他们也都来。(Tāmen yě dōu lái.) — They're all coming too.
- 也 attaches to whatever follows it, so the meaning shifts with the subject: 我也喜欢茶 (wǒ yě xǐhuan chá) — I like tea too, like you do; 我喜欢茶，也喜欢咖啡 (wǒ xǐhuan chá, yě xǐhuan kāfēi) — I like tea, and coffee as well.
- The 也 (yě) in a second clause often replaces a repeated subject: 他喜欢运动，也喜欢音乐。(Tā xǐhuan yùndòng, yě xǐhuan yīnyuè.)