ChinesePath也 (yě): "Also" in Chinese — Position, Concession and 谁也/什么也
也 yě is the Chinese "also / too" — with one iron rule English speakers keep breaking: it is an adverb and must stand before the verb, never at the end of the sentence. "I'm going too" is 我也去 wǒ yě qù, never 我去也. Its core meaning is sameness: the same situation holds for another person, thing or case. From that core grow a concessive use ("even if… still"), a set of "no one / nothing" patterns with question words, and a subtle softening use that trips up even advanced learners.
Use 1: the same goes for X
- 他去，我也去。Tā qù, wǒ yě qù. (He's going — I'm going too.)
- 你能做到，我也能。Nǐ néng zuòdào, wǒ yě néng. (You can do it; so can I.)
- 这里白天热，晚上也热。Zhèlǐ báitiān rè, wǎnshang yě rè. (It's hot here by day, and hot by night too.)
Position check: 也 always sits between the subject and the verb. Whatever is "also" true, 也 stays put — English moves "too" around; Chinese doesn't.
Use 2: concession — "even if…, still"
也 marks that the result stays the same despite the condition:
- 再难也要坚持。Zài nán yě yào jiānchí. (However hard it gets, keep going.)
- 你不说我也知道。Nǐ bù shuō wǒ yě zhīdào. (Even if you don't say it, I know.)
The first pattern — 再 + adjective + 也 — is a fixed frame worth memorizing; see the article on 再.
Use 3: 谁也 / 什么也 / 哪里也 — "no one, nothing, nowhere"
Question word + 也 generalizes over the whole range, most often in negatives:
- 谁也比不过你。Shéi yě bǐ bù guò nǐ. (No one can beat you.)
- 哪里也没有家里温暖。Nǎlǐ yě méiyǒu jiālǐ wēnnuǎn. (Nowhere is as warm as home.)
- 什么也不能阻止你成功。Shénme yě bù néng zǔzhǐ nǐ chénggōng. (Nothing can stop you from succeeding.)
The same frame runs with 都 (谁都, 什么都); 也 favors negative sentences, 都 works in both.
Use 4: the softening 也
In a handful of everyday sentences, 也 blurs a judgment to make it gentler — a use no textbook translation captures:
- 你也真是的。Nǐ yě zhēnshi de. (Honestly, you… ) — a vague scolding instead of a direct one
- 这也难怪。Zhè yě nánguài. (No wonder, really — understandable.)
- 我也就随便说说。Wǒ yě jiù suíbiàn shuōshuo. (I'm just talking casually — don't take it as pressure.)
- 也罢。Yě bà. (So be it.)
也 vs 又 vs 再
Three adverbs, three directions:
| Word | Core | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 也 | sameness — the same holds elsewhere | 你去，我也去。(You go, I go too.) |
| 又 | repetition that already happened | 他今天又来了。(He came again today.) |
| 再 | repetition still to come | 我明天再来。(I'll come again tomorrow.) |
也 does not mean "again" at all — it says the same situation applies to another case, which is why 你不去，我也不去 (if you don't go, I won't either) needs 也 and nothing else.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does 也 go in the sentence?
Always before the verb (and after the subject): 我也去. Putting it at the end, English-style ("me too" → 我去也), is ungrammatical. To say a bare "me too", Chinese repeats the verb: 我也是 or 我也去.
How do I say "me too" and "me neither" in Chinese?
我也是 (so am I / me too) for agreement with a positive; 我也不 / 我也没 + verb for agreement with a negative: 我也不喜欢 (I don't like it either). 也 covers both "too" and "either".
What does 再难也要坚持 mean?
"No matter how hard it gets, you must keep going." The frame 再 + adjective + 也 + verb concedes an extreme degree and holds the result: 再贵也要买 (however expensive, still buy it).
What is the difference between 谁也 and 谁都?
Both generalize "anyone/everyone". 谁都 works in positives and negatives (谁都知道 — everyone knows); 谁也 strongly prefers negatives (谁也不知道 — nobody knows). In negative sentences they are interchangeable.
Does 也 ever mean "again"?
No. "Again" is 又 (already happened) or 再 (yet to happen). 也 only marks that the same situation extends to another person, thing or case.
Try the first unit free