Chinese Agreement with 也 and 也不: Mastering Inversion-free Replies
Learn to agree with positive and negative statements in Mandarin using 也 (yě) and 也不 (yě bù), the natural equivalents of English 'so' and 'neither'. Practice with common verbs and adjectives.
By TheaFirst conversations · Yapr Learn
In English, you agree with 'I love tea' by saying 'So do I,' using inversion. Mandarin does not invert word order. Instead, it uses the adverb 也 (yě, 'also') before the verb for positive agreement, and 也不 (yě bù) for negative agreement. This lesson teaches you to respond naturally to statements like 我喜欢茶 (Wǒ xǐhuan chá) with 我也是 (Wǒ yě shì) or 我也喜欢 (Wǒ yě xǐhuan). You will learn the pattern, avoid common errors like adding 是 unnecessarily, and practice in a short dialogue.
By the end, you can…
- agree with a positive statement using 也 + verb.
- agree with a negative statement using 也不 + verb.
- use 我也是 as a short agreement response.
- distinguish when to use 也 versus 也不.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
我也是。
Me too. / So am I.
Wǒ yě shì.
General agreement with a positive statement, especially when the original uses 是 or when you want a short reply.
我也喜欢。
I like it too. / So do I.
Wǒ yě xǐhuan.
Agree with a positive statement about liking something. Replace 喜欢 with other verbs as needed.
我也不喜欢。
I don't like it either. / Neither do I.
Wǒ yě bù xǐhuan.
Agree with a negative statement. 也 comes before 不, and both go before the verb.
我也是学生。
I am a student too.
Wǒ yě shì xuésheng.
Agree with a positive statement using 是. 也 goes before 是.
我也不饿。
I'm not hungry either.
Wǒ yě bù è.
Agree with a negative statement using an adjective. 也不 goes before the adjective.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
To agree with a positive statement, put 也 (yě) before the verb or adjective. For example, if someone says 我喜欢茶 (Wǒ xǐhuan chá, 'I like tea'), you reply 我也喜欢 (Wǒ yě xǐhuan, 'I also like'). If the statement uses 是 (shì, 'to be'), say 我也是 (Wǒ yě shì, 'I am too'). To agree with a negative statement, use 也不 (yě bù) before the verb: 我不喜欢咖啡 (Wǒ bù xǐhuan kāfēi, 'I don't like coffee') → 我也不喜欢 (Wǒ yě bù xǐhuan, 'I don't like it either'). Note that 也 always comes before 不, never after. There is no inversion like English 'so do I'; the subject always comes first.
When to use it
Use 也 for positive agreement and 也不 for negative agreement. If the original statement is positive, your reply with 也 is positive. If the original is negative, your reply with 也不 is negative. For short answers, 我也是 (Wǒ yě shì) works for many positive statements, especially those with 是 or when the verb is clear from context. For negative short answers, 我也不 (Wǒ yě bù) is less common alone; it's better to repeat the verb: 我也不喜欢 (Wǒ yě bù xǐhuan). Avoid using 也 in questions; it's for statements. Also, don't confuse 也 with 还 (hái, 'also' in addition), which implies something extra.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
我喜欢喝茶。
I like drinking tea.Wǒ xǐhuan hē chá.我也是。我也喜欢喝茶。
Me too. I like drinking tea too.Wǒ yě shì. Wǒ yě xǐhuan hē chá.我不喜欢咖啡。
I don't like coffee.Wǒ bù xǐhuan kāfēi.我也不喜欢咖啡。
I don't like coffee either.Wǒ yě bù xǐhuan kāfēi.A little context goes a long way
In Mandarin, agreement is often expressed with 也 (yě) rather than a standalone 'so' or 'neither'. While 我也是 is common in casual conversation, repeating the verb with 也 sounds more natural in many contexts. Politeness matters: when disagreeing, Chinese speakers may soften with 我觉得 (wǒ juéde, 'I think') or 可能 (kěnéng, 'maybe'). Also, regional differences exist; in some southern varieties, 也 may be less frequent, but Standard Mandarin uses it consistently.
One thing to watch for
Saying 我是也 (Wǒ shì yě) or 我喜欢也 (Wǒ xǐhuan yě), placing 也 after the verb.
Try this instead: 也 must come before the verb or adjective. Say 我也是 (Wǒ yě shì) or 我也喜欢 (Wǒ yě xǐhuan). For negative agreement, use 也不 before the verb: 我也不喜欢 (Wǒ yě bù xǐhuan).
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you agree with 我爱吃中国菜 (Wǒ ài chī Zhōngguó cài, 'I love eating Chinese food')?
Show a sample answer
我也爱吃中国菜。 (Wǒ yě ài chī Zhōngguó cài.)
也 goes before the verb 爱. You can also say 我也是 (Wǒ yě shì) as a short reply. Both are correct.
2How do you agree with 我不想去公园 (Wǒ bù xiǎng qù gōngyuán, 'I don't want to go to the park')?
Show a sample answer
我也不想去公园。 (Wǒ yě bù xiǎng qù gōngyuán.)
Use 也不 before the verb 想. The order is subject + 也不 + verb. 我也不想 (Wǒ yě bù xiǎng) is also acceptable if the context is clear.
3What is the difference between 我也喜欢 and 我也不喜欢?
Show a sample answer
我也喜欢 means 'I like it too' (positive agreement). 我也不喜欢 means 'I don't like it either' (negative agreement).
The presence of 不 changes the meaning to negative. Use 也 for positive statements and 也不 for negative statements.
To agree in Mandarin, put 也 before the verb for positive statements and 也不 for negative ones. No inversion needed—just subject + 也(不) + verb.
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