<p>You can say "他們說的我不都懂".  It's just far less common than "他們說的我不是都懂" nowadays.  As user6065 said, "不"/"不是" is used to modify "都" (= "all").  </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-11-17T00:34:49.170Z
2015-11-17T00:34:49.170Z
Henry HO
<p>I understand everything they say. 他们说的我都懂。</p>

<p>I don't understand all they say. (I only understand some of what they say.)</p>

<p>他们说的我不都懂。or 他们说的我不是都懂。Here using 不 or 不是 makes no differences.</p>

<p>I don't understand anything they say.
他们说的我都不懂。</p>

<p>So 不都 means not all, ie maybe some, and 都不 means all not, ie none.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-11-18T00:51:42.850Z
2015-11-18T00:51:42.850Z
孤影萍踪
<p>From Jimmy Du's Essential Chinese, p. 46:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I understand everything  you say. 你说的我都懂。</p>
<p>I don't understand all they say. 他们说的我不是都懂。</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Why is 不是 there in the second example, and not simply 不? I have only seen 懂 used as a verb before. This does not resemble anything I have learned.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-11-16T23:21:22.627Z
It would seem 不是 negates the whole following predicate 都懂，他们说的我不都懂 would only negate the adverb 都
user6065
<grammar><mandarin>
Puzzling negation in a beginner's grammar book
# Puzzling negation in a beginner's grammar book

(Asked by: username_0 on 2015-11-16)

From Jimmy Du's Essential Chinese, p. 46:

> I understand everything you say. 你说的我都懂。
>
> I don't understand all they say. 他们说的我不是都懂。

Why is 不是 there in the second example, and not simply 不? I have only seen 懂 used as a verb before. This does not resemble anything I have learned.

**Tags:** grammar, mandarin
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: It would seem 不是 negates the whole following predicate 都懂，他们说的我不都懂 would only negate the adverb 都  

---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2015-11-17. Score: 0 | Accepted answer

You can say "他們說的我不都懂". It's just far less common than "他們說的我不是都懂" nowadays. As user6065 said, "不"/"不是" is used to modify "都" (= "all").


---

### Answer by username_3 on 2015-11-18. Score: 1

I understand everything they say. 他们说的我都懂。

I don't understand all they say. (I only understand some of what they say.)

他们说的我不都懂。or 他们说的我不是都懂。Here using 不 or 不是 makes no differences.

I don't understand anything they say.
他们说的我都不懂。

So 不都 means not all, ie maybe some, and 都不 means all not, ie none.


---

