都, 逐 and 所有: All and Every

01

都 — Before the Verb

都 (du+tů) sums up a plural subject that has already been named. It stands before the verb, never before the noun, and it looks back at a subject already given rather than quantifying one.

• 𠊎兜个細人仔摎佢兜个細人仔都係學生仔。

  ngai deuˋ gaiˇ seˇ ngin er lauˋ gi deuˋ gaiˇ seˇ ngin er du+ heˇ hogˋ sangˋ erngài têu kai se ngìn èr lâu kì têu kai se ngìn èr tů he ho̍k sâng èr

  Our children and their children are all students.

• 毋過𠊎个同事都當好。

  m goˇ ngai gaiˇ tung sii+ du+ dongˋ hoˊm̀ ko ngài kai thùng sṳ̊ tů tông hó

  But my colleagues are all very nice.

• 𠊎三個細人仔都平大。

  ngai samˋ gaiˇ seˇ ngin er du+ piang tai+ngài sâm kai se ngìn èr tů phiàng thåi

  My three children are all the same age.

Because it refers back, a sentence needs a plural subject already in place for 都 (du+tů) to have anything to gather up.

02

都 for an Extreme Case

The same word marks an all-inclusive or extreme case, giving the force of English even or anything at all.

• 佢麼个事情都做得做。

  gi maˋ gaiˇ sii+ cin du+ zoˇ ded zoˇkì mâ kai sṳ̊ tshìn tů tso tet tso

  It can do anything at all.

• 都毋靚。

  du+ m ziangˋtů m̀ tsiâng

  It's not even pretty.

• 暗晡頭都係烏个。

  amˇ buˋ teu du+ heˇ vuˋ gaiˇam pû thèu tů he vû kai

  Nights are always dark.

03

逐 — Every, Each

逐 (dagtak) stands before a classifier and means every or each, picking out the members of a group one by one. It very often appears together with 都 (du+tů) later in the sentence, the two working as a pair.

• 頭家送分𠊎兜逐儕人一罐酒。

  teu gaˋ sungˇ bunˋ ngai deuˋ dag sa ngin rhid gonˇ ziuˊthèu kâ sung pûn ngài têu tak sà ngìn yit kon tsiú

  The boss gave each of us a bottle of wine.

• 逐儕人都知這隻問題。

  dag sa ngin du+ diˋ liaˊ zhag munˇ titak sà ngìn tů tî liá chak mun thì

  Everyone knows about this problem.

• 逐隻斯愛四百日幣。

  dag zhag sii+ oiˇ siˇ bag ngid biˇtak chak sṳ̊ oi si pak ngit pi

  Each one costs only four hundred yen.

04

所有 — All of Them

所有 (soˊ rhiuˋsó yiû) comes before the noun and takes in the whole of a group with nothing left out. It is usually followed by 个 (gaiˇkai), and it fills the slot that 都 (du+tů) cannot, since that word can only stand before a verb.

• 𠊎知佢兜所有个歌仔。

  ngai diˋ gi deuˋ soˊ rhiuˋ gaiˇ goˋ erngài tî kì têu só yiû kai kô èr

  I know all their songs.

• 𠊎好所有个電影。

  ngai hauˇ soˊ rhiuˋ gaiˇ tien+ rhangˊngài hau só yiû kai thie̊n yáng

  I like all movies.

• 𠊎兜个產品解決你所有个問題。

  ngai deuˋ gaiˇ sanˊ pinˊ gaiˊ gied ngi soˊ rhiuˋ gaiˇ munˇ tingài têu kai sán phín kái kiet ngì só yiû kai mun thì

  Our product solves all your problems.

05

Which Goes Where

所有 (soˊ rhiuˋsó yiû) before the noun; 逐 (dagtak) before the classifier; 都 (du+tů) before the verb. A sentence may well carry two of them at once, which is not repetition — each is doing its own job in its own position.