When you want to say "even he can't do it" in Mandarin, English lets you drop "even" almost anywhere. But Mandarin needs a two-part frame: 连...都/也 (lián...dōu/yě). Skip either marker and the emphasis disappears. This HSK 3 speaking lesson walks you through the full pattern in a live voice conversation with Mei Lin.
连 goes before the surprising thing — the person, object, or action you're emphasizing — and 都 (dōu) or 也 (yě) goes before the verb. Both markers are always required. The result means "even" and lets you stress something surprising or extreme.
Take the example: 他连自己的名字都不会写 (tā lián zìjǐ de míngzi dōu bú huì xiě) — "He can't even write his own name." Here 连 highlights "his own name" as the shocking thing, and 都 sits before the verb to complete the frame. You could also say 我太忙了，连饭都没时间吃 (wǒ tài máng le, lián fàn dōu méi shíjiān chī) — "I was so busy, I didn't even have time to eat."
This is a live conversation lesson — you talk out loud with Mei Lin, not type. She corrects your grammar and pronunciation in real time and adapts to your level. In about 10 minutes, you'll practice building 连...都/也 (lián...dōu/yě) sentences in response to Mei Lin's prompts, saying things like "even a child knows it" or "so busy I can't even eat." You can also reinforce the characters with the free printable Chinese worksheet generator.
When you're comfortable here, continue with another HSK 3 live lesson on 又...又 (yòu...yòu) or another HSK 3 live lesson on 先...然后 (xiān...ránhòu). For the full list, visit the HSK 3 lessons hub page.
It's a two-part pattern meaning "even." 连 goes before the surprising thing you want to emphasize, and 都 or 也 goes before the verb. Both markers are required. For example, 他连自己的名字都不会写 (tā lián zìjǐ de míngzi dōu bú huì xiě) means "He can't even write his own name." This Emphasizing Extremes lesson trains you to build sentences like this in live conversation.
In the 连...都/也 (lián...dōu/yě) pattern, both 都 and 也 mean "even" and are largely interchangeable. The key rule is that one of them must appear before the verb to complete the frame. Omitting either 连 or the second marker breaks the emphasis entirely.
The lesson takes roughly 10 minutes. You talk out loud with AI teacher Mei Lin, who corrects your grammar and pronunciation as you go. The first lesson can be tried free, and no credit card is required to start talking.
This is an HSK 3 lesson focused on the grammar point 连...都/也 (lián...dōu/yě). You can find more lessons at this level on the HSK 3 lessons hub page, including lessons on patterns like 又...又 (yòu...yòu) and 先...然后 (xiān...ránhòu).