都【dōu】

都 goes before the verb and sums up something plural that comes before it. When there is more than one plural phrase in front, 都 can sum up any of them.

Either every one of us has read them, or we have read every one of them. To pin it down, make the other phrase singular.

Parts of a single thing

A singular noun before 都 can still be summed up when it has parts. 都 then means "the whole of it".

Times and places

A plural time or place phrase can be what 都 covers. 每 nearly always brings 都 with it for this reason.

In a question, 都 looks forward

In a question with 什么, 哪儿 or 谁, 都 sums up the question word after it. The speaker expects a list.

This is the only case where what 都 covers comes after it. An object after the verb in a statement can't be summed up.

• × 我都喜欢这些菜 → 这些菜我都喜欢
• × 我看过都这些书 → 这些书我都看过

With 不

都不 negates every member; 不都 negates the "all". The word order fixes which.