In addition to asking questions, question words can also be used as indefinite, meaning all or any, which in English is often expressed through conjunction words such as whoever, whichever, wherever, however, whenever, etc.
Question words:谁who、什么what、哪where、怎么how、
多少how much、多久how long、几次how many times、哪N whichever
1）Pattern: subject + QW (object)+ 都 + (不/没)+ verb/adjective
- 他谁都喜欢。(他，谁都喜欢。topic/comment)
- 她哪都没去。
- 妈妈什么都不想吃。
- She is very tired, not wanting to eat anything.
- He is only 才 21, wanting to do anything.
- She is not happy however I do.
- She doesn’t have a car, couldn’t go anywhere.
- I am not busy any day of the week.
- I am going to buy that computer however expensive it is.
- I do not care 在乎 how much money you have.
- When mom is unhappy, she says nothing.
- When dad is unhappy, he listens to no one’s words.
- however many times I tell him, he won’t remember 记不住.
- However dad opposes 反对 it, I want to marry 嫁 my boyfriend.
- He feels pizza 比萨(bǐ sā) anywhere is not as good as that mom makes.
- She thinks that anybody is better than her boyfriend.
- I have looked anywhere, but didn’t find my grandpa
- However you say it, I won’t believe 信 you.
- She gave to her younger brother anything she has. (use disposal 把)
- He is smarter 聪明 than anyone.
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Rewrite the sentences, substituting the blue part with question words 几、谁、哪的、怎么、什么、多少 + 都/也
A. 李老师不喜欢他。
B. 他觉得最近吃的东西越来越贵。
C. 美国的汽车不便宜。
D. 你好好地跟她说，她也不会原谅(forgive)你。
E. 他们给他600块钱，他不卖哥哥的电脑。
F. 你明天下午三点去找他，他不会在家。
～～～～～～～～～～～
2）When used as conjunction between two clauses or fragments, question words appear twice in each of the two clauses. For instance, “I’ll have what she’s having.” In Chinese, it goes like, 她吃什么，我吃什么。Notice that 她吃什么 appears first as the precondition of the main action, 我吃什么.
The positions of the question word vary, depending on how a regular statement is structured, with subject, verb and object. For example, 谁喜欢我，我喜欢谁。(I like whoever likes me.) Or 她去哪，哪就有笑声。(There is laughter wherever she goes.)
The difference is not subtle in these two similar sentences: (1) 明天你什么时候起床，我什么时候来看你 versus (2) 我什么时候来看你，你什么时候起床。(1) I’ll come to visit you whenever you get up. (2) You get up whenever I come to visit you. The first sentence conveys politeness whereas the second is a direct order. More example.
More examples of question-words as conjunctions, notice that in each sentence the main clause appears after conditions are mentioned first.
- She says what she wants to say. 她想说什么就说什么。
- The love you take is love you make. 你做多少爱, 就有多少爱。
- We are going wherever you are going. 你去哪, 我们就去哪。
- They do what he asks them to do. 他让他们做什么, 他们就做什么。
- I’ll attend whichever school you attend. 你上哪个大学, 我就上哪个大学。
- In winter, wear however much as possible; in summer, wear however few as possible.
- 冬天，能穿多少穿多少；夏天，能穿多少穿多少。
- We’ll do it however is convenient. 怎么方便, 我们就怎么做。
- He’ll drink as much wine as you have. 你有多少酒, 他就喝多少酒。
- Bear me sons, eat whatever you want; bear me daughters, eat whatever I have.
- 生儿子，吃啥有啥；生女儿，有啥吃啥。啥(shá, = 什么)。
- I like whoever likes me. 谁喜欢我, 我就喜欢谁。
Examples of question words as conjunctions;
Translate the following:
17. He does whatever she tells him to do.
18. She’ll go wherever there are cheap clothes to buy.
19. I’ll speak English however Americans speak it.
20. I’ll come over to see you whenever you get up tomorrow.
21. I’ll name my baby however my father calls him.
22. She tells her daughter to go to whichever coffee shop his son goes to tomorrow.
23. He wants as much money as his father has given to his older brother.
24. Whoever has a car should go buy stuff.
25. China has as many people as India (印度 🇮🇳 yìn dù).