Topics
IntermediatePro-Verbs & Verb Substitution
How languages substitute for a repeated or understood verb phrase in Spanish, English and Chinese.
Compare languages
Pro-verbs are substitutes for verbs or verb phrases, avoiding repetition. English uses do/do so/did. Spanish uses hacerlo. Chinese uses 这样/那样 or simply omits the verb.
Overview
Pro-verbs substitute for a previously mentioned verb or verb phrase, avoiding repetition.
- Spanish: Uses también for agreement, lo as a pronoun for actions (hacerlo), and explicit repetition for short answers. No dedicated pro-verb like English do.
- English: Uses do as a pro-verb with inverted word order (so does he, neither do I). Do so and do it substitute for action verb phrases.
- Chinese: Often repeats the verb or omits it entirely when context is clear. 也 marks agreement. 这样/那样 can substitute for actions.
Spanish
También / tampoco (agreement)
- A mí me gusta y a él también. (I like it and he does too.)
- Yo no fui y él tampoco. (I didn’t go and neither did he.)
Note: Spanish repeats the experiencer (a mí / a él) rather than using a pro-verb.
Hacerlo / decirlo / saberlo
The pronoun lo can stand for an action:
- ¿Vas a hacerlo? (Are you going to do it?)
- No puedo evitarlo. (I can’t avoid it.)
- Dime lo que pasó. Lo sé. (Tell me what happened. I know [it].)
Explicit repetition
Spanish often simply repeats the verb:
- ¿Te gusta? Sí, me gusta. (Do you like it? Yes, I like it.)
- ¿Vas a venir? Sí, voy. (Are you coming? Yes, I’m coming.)
- ¿Puedes ayudarme? Sí, puedo. (Can you help me? Yes, I can.)
Ellipsis
Spanish allows some ellipsis but less freely than English:
- Quiero ir y creo que tú también quieres. (I want to go and I think you want to too.)
- No lo leí, pero debería haberlo leído. (I didn’t read it, but I should have read it.)
Yo que tú / Yo en tu lugar
- Yo que tú, lo haría. (If I were you, I would do it.)
- Yo en tu lugar, no lo haría. (In your place, I wouldn’t do it.)
English
So + auxiliary (agreement)
- I like it, and so does he.
- She can swim, and so can I.
- They have arrived, and so have we.
- He went there, and so did I.
Neither / nor + auxiliary (negative agreement)
- I don’t like it, and neither does he.
- She can’t swim, and nor can I.
- They haven’t arrived, and neither have we.
- He didn’t go, and nor did I.
Inversion: The auxiliary precedes the subject in these constructions.
Do / does / did (short answers)
- Do you like it? Yes, I do. / No, I don’t.
- Can you help me? Yes, I can. / No, I can’t.
- Did you go? Yes, I did. / No, I didn’t.
Do so / do it / do that
Substitutes for action verb phrases:
- He asked me to leave, so I did so.
- She said she would call, and she did it.
- I told him to stop, but he didn’t do so.
Note: Do so is more formal. Do it/that is more common in speech.
So I did / So I am (confirmation)
Echoing a previous statement:
-
A: You forgot your keys.
-
B: So I did! (You’re right, I did.)
-
A: You’re being silly.
-
B: So I am! (I admit it.)
Comparative ellipsis
- He speaks better than I do.
- She runs faster than he does.
- I earn more than they do.
VP ellipsis
- I haven’t read it, but I should. (= should have read it)
- He doesn’t like it, but I think he might.
- She said she would come, and she will.
Stripping
- John likes tea, and Mary coffee. (= Mary likes coffee)
- I went to Paris, and Bill to Rome. (= Bill went to Rome)
Chinese
Verb repetition
Chinese often repeats the verb in short answers:
-
A: 你喜欢吗？(Do you like it?)
-
B: 喜欢。(Like [it]. — yes)
-
B: 不喜欢。(Not like [it]. — no)
-
A: 你能来吗？(Can you come?)
-
B: 能。(Can. — yes)
-
B: 不能。(Cannot. — no)
也 for agreement
- 我去了，他也去了。(I went, and he went too.)
- 我喜欢，他也喜欢。(I like it, and he likes it too.)
也 + 是 (pro-verb substitute)
- 我喜欢，他也是。(I like it, and so does he. — 是 substitutes for 喜欢)
- 我是老师，他也是。(I’m a teacher, and so is he.)
Note: 也 + 是 only works with stative verbs. For action verbs, repeat the verb.
这样 / 那样 (this way / that way)
Can substitute for manner:
- 我这样做，他也这样。(I do it this way, and he does too.)
- 别那样。(Don’t do it that way.)
Zero anaphora (omission)
Chinese often simply omits the repeated verb:
- 我想去，他也想。(I want to go, and he wants to [go] too.)
- 我没读，但应该读。(I didn’t read it, but should read [it].)
Comparative with 比
- 他说得比我好。(He speaks better than me. — no pro-verb needed)
- 我跑得比他快。(I run faster than him.)
Comparison at a glance
| Construction | Spanish | English | Chinese |
|---|---|---|---|
| Positive agreement | A mí también / Yo también | So + auxiliary | 也 + verb / 也是 |
| Negative agreement | Yo tampoco | Neither/Nor + auxiliary | 也不 + verb |
| Short answer | Sí, me gusta / Sí, puedo | Yes, I do / Yes, I can | 喜欢 / 能 |
| Pro-verb for action | hacerlo | do so / do it | 这样 / repeat verb |
| Comparative pro-verb | (repetition) | better than I do | 比 + person + adjective |
| VP ellipsis | limited | very productive | very productive (zero anaphora) |
Examples in context
I like it and so does he
- ES: A mí me gusta y a él también.
- EN: I like it and so does he.
- ZH: 我喜欢，他也喜欢。
I didn’t go and neither did he
- ES: Yo no fui y él tampoco.
- EN: I didn’t go and neither did he.
- ZH: 我没去，他也没去。
Can you help me? Yes, I can
- ES: ¿Puedes ayudarme? Sí, puedo.
- EN: Can you help me? Yes, I can.
- ZH: 你能帮我吗？能。
Common mistakes
-
Spanish speakers learning English: I like it and he too → I like it and so does he
-
English speakers learning Spanish: So do I → Yo también (no pro-verb construction)
-
English speakers learning Chinese: 你喜欢吗？是 → 你喜欢吗？喜欢 (repeat the verb, not 是)
-
Chinese speakers learning English: I like, he too → I like it, so does he
Related topics
- Ellipsis: How omission works in each language
- Comparisons: How comparative constructions work
- Word Order: How sentence structure supports substitution
- Anaphora: How reference to prior material works
Examples
I like it and so does he
A mí me gusta y a él también
I went and he did too
Yo fui y él también
Do you like it? Yes, I do.
¿Te gusta? Sí, me gusta.
I didn't read it, but I should have
No lo leí, pero debería haberlo hecho
I think so / I hope so
Creo que sí / Espero que sí
If you want to go, you should
Si quieres ir, deberías hacerlo
He speaks better than I do
Habla mejor que yo
So + auxiliary (agreement)
A mí también / Yo también / A él también
Examples
I like it and so does he
I like it and so does he
I went and he did too
I went and he did too
Do you like it? Yes, I do.
Do you like it? Yes, I do.
I didn't read it, but I should have
I didn't read it, but I should have
I think so / I hope so
I think so / I hope so
If you want to go, you should
If you want to go, you should
He speaks better than I do
He speaks better than I do
So + auxiliary (agreement)
So + auxiliary: So do I / So is he
Examples
I like it and so does he
我喜欢，他也喜欢 / 我喜欢，他也是
I went and he did too
我去了，他也去了
Do you like it? Yes, I do.
你喜欢吗？喜欢。 / 喜欢。
I didn't read it, but I should have
我没读，但是应该读
I think so / I hope so
我这么想 / 希望如此
If you want to go, you should
如果你想去，就去吧
He speaks better than I do
他说得比我好
So + auxiliary (agreement)
也 / 都 (with context)
Comparison at a glance
| Grammar concepts | Spanish | English | Chinese |
|---|---|---|---|
| I like it and so does he | A mí me gusta y a él también | I like it and so does he | 我喜欢，他也喜欢 / 我喜欢，他也是 |
| I went and he did too | Yo fui y él también | I went and he did too | 我去了，他也去了 |
| Do you like it? Yes, I do. | ¿Te gusta? Sí, me gusta. | Do you like it? Yes, I do. | 你喜欢吗？喜欢。 / 喜欢。 |
| I didn't read it, but I should have | No lo leí, pero debería haberlo hecho | I didn't read it, but I should have | 我没读，但是应该读 |
| I think so / I hope so | Creo que sí / Espero que sí | I think so / I hope so | 我这么想 / 希望如此 |
| If you want to go, you should | Si quieres ir, deberías hacerlo | If you want to go, you should | 如果你想去，就去吧 |
| He speaks better than I do | Habla mejor que yo | He speaks better than I do | 他说得比我好 |
| So + auxiliary (agreement) | A mí también / Yo también / A él también | So + auxiliary: So do I / So is he | 也 / 都 (with context) |
Select at least one language to view comparisons
Side-by-side comparison
| Grammar concepts | Spanish | English | Chinese |
|---|---|---|---|
| I like it and so does he | A mí me gusta y a él también | I like it and so does he | 我喜欢，他也喜欢 / 我喜欢，他也是 |
| I went and he did too | Yo fui y él también | I went and he did too | 我去了，他也去了 |
| Do you like it? Yes, I do. | ¿Te gusta? Sí, me gusta. | Do you like it? Yes, I do. | 你喜欢吗？喜欢。 / 喜欢。 |
| I didn't read it, but I should have | No lo leí, pero debería haberlo hecho | I didn't read it, but I should have | 我没读，但是应该读 |
| I think so / I hope so | Creo que sí / Espero que sí | I think so / I hope so | 我这么想 / 希望如此 |
| If you want to go, you should | Si quieres ir, deberías hacerlo | If you want to go, you should | 如果你想去，就去吧 |
| He speaks better than I do | Habla mejor que yo | He speaks better than I do | 他说得比我好 |
| So + auxiliary (agreement) | A mí también / Yo también / A él también | So + auxiliary: So do I / So is he | 也 / 都 (with context) |
Select at least one language to view comparisons
Examples in context
I like it and so does he
Spanish
A mí me gusta y a él también
English
I like it and so does he
Chinese
我喜欢，他也喜欢 / 我喜欢，他也是
I went and he did too
Spanish
Yo fui y él también
English
I went and he did too
Chinese
我去了，他也去了
Do you like it? Yes, I do.
Spanish
¿Te gusta? Sí, me gusta.
English
Do you like it? Yes, I do.
Chinese
你喜欢吗？喜欢。 / 喜欢。
I didn't read it, but I should have
Spanish
No lo leí, pero debería haberlo hecho
English
I didn't read it, but I should have
Chinese
我没读，但是应该读
I think so / I hope so
Spanish
Creo que sí / Espero que sí
English
I think so / I hope so
Chinese
我这么想 / 希望如此
If you want to go, you should
Spanish
Si quieres ir, deberías hacerlo
English
If you want to go, you should
Chinese
如果你想去，就去吧
He speaks better than I do
Spanish
Habla mejor que yo
English
He speaks better than I do
Chinese
他说得比我好
So + auxiliary (agreement)
Spanish
A mí también / Yo también / A él también
English
So + auxiliary: So do I / So is he
Chinese
也 / 都 (with context)
Select at least one language to view comparisons
Key Takeaways
Spanish: Uses también for agreement, lo as a pronoun for actions (hacerlo), and explicit repetition for short answers. No dedicated pro-verb like Eng...
English: Uses do as a pro-verb with inverted word order (so does he, neither do I). Do so and do it substitute for action verb phrases.
Chinese: Often repeats the verb or omits it entirely when context is clear. 也yě marks agreement. 这zhè样yàng/那nà样yàng can substitute for actions.
Key concepts compared: I like it and so does he, I went and he did too, Do you like it? Yes, I do..
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Last updated: June 4, 2026