Quantifier + 都

1. Syntactic Position and Word Order
In Cantonese, 都 (dou1) operates pre-verbally before the main predicate phrase. It takes leftward scope, meaning it quantifies whatever nominal or quantifier expression appears to its left. Note that while 都 sits before the predicate phrase, elements such as negation markers (唔, 冇), modal verbs (會, 可以), and degree adverbs (好) regularly sit between 都 and the verb or adjective (e.g., 都唔去 dou1 m4 heoi3, 都好靚 dou1 hou2 leng3).

Note: 都 is also the primary word for 'also/too' and 'even'. While the syntactic position is the same, context usually makes it clear whether it is functioning as a quantifier ('all') or meaning 'also'.

Structure:
[Subject / Topic] + [Quantifier] + 都 (dou1) + [Predicate Phrase]

Common quantifier expressions paired with 都:

• 全部 (cyun4 bou6) – 'all'
• 所有 (so2 jau5) – 'all / every single' (Note: Highly natural in spoken Cantonese, especially in common phrases like 所有人 so2 jau5 jan4 'everyone' and 所有嘢 so2 jau5 je5 'everything')
• Classifier reduplication (CL + CL, e.g., 個個 go3 go3, 本本 bun2 bun2) – 'every single one' (the most natural spoken Cantonese pattern for 'every'). This is also highly common for time words (e.g., 日日 jat6 jat6 'every day', 次次 ci3 ci3 'every time', 年年 nin4 nin4 'every year').
• 每 (mui5) + Classifier (+ Noun) (e.g., 每個 mui5 go3) – 'every' (Note: Using 每 for physical objects, like 每個蘋果 mui5 go3 ping4 gwo2, leans toward formal or written Chinese. In natural colloquial Cantonese, native speakers strongly prefer classifier reduplication, e.g., 個個蘋果 go3 go3 ping4 gwo2, or 全部 cyun4 bou6. However, 每 is standard and common for time words and occurrences, e.g., 每日 mui5 jat6, 每次 mui5 ci3.)
• Number + CL – When combined with 都, it expresses 'both' or 'all (number)'. For example, 兩個都 (loeng5 go3 dou1) means 'both', and 三個都 (saam1 go3 dou1) means 'all three'.

2. Expressing 'All' or 'Every' Smoothly
Including 都 after quantifiers is a natural and standard way to distribute the action or state across all members of a group. While omitting 都 after quantifiers like 全部 is acceptable in certain contexts (especially alongside postverbal aspect markers like 晒 saai3), adding 都 makes generalisations sound far more complete and emphatic.

3. Core Subtypes and Associated Patterns
The leftward scope mechanism of 都 also powers several key structures:

• Minimizer Negation (一...都唔/冇 / 一 + CL + 都 + 冇): Placing 'one + classifier (+ noun)' before 都 and a negated verb creates an emphatic 'not even one' or 'not at all' scope (e.g., 一個人都冇 jat1 go3 jan4 dou1 mou5 – 'there is not a single person at all').
• Indefinite Wh-Quantification (疑問詞 + 都): Wh-words placed before 都 express universal inclusive meanings such as 邊度都 (bin1 dou6 dou1 – 'everywhere'), 乜嘢都 (mat1 je5 dou1 – 'everything'), 邊個都 (bin1 go3 dou1 – 'everyone/anyone'), and 幾時都 (gei2 si4 dou1 – 'anytime/always'), as in 佢乜嘢都食 (keoi5 mat1 je5 dou1 sik6 – 'He eats everything').
• Scalar Focus (連...都...): Used to express 'even', highlighting an extreme or unexpected case (e.g., 連佢都唔知 lin4 keoi5 dou1 m4 zi1 – 'Even he doesn\'t know').
• Habitual Actions (親...都...): The verbal particle 親 paired with 都 expresses 'whenever' (e.g., 睇親都喊 tai2 can1 dou1 haam3 – 'Whenever I watch it, I cry').

4. Fronting Quantified Objects
Because 都 only looks to its left, if you want to quantify an object (e.g., 'I like all of these books'), you must front the object before 都. This can be done by moving the object to the topic position at the very front of the sentence:
呢啲書我全部都鍾意 (nei1 di1 syu1 ngo5 cyun4 bou6 dou1 zung1 ji3).
Alternatively, the object can be placed right after the subject:
我本本書都鍾意 (ngo5 bun2 bun2 syu1 dou1 zung1 ji3).

5. Scope 都 vs. Aspectual 晒
Do not confuse preverbal 都 with the postverbal suffix 晒 (saai3). 都 sits before the verb phrase, whereas 晒 attaches directly after the verb to indicate total completion. They are frequently used together for extra emphasis: 全部都食晒 (cyun4 bou6 dou1 sik6 saai3 – 'ate every last one of them').