Lessons 16, 17, 22, 23, 28: 还是 and 或者

Explanation

Structure

1. 1

   A 还是 B ？

   Used in alternative questions; the listener picks one of the two.

   • A：你喝茶还是喝咖啡？ B：我喝咖啡。

     A: Nǐ hē chá háishi hē kāfēi? B: Wǒ hē kāfēi.

     A: Do you drink tea or coffee? B: I'll have coffee.

   • A：你上午去还是下午去？ B：下午去。

     A: Nǐ shàngwǔ qù háishi xiàwǔ qù? B: Xiàwǔ qù.

     A: Are you going in the morning or the afternoon? B: In the afternoon.

   • 你是日本人还是韩国人？

     Nǐ shì Rìběn rén háishi Hánguó rén?

     Are you Japanese or Korean?

   • 你上午去还是下午去呢？

     Nǐ shàngwǔ qù háishi xiàwǔ qù ne?

     Are you going in the morning or in the afternoon?

   • 你的手机是新的还是旧的？

     Nǐ de shǒujī shì xīn de háishi jiù de?

     Is your phone the new one or the old one?

   • 你骑车去还是坐车去？

     Nǐ qí chē qù háishi zuò chē qù?

     Are you going by bike or by car?

   • 你一个人去还是跟朋友一起去？

     Nǐ yí ge rén qù háishi gēn péngyou yìqǐ qù?

     Are you going alone or with friends?

2. 2

   A 或者 B

   Mostly used in statements (declarative sentences).

   • A：星期天，你做什么？ B：我常常在宿舍看书或者跟朋友聊天儿。

     A: Xīngqītiān, nǐ zuò shénme? B: Wǒ chángchang zài sùshè kàn shū huòzhě gēn péngyou liáotiānr.

     A: What do you do on Sunday? B: I often read in the dorm or chat with friends.

   • 晚上我常常听音乐或者看电视。

     Wǎnshang wǒ chángchang tīng yīnyuè huòzhě kàn diànshì.

     In the evening I often listen to music or watch TV.

   • 茶或者咖啡都行。

     Chá huòzhě kāfēi dōu xíng.

     Tea or coffee, either is fine.

3. 3
   还是+想 / động từ (……吧)

   Expresses a preference; meaning "this is rather better / it would be better to do this".

   • 我还是想一个人住一个房间，不愿意跟别人合住。

     Wǒ háishi xiǎng yí ge rén zhù yí ge fángjiān, bú yuànyì gēn biérén hézhù.

     I'd still rather have a room to myself; I don't want to share with other people.

   • 天冷了，还是买一件羽绒服吧。

     Tiān lěng le, háishi mǎi yí jiàn yǔróngfú ba.

     It's getting cold, so you'd better buy a down jacket.