Difference between revisions of "Expressing the only two possibilities"

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* 他 整天 <em>不 是</em> 打游戏 <em>就 是</em> 睡觉。
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* 他 整天 <em>不 是</em> 打游戏 <em>就 是</em> 睡觉。<span class="trans">All day, if he's not playing games, he's sleeping.</span>
* 他们 <em>约会</em> 不是 去 咖啡馆 <em>就是</em> 去 电影院。
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* 他们 <em>约会</em> 不是 去 咖啡馆 <em>就是</em> 去 电影院。<span class="trans">When they go on dates, if it's not to a coffee shop, then it's to the movie theater.</span>
* 我 买 的 衣服 <em>不是</em> 大 <em>就是</em> 小,都 不 能 穿。
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* 我 买 的 衣服 <em>不是</em> 大 <em>就是</em> 小,都 不 能 穿。<span class="trans">The clothes that I bought are either too big or too small, I can't wear any of them.</span>
* 她 穿 的 衣服 <em>不是</em> LV <em>就是</em> Gucci!
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* 她 穿 的 衣服 <em>不是</em> LV <em>就是</em> Gucci!<span class="trans">If the clothes that she wears aren't Louis Vuitton, then they're Gucci!</span>
  
 
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Revision as of 03:51, 2 July 2013

To describe a situation as being one of only two possibilities, you can use this structure:

Structure

不是 + A, 就是 + B

This is like saying "if it's not A, then it's B" in English. A and B can be verbs, adjectives or nouns.

Examples

  • 他 整天 不 是 打游戏 就 是 睡觉。All day, if he's not playing games, he's sleeping.
  • 他们 约会 不是 去 咖啡馆 就是 去 电影院。When they go on dates, if it's not to a coffee shop, then it's to the movie theater.
  • 我 买 的 衣服 不是就是 小,都 不 能 穿。The clothes that I bought are either too big or too small, I can't wear any of them.
  • 她 穿 的 衣服 不是 LV 就是 Gucci!If the clothes that she wears aren't Louis Vuitton, then they're Gucci!

See also

Sources and further reading

Books

HSK5