Difference between revisions of "Expressing "or" in statements"

Revision as of 01:35, 17 June 2013

Level

A2 / HSK3
Level

A2
Level

HSK3
Similar to
Similar to
- Comparing "haishi" and "huozhe" (HSK3)
- Offering choices with "haishi" (HSK3)
- Expressing "how about" with "yaobu" (HSK5)
- Providing two options with double "huozhe" (HSK5)
Used for

Giving alternatives
Keywords

或者, 或

In English, "or" can used used in the sense of having a choice （Chicken or beef?), and as an "either or" statement (it doesn't matter if you're black or white). In Chinese, 或者(huòzhě) is used for the latter.

Structure

Whilst 还是 is used for "or" in questions, 或者 is used for "or" in statements.

Possibility 1 + 或者 + Possibility 2

Examples

我想去青岛或者南京。I would like to go to Qingdao or Beijing.
你去或者我去，都可以。You go or I go, either way is fine.
晚上的时候，我一般喜欢喝啤酒或者葡萄酒。At night, I usually like to drink beer or wine.

Sources and further reading

Books

Basic Patterns of Chinese Grammar (pp. 74-5) →buy
Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed) (pp. 257-8) →buy
Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 1 (pp. 239-40) →buy

Websites

East Asia Student: The difference between 还是 and 或者

@@ Line 33: / Line 33: @@
 * [[Basic Patterns of Chinese Grammar]] (pp. 74-5) [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1933330899/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=1933330899 →buy]
 * [[Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed)]] (pp. 257-8) [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0887276385/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0887276385 →buy]
+* [[Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 1]] (pp. 239-40) [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0887276792/ref%3das_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0887276792 →buy]
 === Websites ===