Difference between revisions of "Expressing "how about" with "yaobu""
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===Structure=== | ===Structure=== | ||
| − | 要不 can be used to offer "either/or" choices to others, similar to [[Expressing "either... or..." with "yaome"|要么]]. | + | 要不 can be used to offer "either/or" choices to others, similar to [[Expressing "either... or..." with "yaome"|要么]]. But in this sense, 要么 is more used than 要不 in colloquial Chinese. |
<div class="jiegou"> | <div class="jiegou"> | ||
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<div class="liju"> | <div class="liju"> | ||
| − | * 你 <em>要不</em> | + | |
| − | * <em>要不</em> | + | *<em>要不</em> 你 去，<em>要不</em> 他 去。<span class="pinyin"><em>Yàobù</em> nǐ qù, <em>yàobù</em> tā qù.</span><span class="trans">Either you go or he goes.</span> |
| + | *你 <em>要不</em> 回家 ，<em>要不</em> 陪 我 再 玩 一会儿。<span class="pinyin">Nǐ <em>yàobù</em> huí jiā, <em>yàobù</em> péi wǒ zài wán yīhuìr.</span><span class="trans">You either go home or hang out with me a little more.</span> | ||
| + | *你 <em>要不</em> 安静 一点，<em>要不</em> 就 出去。<span class="pinyin">Nǐ <em>yàobù</em> ānjìng yīdiǎn,<em>yàobù</em> jiù chūqù.</span><span class="trans">You can either be quite or get out.</span> | ||
| + | |||
</div> | </div> | ||
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</div> | </div> | ||
| − | ===Examples=== | + | === Examples === |
<div class="liju"> | <div class="liju"> | ||
| − | * | + | * 一 个 人 去 看 电影 没 意思，<em>要不</em> 我们 一起 去 吧。<span class="pinyin">Yī gè rén qù kàn diànyǐng méi yìsi, <em>yàobù</em> wǒmen yīqǐ qù ba.</span><span class="trans">It's no fun to go to the movie by myself. How about we go together?</span> |
* <em>要不</em> 我们 去 逛街 吧，比 在家 睡觉 有 意思。<span class="pinyin"><em>Yàobù</em> wǒmen qù guàngjiē ba, bǐ zàijiā shuìjiào yǒu yìsi.</span><span class="trans">Let's go shopping. It's more fun than sleeping at home.</span> | * <em>要不</em> 我们 去 逛街 吧，比 在家 睡觉 有 意思。<span class="pinyin"><em>Yàobù</em> wǒmen qù guàngjiē ba, bǐ zàijiā shuìjiào yǒu yìsi.</span><span class="trans">Let's go shopping. It's more fun than sleeping at home.</span> | ||
</div> | </div> | ||
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[[Category:B1 grammar points]] | [[Category:B1 grammar points]] | ||
[[Category:Prepositions]] | [[Category:Prepositions]] | ||
| − | {{Basic Grammar|要|B1|要不⋯⋯|你 <em>要不</em> 看书 <em>要不</em> 睡觉 。 | + | {{Basic Grammar|要|B1|要不⋯⋯|你 <em>要不</em> 看书 <em>要不</em> 睡觉 。|grammar point|ASGDFQP7}} |
{{Rel char|要不}} | {{Rel char|要不}} | ||
| − | |||
{{POS|Conjunctions}} | {{POS|Conjunctions}} | ||
{{Similar|"Or" in statements}} | {{Similar|"Or" in statements}} | ||
Revision as of 08:33, 18 November 2016
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Level
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Similar to
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Used for
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Keywords
要不 (yàobù) can have a number of meanings, ranging from "either/or" to "how about."
Contents
要不 as to mark possible choices
Structure
要不 can be used to offer "either/or" choices to others, similar to 要么. But in this sense, 要么 is more used than 要不 in colloquial Chinese.
要不 + Option A，要不 + Option B
Examples
- 要不 你 去，要不 他 去。Either you go or he goes.
- 你 要不 回家 ，要不 陪 我 再 玩 一会儿。You either go home or hang out with me a little more.
- 你 要不 安静 一点，要不 就 出去。You can either be quite or get out.
要不 used for suggestions
Structure
要不 can be used as an indirect way of giving a suggestion, as the speaker is using 要不 to seek consent of the listener. (Once again, 要么 can be used similarly.) When using 要不 in this way, it can come either at the beginning of the sentence, or in the middle, after explaining the situation.
Reason / Situation，要不 + Option B
要不 + Option B， Reason / Situation
Examples
- 一 个 人 去 看 电影 没 意思，要不 我们 一起 去 吧。It's no fun to go to the movie by myself. How about we go together?
- 要不 我们 去 逛街 吧，比 在家 睡觉 有 意思。Let's go shopping. It's more fun than sleeping at home.
要不 means "otherwise"
Structure
要不 can also be used to mean "otherwise" (a shortened form of 要不然):
Statement， 要不 + Result
(要么 can never be used in this way.)
Examples
- 你 快点 打电话 给 他，要不 他会 很 担心。I need to call him soon, or he'll start to worry.
- 我 要 打车，要不 我会迟到。I'm going to take a taxi, otherwise I'll be late.
- 我们 今 晚 要 做好 这个 PPT，要不 明天 老板 肯定 生气。We need to get this PPT prepared tonight, otherwise the boss must be angry tomorrow.
要不然 can be used interchangeably with 要不 when it is used to mean 否则.
See also
Sources and further reading
Books
- Home With Kids1 (家有儿女1)(pp. 50) →buy
- BRIDGE (桥梁 实用汉语中级教程下)(pp. 187) →buy
- Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 1 (pp. 123-4) →buy
- 卓越汉语－公司实战篇 (pp. 166-7) →buy
