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。<span class="trans">All day, if he's not playing games, he's sleeping.</span> | + | * 他 整天 <em>不 是</em> 打游戏 <em>就 是</em> 睡觉。<span class="pinyin">Tā zhěng tiān <em>bùshì</em> dǎ yóuxì <em>jiùshì</em> shuìjiào.</span><span class="trans">All day, if he's not playing games, he's sleeping.</span> |
| − | * 他们 约会 <em>不是</em> 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> | + | * 他们 约会 <em>不是</em> 去 咖啡馆 <em>就是</em> 去 电影院。<span class="pinyin">Tāmen yuēhuì <em>bùshì</em> qù kāfēi guǎn <em>jiùshì</em> qù diànyǐngyuàn.</span><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。<span class="trans">The clothes that I bought are either too big or too small, I can't wear any of them.</span> | + | * 我 买 的 衣服 <em>不是</em> 大 <em>就是</em> 小，都 不 能 穿。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ mǎi de yīfú <em>bùshì</em> dà <em>jiùshì</em> xiǎo, dōu bùnéng chuān.</span><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！<span class="trans">If the clothes that she wears aren't Louis Vuitton, then they're Gucci!</span> | + | * 她 穿 的 衣服 <em>不是</em> LV <em>就是</em> Gucci！<span class="pinyin">Tā chuān de yīfú <em>bùshì</em> LV <em>jiùshì</em> Gucci!</span><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 22:14, 16 July 2020
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Keywords
To describe a situation as being one of only two possibilities, you can use the structure: "不是⋯⋯就是⋯⋯" (búshi...jiùshì...)
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 大 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
- "Not… but rather…" with "er shi"
- Expressing "either ... or ..." with "yaome"
- Providing two options with double "huozhe"
Sources and further reading
Books
