Reviewing options with "ba"
When 吧 (ba) is used twice in a sentence, it is used to list two options that the speaker is debating. It gives the sentence an indecisive feel, as though the speaker doesn't know which one to choose. This construction often has a negative connotation, since the options usually are not ideal.
Structure
[Option 1] + 吧, [Evaluation]; [Option 2] + 吧, [Evaluation]
If this structure doesn't seem clear to you, the examples will help.
Examples
- 去 上海 吧 ， 太 远；去 北京 吧 ， 人 太 多 。 Going to Shanghai is too far away, going to Beijing has too many people.
- 冬天 去 吧 ， 太 冷；夏天 去 吧 ， 太 热 。 Going in the winter is too cold, going in the summer is too hot.
- 买 房 吧 ， 没 钱；不 买 房 吧 ， 没 老婆 。 If you buy a house, you won't have money. If you don't buy a house you won't have a wife.
- 学 中文 吧 ， 太 难；不 学 中文 吧 ， 找 不 到 好 工作 。 Studying Mandarin is too hard, but if you don't study Mandarin you cannot find a job.
- 去 学校 工作 吧 ， 钱 太 少；去 公司 吧 ， 太 累 。 Working at the school, pay is too small, but working at a company is too tiring.
- 这 件 衣服 ， 买 吧 ， 太 贵；不 买 吧 ， 又 很 喜欢 。 As for these clothes, buying them is too expensive, but if I don't buy them, I'll really want them.
- 上班 吧 ， 很 累；不 上班 吧 ， 又 无聊 。 Going to work? Too tiring. Not going to work? There's nothing to do.
- 这 件 事情 ， 你 同意 吧 ， 你 不 高兴；不 同意 吧 ， 别人 不 高兴 。 As for this matter, if you agree, you won't be happy, if you don't agree, other people won't be happy.
- 早 点 去 吧 ， 需要 等；晚 点 吧 ， 可能 迟到 。 If we go early we'll have to wait, but if we go later, we might arrive late.
- 在 复习 一点 吧， 太 累 了；去 睡觉 吧， 怕 明天 考 的 不好。 I should study more, but I'm too tired. However if I go to sleep now, I'm afraid I won't do well on the test tomorrow.
