Expressing "either... or..." with "yaome"

Revision as of 09:15, 26 November 2013 by Yucui (talk | contribs) (Undo revision 19424 by Mixue (talk))

You can give a series of alternatives by using 要么 (yàome). The structure is pretty versatile, as you can put a wide variety of things after each 要么:\r\n==Structure==\r\n

\r\n要么 + Option A + 要么 + Option B\r\n

\r\n==Examples==\r\nFirstly, you can use an adverb (extra information about the verb such as time, manner or place). Some examples:\r\n

\r\n* 你 要么 今天 过来 ,要么 后天 过来 。You can either come back today or the day after tomorrow.
  • 咱们 要么 说 汉语,要么 就 别 说话。We'll either speak Chinese or another language.\r\n

\r\nSecondly, different objects can be given as options:\r\n

\r\n* 我们 要么葡萄酒要么啤酒We either drink wine or we drink beer.\r\n

\r\nDifferent subjects also work:\r\n

\r\n* 要么 去,要么 去。Either you go or I go.\r\n

\r\n==See also==

  • Providing two options with double "huozhe"
  • Expressing the only two possibilities\r\n== Sources and further reading ==\r\n=== Books ===\r\n* Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 1 (pp. 158) →buy
  • New Practical Chinese Reader 4 (新实用汉语课本4) (pp. 165) →buy \r\n