Difference between revisions of "Expressing "or" in statements"
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| − | In English, "or" can be 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. | + | In English, "or" can be 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 == | == Structure == | ||
| − | Whilst 还是 is used for [[Offering choices with haishi|"or" in questions]], 或者 is used for "or" in '''statements'''. | + | Whilst 还是 (háishì) is used for [[Offering choices with haishi|"or" in questions]], 或者 (huòzhě) is used for "or" in '''statements'''. |
<div class="jiegou"> | <div class="jiegou"> | ||
Revision as of 07:19, 15 October 2014
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Used for
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Keywords
In English, "or" can be 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 (háishì) is used for "or" in questions, 或者 (huòzhě) is used for "or" in statements.
Possibility 1 + 或者 + Possibility 2
Examples
- 我 想 去 青岛 或者 南京。I want to go to Qingdao or Nanjing.
- 你 去 或者 我 去，都 可以。You go or I go, either way is fine.
- 星期六 或者 星期天 都 可以。Saturday or Sunday are both ok.
- 周末 的 时候，我 喜欢 做 饭 或者 看 电影。During the weekend, I like to cook or watch movies.
- 今天 晚上 我 想 吃 披萨 或者汉堡。Tonight I want to eat pizza or hamburgers.
- 下 个 月 我 打算 去 杭州 或者 苏州 旅行。Next month I plan to go to Hangzhou or Suzhou to travel.
- 圣诞节 我们 回 美国 或者 呆 在 中国。This Christmas we are returning to America or staying in China.
- 晚饭 以后 我 喜欢 和 家人 聊天 或者 喝茶。After dinner I like to chat or drink tea with my family.
- 你 需要 筷子 或者叉子。 You need chopsticks or fork.
- 你 可以 用 手机 或者 电脑。You can use either a cellphone or computer.
See also
- Offering choices with haishi
- Providing two options with double "huozhe" (advanced article)
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
