Expressing "or" in statements

Revision as of 07:12, 25 December 2013 by Yucui (talk | contribs)

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 is used for "or" in questions, 或者 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

Sources and further reading

Books

Websites