Difference between revisions of "Offering choices with "haishi""

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Revision as of 01:26, 30 July 2013

还是 (háishì) is used in Chinese to provide options in a question. This is equivalent to one use of "or" in English.

Structure

Option A + 还是 + Option B

You can then put this into all kinds of questions with the following structure:

Subject + Verb + Option A + 还是 + Option B

Examples

还是 questions
Subject Verb Option A 还是 Option B Translation
还是 咖啡 Do you want tea or coffee?
美国人 还是 英国人 Are you American or English?
喜欢 啤酒 还是 葡萄酒 Do you like beer or wine?
医生 还是 老师 Is he a doctor or a teacher?
想吃 中国菜 还是 法国菜 Do you want to eat Chinese food or French food?
大猫 还是 小老虎 Is that a big cat or a little tiger?

Please note that 还是 is for offering options in a question. It should not be used for "or" in statements (see below).

See also

Sources and Further Reading

Books

Websites