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 ，⋯⋯ ， [Option 2] + 吧，⋯⋯ 。

If this structure doesn't seem clear to you, the examples will help.

Examples

• 冬天 去 吧 ，太 冷 ；夏天 去 吧 ，太 热 。Dōngtiān qù ba, tài lěng ; xiàtiān qù ba, tài rè.Going in the winter is too cold, going in the summer is too hot.
• 工作 吧 ，太 累 ；不 工作 吧 ，无聊 。Gōngzuò ba, tài lèi ; bù gōngzuò ba, wúliáo.Working is too tiring; I'll be bored if I don't.
• 买 吧 ，不 想 花 那么 多 钱 ；不 买 吧 ，又 不 开心 。Mǎi bā, bù xiǎng huā nàme duō qián ; bù mǎi bā, yòu bù kāixīn. If I buy it, too expensive, but if I don't buy them, I won't be unhappy.
• 早 去 吧 ，需要 等 ；晚点 去 吧 ，会 堵车 。 Zǎo qù bā, xūyào děng ; wǎn diǎn qù bā, huì dǔchē. If we go early we'll have to wait, but if we go later, there will be too much traffic.
• 不 说 吧 ，他 还 会 做 错 ；说 吧 ，他 肯定 不 高兴 。Bù shuō ba, tā hái huì zuò cuò ; shuō ba, tā kěndìng bù gāoxìng.Not telling him, he will still do it wrong next time; Telling him, he must be upset.
• 回去 吧 ，机票 太 贵 ；不 回去 吧 ，家人 肯定 会 想 我 。Huíqù ba, jīpiào tài guì ; bù huíqù ba, jiārén kěndìng huì xiǎng wǒ.Going back, the air ticket is too expensive; Not going back, my family definitely miss me.

Source and Further Reading

NEEDS SOURCES

HSK4

[[pattern::[Option 1] 吧 ，⋯⋯ ；[Option 2] 吧 ，⋯⋯。| ]]