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, it's too cold; Going in the summer, it's too hot.
• 早点 去 吧 ，要 等 ；晚点 去 吧 ，会 堵车 。Zǎo diǎn qù ba, yào děng; wǎn diǎn qù ba, yòu dǔchē. Going early, we'll have to wait; Going later, there will be too much traffic.
• 穿 得 多 一点 吧 ，会 热 ；穿 得 少 一点 吧 ，会 冷 。Chuān de duō yīdiǎn ba, huì rè; chuān de shǎo yīdiǎn ba, huì lěng.Wearing a little more, it will be hot; Wearing a little less, it will be cold.
• 去 吧 ，要 给 红包 ；不 去 吧 ，他 没 面子 。Qù ba, yào gěi hóngbāo; bù qù ba, tā méi miànzi.Going there, I need to give a red envelope; Not going, he will lose face.
• 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.
• 带 你 去 吧 ，你 总是 不 听话 ；不 带 你 去 吧 ，你 一个人 肯定 无聊 。Dài nǐ qù ba, nǐ zǒngshì bù tīnghuà; bù dài nǐ qù ba, nǐ yīgèrén kěndìng wúliáo.Taking you with me, you will be naughty like always; Not taking you with me, you will definitely be bored.
• 见面 吧 ，常常 吵架 ；不 见面 吧 ，还是 会 想 他 。Jiànmiàn ba, chángcháng chǎojià; bù jiànmiàn ba, háishì huì xiǎng tā.Seeing each other, we fight a lot; Not seeing each other, I miss him anyway.
• 不 说 真话 吧 ，老婆 不 高兴 ；说 真 话 吧 ，老婆 也 不 高兴 。Bù shuō zhēn huà ba, lǎopo bù gāoxìng; shuō zhēn huà ba, lǎopo yě bù gāoxìng.Not speaking the truth, the wife will be upset; Telling the truth, the wife will also be upset.
• 这个 老房子 ，卖 吧 ，怕 父母 不 同意 ；不 卖 吧 ，就 没 钱 买 新 车 。Zhège lǎo fángzi, mài ba, pà fùmǔ bù tóngyì; bù mài ba, jiù méi qián mǎi xīn chē.Selling this old house, I'm afraid my parents disagree; Not selling it, I don't have money to buy a new car.

Sources and further reading

Books

HSK4