2 · The basic sentence
Or: háishi and huòzhě
or in a question, or in a statement
Háishi offers a choice in a question; huòzhě joins two possibilities in a statement.
English “or” is two different words in Chinese. In a question that asks somebody to choose, it is 还是: 你喝茶还是咖啡？, “tea or coffee?”. The choice itself is the question, so 吗 is not added.
In a statement, where nothing is being asked, “or” is 或者: 我星期六或者星期天去, “I’ll go on Saturday or Sunday”. 或者 also appears inside a yes-no question with 吗, because there the question is “yes or no”, not “which one”.
还是 can join whole verb phrases and clauses: 你今天去还是明天去？, 你去还是我去？. A choice can also sit inside a statement, after “I don’t know” or “I haven’t decided”, and then it keeps 还是, because it is still a choice: 我不知道他来还是不来.
The usual mistakes are 或者 in a choice question, which makes the question sound unfinished, and 吗 added after 还是. Note too that the same two characters 还是 are also an adverb meaning “still” or “had better”; the position in the sentence tells them apart.
The form
| a choice question: háishi | 你喝茶还是咖啡？ |
| háishi between whole verbs | 你去还是不去？ |
| a statement: huòzhě | 喝茶或者咖啡都可以。 |
| a yes-no question with ma: huòzhě | 你有铅笔或者圆珠笔吗？ |
| whether … or … inside a statement | 我不知道他来还是不来。 |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is aboutThe word that calls for it
In a question that asks somebody to choose, “or” is háishi, and the sentence takes no ma.
你要米饭还是面条？Would you like rice or noodles?
In a statement, “or” is huòzhě.
周末我看书或者看电影。At weekends I read or watch films.
In a yes-no question with ma, the “or” inside is huòzhě.
你有蓝色或者黑色的笔吗？Have you got a blue or a black pen?
A choice reported inside a statement still takes háishi.
我不知道他是老师还是学生。I don't know whether he is a teacher or a student.
A closer look
The other háishi
As an adverb, 还是 means “still”: 他还是不明白, “he still doesn’t understand”. Followed by 吧 it gives advice, “had better”: 你还是去吧, “you’d better go”.
The adverb stands before the verb; the “or” stands between two things being chosen. If 还是 has a choice on either side of it, it is “or”; if it sits in front of a single verb, it is the adverb.
How to spot it
- 还是
- 或者
Example sentences
你是中国人还是日本人？Are you Chinese or Japanese?
我们坐公交车还是坐地铁？Shall we take the bus or the underground?
你可以星期一或者星期二来。You can come on Monday or Tuesday.
这件事你问我或者问王老师都行。You can ask me or Teacher Wang about this.
你喜欢猫还是喜欢狗？Do you prefer cats or dogs?
晚饭我们吃饺子或者面条吧。Let's have dumplings or noodles for dinner.
7 more example sentences
你今天去还是明天去？Are you going today or tomorrow?
这是你的还是他的？Is this yours or his?
我每天骑自行车或者走路上班。Every day I cycle or walk to work.
你要大杯还是小杯？Would you like a large one or a small one?
有问题可以打电话或者发邮件。If you have a problem, you can phone or send an email.
你觉得红的好看还是白的好看？Which do you think looks better, the red one or the white one?
明天下午或者后天上午我都有空。I'm free tomorrow afternoon, or the morning of the day after.
Worth knowing (1)
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Háishi giving advice
The same 还是 that offers a choice can also recommend one, when it stands before a verb and the sentence ends in 吧: “it would be better to”.
太晚了，我们还是打车吧。It's late — we'd better take a taxi.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
English uses one “or” for everything, and 或者 is the word dictionaries list first. But asking somebody to choose needs 还是. With 或者 the sentence is no longer a question about which one, and the listener waits for the question to come.
Choose with háishi in a question; list possibilities with huòzhě in a statement.
Your turn
9 exercises on this topic. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.