Choice Questions with 还是
A 还是 B? = "Is it A or is it B?" — forces a choice between two options.
- 你喝茶还是喝水？(Do you drink tea or water?)
- 他是老师还是学生？(Is he a teacher or a student?)
Answer by choosing one option: 我喝茶。
还是 vs 或者:
- 还是 = "or" in questions only
- 或者 = "or" in statements only
✅ 你去还是不去？(Question)
✅ 你或者他去。(Statement — you or he goes.)
❌ 你去或者不去？(Wrong — 或者 can't form choice questions)
Worked examples
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | What it shows |
|---|---|---|---|
| 你吃饭还是吃面？ | Nǐ chī fàn hái shì chī miàn? | Do you eat rice or noodles? | 还是 connects two verb phrases to offer a choice |
| 那是你的书还是他的书？ | Nà shì nǐ de shū hái shì tā de shū? | Is that your book or his book? | 还是 between two noun phrases inside a 是 sentence |
| 我或者你去都可以。 | Wǒ huò zhě nǐ qù dōu kě yǐ. | Either I or you going is fine. | 或者 used in a statement, not a question |
What you need first
Every topic in GraphChinese names its own prerequisites, and these are the grammar points this one is built on. If a sentence here will not parse, one of them is why.
Choice Questions with 还是 is one topic of 829. GraphChinese teaches them in prerequisite order, so this pattern reaches you on the day everything it rests on is proven. The whole course, HSK 0 through HSK 6, is $49 once for lifetime access.
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