Questions with either-or
from Learn Chinese Everyday 每日学华语
- We have learnt 3 types of pattern to form a question:
- Today we are going to learn choosing between alternatives with either-or questions
- 还 是 (hái shi ) is used to ask a listener to choose between two alternatives, only one of which can be true or possible. It conveys the sense of ‘either. . . or’. Questions pattern:
noun phrase/verb phrase/sentence + 还是 + noun phrase/verb phrase/sentence. - Question with noun phrase + 还是 + noun phrase.
1. Are you Japanese or Chinese? nǐ shì rì běn rén hái shi zhōng guó rén ? 你 是 日 本 人 还 是 中 国 人 ? noun phrase noun phrase you is Japanese or Chinese [Audio clip: view full post to listen]
2. Do you want to drink black tea or jasmine tea? nǐ yào hē hóng chá hái shi huā chá ? 你 要 喝 红 茶 还 是 花 茶 ? noun phrase noun phrase you want drink black tea or jasmine tea [Audio clip: view full post to listen]
- Question with verb phrase + 还是 + verb phrase.
1. Do you want to have Chinese food or Western food? nǐ yào chī zhōng cān hái shi chī xī cān ? 你 要 吃 中 餐 还 是 吃 西 餐 ? verb phrase verb phrase you want eat Chinese food or eat Western food [Audio clip: view full post to listen]
2. Will you go there by bus or on foot? nǐ shì zuò chē qù hái shi zǒu lù qù ? 你 是 坐 车 去 还 是 走 路 去 ? verb phrase verb phrase you is go by bus or go on foot [Audio clip: view full post to listen]
- Question with sentence + 还是 + sentence
1. Which do you think is more difficult: Chinese or Japanese? nǐ jué dé shì zhōng wén nán xué hái shi rì wén nán xué ? 你 觉 得 是 中 文 难 学 还 是 日 文 难 学 ? sentence sentence you feel is Chinese
Languagehard learn or Japanese
Languagehard learn [Audio clip: view full post to listen]
2. Are you going or is he? nǐ qù hái shi tā qù ? 你 去 还 是 他 去 ? sentence sentence you go or he goes [Audio clip: view full post to listen]
1. by adding a particle 吗 at the end of a declarative senetence:
Declarative sentence + “吗”
2. by repeating the first verb of the verb phrase in affirmative and negative form:
verb + not (不/没） + verb
3. by using 是否.
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