Chinese Grammar: Lesson: Using 或者 and 还是 to say "or"

Here’s a very serious question for you: Do you like Nincha or Lupishu or Baimei more ? Ha-ha, maybe your answer is “All of them!” Good for you! Nonetheless, here we’re going to see how to say “or” in Chinese. It’s always useful to know how how to offer choices when you’re asking a question, and to have a way to give options, isn’t it? In Chinese, both 或者 and 还是 mean “or” but they are used in different situations. Let’s see when you should use 或者 or 还是 to say “or”!

Tip: Check the sentence to know if it should be 或者 or 还是

The big difference between 还是 and 或者 is the type of sentences in which they are used. 或者 is mainly used in declarative sentences - a declarative sentence is a statement, a sentence that ends with a full stop -, whereas 还是 is your go-to word if you want to offer choices in a question.

Use 或者 to provide an option in a declarative sentence

Structure

[Option 1 + 或者+ Option 2]

You use 或者 to talk about options in a sentence. It’s perfect to talk about something not quite decided, where you haven’t quite made up your mind. It’s also used to express “either-or”.

Examples

红色或者黄色。
Red or yellow.

我 喝 咖啡或者茶。
I drink (either) coffee or tea.

我 今天或者明天 出发。
I leave (either) today or tomorrow.

Double 或者 = double the options

或者 can also be repeated in a sentence, to show two different options.

Structure

[或者 Option A，或者 Option B]

Examples

或者今天，或者明天。
Today or tomorrow.

或者吃 米 ， 或者 吃 面条。
To eat rice or noodles.

或者你 去，或者我 去。
You go or I go.

The main thing to keep in mind is that 或者 can only be used in declarative sentences. When you want to ask someone to choose or clarify something by asking a question, you want to use 还是to express “or”.

Provide options in a question with 还是

Structure

[Subject + Verb + Option A + 还是 + Option B ?]

Examples

你 喜欢 喝 咖啡还是茶？
Do you like to drink tea or coffee?

你 去 中国还是法国？
Are you going to China or to France?

你 说 汉语还是英语？
Do you speak Chinese or English?

Embedded questions with 还是

Sometimes when it’s difficult to choose, you can say “I don’t know whether or “ I’m not sure” if which one to choose. These sentences may not technically be questions, but they contained implied questions and choices, so you still use 还是.

Structure

[Subject +不 知道/不 确定+ A 还是 B]

Examples

我 不 知道 他 今天 走还是明天 走。
I don’t know if he leaves today or tomorrow.

我 不 确定 这个 包 是 我 的还是他 的。
I’m not sure whether this bag is mine or his.

So there you have it, now you know the intimate details of when to use 还是 and when to pick 或者, two ways to say “or” in Chinese! Let’s practice using one or the other now!

Understand you must, that 或者 and 还是are not the same. They mean "or" but they will not be used in the same situations, they will not allow that.