What is the Difference between 还是 and 或者?
In this post, we’ll discuss the differences between 还是(hái shì) and 或者(huò zhě), which both have the meaning of “or” in English, a conjunction that is used to indicate alternatives. So how do we use them? Stay on this page to find out!
还是
#1 还是(or) is used to provide choices in question statements
The general structure of using 还是(or) is Choice A + 还是 + Choice B. In this case, it is used in a question to ask people to make a choice. Let’s look at some examples:
你想听音乐还是做运动？
nǐ xiǎng tīng yīn yuè hái shì zuò yùn dòng?
Do you want to listen to music or do sports?
你们想去北京还是上海？
nǐmen xiǎng qù běi jīng hái shì shàng hǎi?
Do you all want to go to Beijing or Shanghai?
还是(or) can also be used in a sentence that has a question-like clause. These question-like clauses usually are found at the start of the sentence, and they include “我不知道(wǒ bù zhī dào, I don’t know)“, ”我还没决定(wǒ hái méi jué dìng, I have not decided)” and “我想知道(wǒ xiǎng zhī dào, I want to know)”. Confusing? Let’s look at some examples below:
我不知道她想听音乐还是做运动。
wǒ bù zhīdào tā xiǎng tīng yīn yuè hái shì zuò yùn dòng.
I don't know if she wants to listen to music or play sports.
我还没决定我想听音乐还是做运动。
wǒ hái méi jué dìng wǒ xiǎng tīng yīn yuè hái shì zuò yùn dòng.
I haven't decided if I want to listen to music or do sports.
我想知道他是去北京还是上海。
wǒ xiǎng zhī dào tā shì qù běi jīng hái shì shàng hǎi.
I wonder if he is going to Beijing or Shanghai.
These statements function like questions, therefore in this case, 还是(or) should be used as the conjunction.
#2 还是 can also be used as an adverb to express a preference
When used as an adverb, the structure goes with 还是 + Choice + 吧. If expressing a preference sounds like indicating a suggestion, “吧(ba)” is usually used at the back.
A: 你想听音乐还是做运动？
nǐ xiǎng tīng yīn yuè hái shì zuò yùn dòng?
Do you want to listen to music or do sports?
B: 还是听音乐吧。
hái shì tīng yīn yuè ba.
Listening to music is better.
A: 你们想去北京还是上海？
nǐmen xiǎng qù běi jīng hái shì shàng hǎi?
Do you all want to go to Beijing or Shanghai?
B: 还是去上海吧，以前没去过。
Shanghai is better, we’ve not gone there before.
#3 还是 can also be used as an adverb to indicate “still”
外面下大雨了，他还是出门了。
wài mian xià dà yǔ le, tā hái shì chū mén le.
It was raining heavily outside, but he still went out.
失败了很多次，他还是没放弃。
shī bài le hěn duō cì, tā hái shì méi fàng qì.
He failed many times, but he still did not give up.
或者
#1 或者 is used in declarative sentences to indicate possibilities
If 或者 is used, it means that both choices provided are possible. 或者 is used in declarative sentences to indicate possibilities. Let’s look at some examples below:
你今天或者明天来都可以。
nǐ jīn tiān huò zhě míng tiān lái dōu kěyǐ.
You can come today or tomorrow.
我想喝绿茶或者咖啡。
wǒ xiǎng hē lǜ chá huò zhě kā fēi.
I want to drink green tea or coffee.
However, 或者 is generally not used in negative sentences. For instance, it would be incorrect to say “我不喜欢绿茶或者咖啡。(wǒ bù xǐ huān lǜ chá huò zhě kā fēi, I don't like green tea or coffee.)” since 或者 is used to provide possible options to choose from. To make this sentence grammatically correct, you can use “和(hé, and)” instead of 或者.
#2 或者 can be used in a question if the sentence ends with “吗?”
Our discussions above seem to suggest that 还是 should be used in a question and 或者 should be used in a declarative sentence. However, that is not true. To use 或者 in a question, the question should have “吗?” at the back to indicate a polite suggestion.
您想喝绿茶或者咖啡吗？
nín xiǎng hē lǜ chá huò zhě kā fēi ma?
Would you like to drink green tea or coffee?
#3 或者 can be used as an adverb that indicates “maybe” and “perhaps”
Similarly, 或者 can also be an adverb. It’s used to indicate “maybe” and “perhaps”. Let’s look at the examples below:
他要出国留学了，这或者是他妈妈的意愿。
tā yào chū guó liú xué le, zhè huò zhě shì tā mā ma de yì yuàn.
He's going to study abroad, maybe it's his mother's wish.
你现在就去机场吧，或者还能赶上飞机。
nǐ xiàn zài jiù qù jī chǎng ba, huò zhě hái néng gǎn shàng fēi jī.
Now you should head to the airport, perhaps you can still catch the plane.
Hope this article helps you better differentiate the usage between 还是 and 或者. Stay tuned to this blog to learn more about various topics related to learning Chinese! If you want to learn Chinese in Singapore, consult with us at Hanhai to improve your Chinese language skills! See you in the next article!