Wednesday, February 11, 2015

还有(háiyǒu) and 还是(háishì)

We talked about 还有(háiyǒu)  in the previous blog. 还有 is similar to "in addition" in English, which can be used with a comma and put before the verb phrase or sentence: 还有, + verb phrase/sentence
However, 还是 (háishì) is used in Chinese to provide options in a question. This is equivalent to one use of "or" in English:  Option A + 还是 + Option B ? For example:
  • 您要喝点儿什么?茶还是咖啡?What do you want to drink? Tea or coffee? 
  • 您要一个还是两个?Do you want one or two?
  • 你要哪个?红色的还是蓝色的?Which one do you want? Red one or blue one?
You can even add a subject and a verb before the structure above: Subject + Verb + Option A + 还是 + Option B ?
  • 你是中国人还是日本人?Are you Chinese or Japanese?
  • 你说普通话还是广东话?Do you speak Mandarin Chinese or Cantonese?
  • 你喜欢男孩还是女孩?Do you like boys or girls?
Please filling the blanks by using 还有 or 还是:
1. 你喜欢苹果___________香蕉?
2. 他会说普通话___________上海话。
3. 我想学西班牙语___________德语。
4. 他说的是法语___________德语?
5. 大卫是美国人___________英国人?

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