A + 还是 + B
Reach for 还是 when you're offering someone a choice between two options in a question — 'A or B?' This is the everyday 'or' that appears in every cafe, restaurant, and shopping trip: tea or coffee, this one or that one, today or tomorrow. It's one of the very first patterns HSK 1 learners use to actually make conversations feel two-sided.
Structure
[A] 还是 [B]?
[A] háishi [B]?
How to Think About It
还是 is the 'or' used in questions; 或者 is the 'or' used in statements. That split doesn't exist in English, so beginners blur them — but Chinese is strict about it. If you're asking ('Coffee or tea?'), use 还是. If you're stating ('I'll have coffee or tea, either is fine.'), use 或者. A 还是 question doesn't even need 吗 at the end; the structure itself signals 'pick one.'
Examples
你喝茶还是咖啡?
Nǐ hē chá háishi kāfēi?
Do you drink tea or coffee?
我们走路去还是坐车去?
Wǒmen zǒulù qù háishi zuòchē qù?
Should we walk or take a car?
这是你的还是他的?
Zhè shì nǐ de háishi tā de?
Is this yours or his?
Common Mistake
English speakers attach 吗 to a 还是 question, treating it like a yes/no question. 还是 already turns the sentence into a question — adding 吗 makes it ungrammatical. Just end the sentence with a question mark; the 还是 carries the question on its own.
你要喝茶还是咖啡吗?
你要喝茶还是咖啡?
Don't Confuse With
A 或者 B
或者 is 'or' in statements, not questions. '我喝茶或者咖啡都行' means 'I'll have tea or coffee — either is fine.' Never use 或者 to ask someone to pick.
还是 (副词 'still / had better')
还是 also means 'still' or 'had better' as an adverb — '我还是去吧' (I'd better go after all). Same characters, different job; context and position tell you which one is in play.
是 A 还是 B?
Adds an explicit 是 in front for emphasis when both options are nouns or adjectives: '是真的还是假的?' (Is it real or fake?). The base 还是 question form drops 是 when the verb is already in the sentence.
Practice
你想看电影 ___ 看电视? (offer a choice between two options)
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还是
你今天去 ___ 明天去? (offer a choice between two times)
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还是
Put in order: [大的 / 还是 / 你 / 小的 / 要]
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你要大的还是小的?
Translate to Chinese: 'Do you like dogs or cats?'
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你喜欢狗还是猫?
Write one question offering a friend a choice between two things, using 还是.
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Example answer: 你想吃中国菜还是日本菜? (Do you want to eat Chinese food or Japanese food?)
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 1 Fluentide episode: