A 还是 B
Use 还是 to ask 'A or B?' — a choice question. Coffee or tea? Boy or girl? Stay or go? Drop 还是 between the two options and you've built a clean alternative question with no extra question particle needed. This is the standard way to ask someone to pick between two things in Chinese; you can extend it to three (A, B, 还是 C?) but two is the most common.
Structure
[A] 还是 [B]?
A háishì B?
How to Think About It
还是 is the question version of 'or.' If you're stating a fact ('I want tea or coffee, either is fine'), you'd use 或者. If you're asking the listener to pick ('do you want tea or coffee?'), it has to be 还是. The two are not interchangeable. Also note: a sentence with 还是 is already a question — don't add 吗 at the end. 吗 turns a statement into a yes/no question, but 还是 already provides the question structure.
Examples
你喝茶还是咖啡？
Nǐ hē chá háishì kāfēi?
Do you want tea or coffee?
我们今天去还是明天去？
Wǒmen jīntiān qù háishì míngtiān qù?
Are we going today or tomorrow?
他是中国人还是日本人？
Tā shì Zhōngguó rén háishì Rìběn rén?
Is he Chinese or Japanese?
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?
天这么冷，他还是骑车去上班。
Tiān zhème lěng, tā háishì qí chē qù shàngbān.
It's so cold, but he still bikes to work.
考试很难，可大家还是过了。
Kǎoshì hěn nán, kě dàjiā háishì guò le.
The exam was hard, but everyone still passed.
试了几次，他还是没成功。
Shì le jǐ cì, tā háishì méi chénggōng.
He tried several times and still didn't succeed.
Common Mistake
Learners attach 吗 to a 还是 question, doubling up question markers. They also sometimes swap in 或者 in a question, which makes the sentence sound like a statement.
你喝茶还是咖啡吗？
你喝茶还是咖啡？
Don't Confuse With
或者
Statement 'or' — used when listing options without asking ('I'll have tea or coffee'). 还是 is only for questions.
还是 (adverb, 'still')
Same characters, different meaning. 还是 as an adverb means 'still' or 'after all' (我还是去吧, 'I'll go after all'). Context tells you which.
A 不 A?
Yes/no version of the same verb ('do you eat or not?'). Use 还是 when the two sides are different items, not a verb and its negation.
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.
Practice
你想吃米饭____面条？
Show answer
还是
她姓王____姓李？
Show answer
还是
Arrange: 还是 / 你 / 走 / 坐车 / 路
Show answer
你坐车还是走路？
Translate: Do you want to go by bus or by subway?
Show answer
你想坐公交车还是地铁？
Write a question using A 还是 B asking a friend to pick something.
Show answer
周末我们看电影还是去公园？
你想看电影 ___ 看电视? (offer a choice between two options)
Show answer
还是
你今天去 ___ 明天去? (offer a choice between two times)
Show answer
还是
Put in order: [大的 / 还是 / 你 / 小的 / 要]
Show answer
你要大的还是小的?
Translate to Chinese: 'Do you like dogs or cats?'
Show answer
你喜欢狗还是猫?
Write one question offering a friend a choice between two things, using 还是.
Show answer
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 3 Fluentide episodes. Press play to hear the sentence:
这是一个儿子还是女儿？
Is this a son or a daughter?
Team USA Seeks Hockey Gold at Milan OlympicsBeginner
我觉得，还是买的。
I think, they still buy them.
China–Japan Trade After Takaichi's ElectionElementary
Related Grammar Patterns
Acquire by listening
Hear A 还是 B in real Chinese, not in a textbook.
Fluentide picks the next news episode at your level, so this pattern shows up again and again in real context. The transcript marks it, the audio drills it. Free to start.