Level 2 · Elementary
Or: 还是 vs 或者
A 还是 B？ / A 或者 B · Traditional: A 還是 B？ / A 或者 B
Chinese has two "or"s. 还是 (háishi) is for QUESTIONS — offering a choice: 你喝茶还是喝咖啡？"Tea or coffee?" No 吗 needed; the choice IS the question.
或者 (huòzhě) is for STATEMENTS — either is fine: 星期六或者星期天都可以 "Saturday or Sunday both work".
Examples
你喝茶还是喝咖啡？
你喝茶還是喝咖啡？
nǐ hē chá hái shi hē kā fēi
Do you want tea or coffee?
你想今天去还是明天去？
你想今天去還是明天去？
nǐ xiǎng jīn tiān qù hái shi míng tiān qù
Do you want to go today or tomorrow?
星期六或者星期天都可以。
xīng qī liù huò zhě xīng qī tiān dōu kě yǐ
Saturday or Sunday both work.
我们可以吃米饭或者面条。
我們可以吃米飯或者麵條。
wǒ men kě yǐ chī mǐ fàn huò zhě miàn tiáo
We can have rice or noodles.
Common mistakes
✗ 你喝茶或者咖啡？
✓ 你喝茶还是咖啡？
Questions that offer a choice use 还是, not 或者.
Related grammar points
Practice this pattern in graded stories like At the Pharmacy (Part 1), Taking a Taxi (Part 1) inside the Literate Chinese app.
