Basic Patterns of Chinese Grammar: A Student's Guide to Correct Structures and Common Errors by Qin Xue Herzberg & Larry Herzberg

Author:Qin Xue Herzberg & Larry Herzberg [Herzberg, Qin Xue & Herzberg, Larry]
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Tags: kindle123
Publisher: Stone Bridge Press
Published: 2012-11-15T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER EIGHT

Conjunctions: and, or

(1) Different ways to say “and” depend on usage

Used to connect nouns, “and” can be hé 和 or gēn 跟:

You and I are good friends.

Nǐ hé wǒ shì hǎo péngyou.

你和我是好朋友。

My friend and I went to China.

Wǒde péngyou gēn wǒ dào Zhōngguó qùle.

我的朋友跟我到中国去了。

HOWEVER, with a string of nouns, instead of a word for “and,” simply place a special Chinese comma between the nouns:

Tofu, jiaozi, and spring rolls are all Chinese food.

Dòufu, jiǎozi, chūnjuǎn dōu shì Zhōngguó cài.

豆腐、饺子、春卷都是中国菜。

Used to connect verbs or adjectives, “and” is yě 也:

Today I went to class and studied.

Wǒ jīntiān shàng le kè yě niàn le shū.

我今天上了课也念了书。

She’s tall and slender.

Tā hěn gāo yě hěn miáotiao.

她很高也很苗条。

(2) How to say “or” in Chinese

To use “or” in a statement: choose between the formal, huòshi 或是, and the informal huòzhě 或者:

Every morning I drink tea or coffee

Wǒ měitiān zǎoshàng hē chá huòshì (huòzhě) hē kāfēi.

我每天早上喝茶或是 (或者) 喝咖啡。

To use “either . . . or . . . ,” choose between the more emphatic and the less formal:

either . . . or . . . (more emphatic)

huòshi . . . huòshi . . .

或是 . . . 或是 . . .

OR:

either . . . or . . . (less formal)

huòzhě . . . huòzhě . . .

或者 . . . 或者 . . .

Every morning I either drink tea or coffee.

Wǒ měitiān zǎoshàng huòshì (huòzhe) hē chá huòshì

(huòzhě) hē kāfēi.

我每天早上或是 (或者) 喝茶或是 (或者) 喝咖啡。

To use “or” in a question, use háishì 还是:

In the morning do you drink tea or (do you drink) coffee?

Nǐ zǎoshàng hē chá háishì (hē) kāfēi?

你早上喝茶还是 (喝) 咖啡？

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