Choice Questions with 还是 (háishi) | Chinese (Mandarin) Grammar

A choice question — "tea or coffee?", "today or tomorrow?" — presents two alternatives and asks the listener to pick one. In Chinese you join the two options with 还是 (háishi), and that is all it takes: 你喝茶还是喝咖啡？ There is no need for 吗, because 还是 already turns the sentence into a question. The single biggest thing to master here is a distinction English simply does not make: Chinese uses two different words for "or" depending on mood. 还是 is "or" inside a question; 或者 (huòzhě) is "or" inside a statement. English "or" covers both, so learners constantly grab the wrong one — this page is about never doing that again.

The A 还是 B pattern

Line up the two options as A 还是 B, where A and B are parallel — two nouns, two verb phrases, two time words, whatever the choice is about. When A and B are full verb phrases, you can repeat the verb or share it if it is the same.

你喝茶还是喝咖啡？

nǐ hē chá háishi hē kāfēi?

Do you drink tea or coffee? (informal) — two parallel verb phrases joined by 还是.

你要大杯还是中杯？

nǐ yào dà bēi háishi zhōng bēi?

Do you want a large or a medium? (informal, at a café) — the shared verb 要 isn't repeated; just the two options differ.

我们坐地铁还是打车？

wǒmen zuò dìtiě háishi dǎ chē?

Shall we take the subway or grab a taxi? (informal) — two whole verb phrases as the alternatives.

今天走还是明天走？

jīntiān zǒu háishi míngtiān zǒu?

Leave today or tomorrow? (informal) — the choice is the time word; 走 repeats on each side.

A special, very common case is offering the two poles of a single verb — "A or not-A" — which overlaps with the A-not-A question:

你去还是不去？

nǐ qù háishi bú qù?

Are you going or not? (informal) — the two options are 去 and 不去, linked by 还是.

是 A 还是 B: choosing between identities

When the choice is about what something is, wrap each option so the pattern reads 是 A 还是 (是) B ("is it A or is it B"). The 是 on the first option is usually kept; the second 是 is optional.

他是老师还是学生？

tā shì lǎoshī háishi xuésheng?

Is he a teacher or a student? (neutral) — 是 A 还是 B for a choice of identity.

你是今天有空还是明天有空？

nǐ shì jīntiān yǒu kòng háishi míngtiān yǒu kòng?

Are you free today or tomorrow? (informal) — the leading 是 sets up the two-way choice.

还是 (question) vs 或者 (statement): the core split

Here is the rule that separates confident learners from confused ones. 还是 presents alternatives inside a question — you are asking someone to choose. 或者 presents alternatives inside a statement — you are simply listing options, often with the sense "either one is fine." They are not interchangeable; swapping them is one of the most audible learner errors.

茶还是咖啡？

chá háishi kāfēi?

Tea or coffee? (informal) — a question, so 还是: pick one.

茶或者咖啡都行。

chá huòzhě kāfēi dōu xíng.

Tea or coffee, either is fine. (informal) — a statement, so 或者: no choice is being demanded.

你可以坐地铁或者打车。

nǐ kěyǐ zuò dìtiě huòzhě dǎ chē.

You can take the subway or grab a taxi. (neutral) — offering options in a statement, so 或者.

💡

Test the sentence: does it end in a question mark asking the listener to pick? Use 还是. Is it a plain statement listing possibilities ("A or B, whichever / either is fine")? Use 或者. The presence of 都 (both / either) or a verb like 可以 (can) is a strong signal you're in statement territory and want 或者.

	还是 (háishi)	或者 (huòzhě)
Used in	questions	statements
Means	"or" — pick one	"or" — either / any of these
Needs 吗?	no (already a question)	n/a (not a question)
Example	你去还是不去？	你去或者不去都可以。

Embedded choice questions

Slot an A 还是 B question under a verb like 知道 (know) or 决定 (decide) and it becomes an indirect question — "I don't know whether A or B." It keeps 还是 and still takes no 吗, exactly as the standalone question does. (More on the mechanics on the embedded questions page.)

我还没决定去北京还是去上海。

wǒ hái méi juédìng qù Běijīng háishi qù Shànghǎi.

I haven't decided whether to go to Beijing or Shanghai. (neutral) — the choice is embedded under 决定; still 还是, no 吗.

我不知道他今天来还是明天来。

wǒ bù zhīdào tā jīntiān lái háishi míngtiān lái.

I don't know whether he's coming today or tomorrow. (informal) — embedded under 不知道, still 还是.

💡

Beware 还是's double life: outside choice questions it's a common adverb meaning "still" or "had better" — 他还是没来 ("he still hasn't come"), 你还是别去了 ("you'd better not go"). Same two characters, different job. If there's no A-versus-B pair, 还是 is the adverb, not the "or."

Common Mistakes

1. Adding 吗 to a 还是 question. 还是 already marks the choice question; 吗 is only for yes-no questions.

❌ 你喝茶还是咖啡吗？

Incorrect — a 还是 choice question never takes 吗.

✅ 你喝茶还是喝咖啡？

nǐ hē chá háishi hē kāfēi?

Do you drink tea or coffee? — no 吗 with 还是.

2. Using 或者 in a question. A question that demands a choice needs 还是, not 或者.

❌ 你想喝茶或者咖啡？

Incorrect — inside a choice question, 'or' is 还是, not 或者.

✅ 你想喝茶还是咖啡？

nǐ xiǎng hē chá háishi kāfēi?

Do you want tea or coffee? — 还是 for the question.

3. Using 还是 in a statement. Listing options in a plain statement needs 或者.

❌ 茶还是咖啡都行。

Incorrect — this is a statement ('either is fine'), so use 或者, not 还是.

✅ 茶或者咖啡都行。

chá huòzhě kāfēi dōu xíng.

Tea or coffee, either is fine. — 或者 in a statement.

4. Keeping 吗 on an embedded choice. An indirect A 还是 B question drops 吗 just like the direct one.

❌ 我不知道他来吗还是不来。

Incorrect — the embedded choice uses 还是 alone; there's no 吗.

✅ 我不知道他来还是不来。

wǒ bù zhīdào tā lái háishi bù lái.

I don't know whether he's coming or not. — 来还是不来, no 吗.

Key Takeaways

Build a choice question with A 还是 B — 你喝茶还是喝咖啡？ — and add no 吗; 还是 already makes it a question.
For a choice of identity, use 是 A 还是 B: 他是老师还是学生？
The core split English hides: 还是 is "or" in a question, 或者 is "or" in a statement (茶或者咖啡都行).
Signals of a statement (want 或者): 都 (either/both), 可以 (can), and no question mark.
Embedded under 知道 / 决定, the choice keeps 还是 and stays 吗-free: 我不知道他来还是不来。

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