Expressing the only two possibilities

Nível: HSK 5 | Categoria: Gramática

Explicação da Regra:

To describe a situation as being one of only two possibilities, you can use the structure "不是⋯⋯就是⋯⋯" (bù shì... jiùshì...), which literally means, "if it's not... it's...." 不是 + A，就是 + B This is like saying "if it's not A, then it's B" in English. A and B can be verbs, adjectives, or nouns.

Exemplos com Falantes Nativos:

• 他整天不是打游戏就是睡觉。 (tā zhěngtiān bù shì dǎyóuxì jìu shì shùijué 。): "He either plays games or sleeps all day."
• 他们约会不是去咖啡馆就是去电影院。 (tāmen yuēhùi bùshì qù kāfēiguǎn jìushì qù diànyǐngyuàn 。): "They date either to a cafe or to a movie theater."
• 我买的衣服不是大就是小，都不能穿。 (wǒ mǎi de yīfú bùshì dà jìushì xiǎo，dū bù néng chuān 。): "The clothes I buy are either big or small, and I can't wear them."
• 她穿的衣服不是LV就是Gucci！ (tā chuān de yīfú bùshì LV jìushì Gucci！): "The clothes she wears are either LV or Gucci!"

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