PMT Easy #74: Practice Choice Structures

🌀 Pearls of Mandarin: Translation (Easy) #73

Hello Mandarin Enthusiasts! 🌟

This worksheet you’re reading right now is the 🌱 Easy version, specifically designed for learners around HSK levels 2–3-4.

If you’re looking for more of a challenge, check your inbox for the Advanced version or click here!

In this week’s CGG #75 lesson, we explored four powerful structures for expressing choices and alternatives in Chinese. From the firm ultimatums of 要么...，要么... to the elegant literary style of 或...，或..., we discovered how each structure brings its own flavor to decision-making and preference expressions.

Today’s translation exercises will help you master these choice structures through hands-on practice. You’ll work with 要么...，要么... for strong either/or situations, 或...，或... for formal contexts, 不是...就是... for describing patterns, and 宁可/宁愿...，也不... for expressing strong preferences.

The more you practice translating with these structures, the more naturally they’ll flow in your conversations. Each exercise is designed to help you feel the subtle differences between them, so you can choose the right one for every situation.

Let’s dive in and make these choice expressions feel completely natural in your Mandarin toolkit!

Recap of CGG #75 lesson

• Using 要么...，要么... (yàome...，yàome...): A strong “either/or” structure that presents firm ultimatums with no other alternatives. It creates urgency and finality, perfect for important decisions or setting clear boundaries where only one option can be chosen.

• Using 或...，或... (huò...，huò...): A formal and literary way to express “either/or” that appears primarily in written Chinese, academic language, or news reports. It often describes different categories or scenarios in parallel with an elegant, elevated tone.

• Using 不是...就是... (búshì...jiùshì...): Expresses “if not A, then B” to describe habitual patterns or recurring situations where only two possibilities exist. It suggests predictability and describes what typically happens rather than presenting a choice to be made.

• Using 宁可/宁愿...，也不... (nìngkě/nìngyuàn...，yě bù...): Shows strong preferences when choosing the “lesser of two evils.” This pattern emphasizes that while the first option might not be ideal, the second option is absolutely to be avoided, often involving moral choices or significant sacrifices.

🌱 Today’s Easy Exercises

Translate these English sentences into Mandarin:

1. This cat is either eating or sleeping.

2. For dinner, you can either have rice or noodles, there’s nothing else.

3. He would rather walk to the store than ask his dad for a ride.

4. Guangzhou’s weather is either sunny or rainy, cloudy days are rare.

Take your time, and remember: practicing will help you sound more natural and confident in your Mandarin conversations. You’ve got this! 💫

🌱 Translation #1

This cat is either eating or sleeping.

In this sentence, we’re describing a predictable, recurring pattern of behavior where only two activities regularly occur. When expressing such habitual patterns where “if not A, then B” describes what typically happens in Mandarin, 不是...就是... is the perfect structure because it captures the predictability of the situation. Unlike 要么...要么... which presents choices to be made, this pattern describes observed reality, here, what we consistently notice about the cat’s behavior over time.

📚 Structure: [Subject] + 不是 + [Activity A] + 就是 + [Activity B]

Let’s break down the translation step by step:

• 这 (zhè) means “this.”

• 只 (zhī) is the measure word for small animals.

• 猫 (māo) means “cat.”

• 不是 (búshì) here means “if not” or “either.”

  • This begins the pattern showing the first recurring activity.

• 在 (zài) indicates ongoing action.

  • 📖 Learn more about 在 for ongoing actions in CGG #61.

• 吃 (chī) means “to eat.”

• 东西 (dōngxi) means “things.”

• 就是 (jiùshì) means “then it’s” or “or.”

  • This introduces the second recurring activity in the pattern.

• 在 (zài) again indicates ongoing action.

• 睡觉 (shuìjiào) means “to sleep.”

Notes

• Don’t use 要么...要么... (yàome...yàome...) here, as it would suggest the cat is making conscious choices rather than following natural patterns.

• The double use of 在 (zài) emphasizes that both activities are ongoing states rather than completed actions.

• 东西 (dōngxi) is more natural than just 食物 (shíwù, food) in casual speech when describing what animals eat.

• This pattern often describes what you observe about someone or something’s habitual behavior, not decisions they’re actively making.

Recap

• 这只猫不是在吃东西就是在睡觉。

• 这 / 只 / 猫 / 不是 / 在 / 吃 / 东西 / 就是 / 在 / 睡觉。

• zhè zhī māo búshì zài chī dōngxi jiùshì zài shuìjiào.

• This cat is either eating or sleeping.

• this / (measure word 只) / cat / if not / (ongoing marker 在) / eat / things / then is / (ongoing marker 在) / sleep.

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🌱 Translation #2

For dinner, you can either have rice or noodles, there’s nothing else.