"你吃猪肉还是鸡肉？"
Translation:Do you eat pork or chicken?
17 Comments
你想吃 should be used instead of 你吃。 你吃 will make it seem like you are asking do you eat instead of do you want to eat. 想 will tell us that it is whether you want to eat and not that we have to eat/we do eat. I hope you understood what I am trying to say.
550
Actually it can be understood, but a bit rude - and Duo's replies often tend to be rude.
I can easily imagine this being said by a steward/stewardess on a plane: "你吃猪肉还是鸡肉？" "Would you like the pork or the chicken?" In English we often omit "eating" when it's obvious and understood, but my "Do you want to have pork or chicken" was rejected. Reported
I agree. I am confused as to how "do you want to eat..." Is a correct response. Perhaps it is implied.
Shouldn't be translated as "do you want to eat..." since 想 or equivalent is not stated. It should just be "do you eat...".
I think it's more that 还是 is here used to imply a question (see above/ tips + notes on the web version). I agree that the sentence is still slightly ambiguous. Can a native speaker give context/ clarification as to 'do you eat/ are you eating/ do you want to eat' using 还是?
- 550
还是 can be used as a kind of interrogative, listing 2 or more choices for the listener to choose. So in this question the choice is either 你吃猪肉 or 你吃鸡肉, and when we compile the options into one question, we leave out the second 你吃 to avoid being redundant. Thus adding 想 does not change this logic - you will still be offering 2 options, only the options now include the listener's will: 你想吃猪肉 or 你想吃鸡肉. So I said in a post above it is a bit rude not to say 想 because the options offered are not considering the listener's preference, but the 2 allowed outcomes only (it's like I don't have other food anyway, so are you eating pork or are you eating chicken?).
but where is the wanting element here? it's all about choice:do you eat pork or chicken. Duolingo should accept also this translation
- 1754
The use of "还是" seems to suggest that an either-or choice is preferred (i.e. pick one of the two); could "或者" (huòzhě) be used to ask about whether the speaker is OK with either (i.e. both are available)?
- 550
Often so, but it is a bit arbitrary to say that. 还是 can be used in an affirmative sentence.
- 550
Just an answer with native instinct.
I would not use 或者 in this sentence. 还是 probably is about making a conscious, exhaustive choice. 或者 is just listing available options serially.
e.g. 主菜是猪肉或者鸡肉。您选猪肉还是鸡肉？
The main dish is pork or chicken. Would you choose pork or chicken?
In both of these sentences 或者 还是 are not interchangeable.
- 550
It is absolutely a viable alternative translation. Also its simple past form.
No character for 'would like'? If I was on an airline, I would only tune in to the pork or chicken option, so in context, I could understand the meaning, but if I was being tested in an exam, I would fail.
