我们去图书馆还是咖啡馆？
Wǒmen qù túshūguǎn háishi kāfēiguǎn?
Shall we go to the library or the café?
Choosing a study spot: quieter or closer?
15 minutes
Compare two places with 比 and choose a study spot using 还是 questions.
How to use these phrases
Use A + 比 + B + adjective to say A is more of a quality than B: 图书馆比咖啡馆安静 means 'The library is quieter than the café.' The comparison word 比 goes before the second place, and the adjective goes at the end. Do not add 很 before the adjective in this basic comparison. In 我们去图书馆还是咖啡馆？, 还是 offers a choice: 'Shall we go to the library or the café?' A choice question with 还是 normally does not need 吗. Answer with your choice, not simply 'yes'. 离 introduces distance from a reference point: 图书馆离宿舍很近 means 'The library is close to the dormitory.' Follow the six-card dialogue as two students decide where to study. First compare the noise level, then consider distance and agree on a place. Practise changing the order of A and B and explain how that changes the meaning. Use real observations for your own examples; these sentences describe a fictional campus.
Chinese vocabulary and Pinyin
| Chinese | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 比 | bǐ | than; compared with |
| 咖啡馆 | kāfēiguǎn | café |
| 安静 | ānjìng | quiet |
| 近 | jìn | near; close |
| 远 | yuǎn | far |
| 离 | lí | from; away from (distance) |
| 还是 | háishi | or (in a choice question) |
| 那 | nà | then; that |
Example sentences
图书馆比咖啡馆安静。
Túshūguǎn bǐ kāfēiguǎn ānjìng.
The library is quieter than the café.
图书馆离宿舍远吗？
Túshūguǎn lí sùshè yuǎn ma?
Is the library far from the dormitory?
不远，图书馆离宿舍很近。
Bù yuǎn, túshūguǎn lí sùshè hěn jìn.
No, the library is close to the dormitory.
那我们去图书馆吧。
Nà wǒmen qù túshūguǎn ba.
Then let's go to the library.
好，我也想去图书馆。
Hǎo, wǒ yě xiǎng qù túshūguǎn.
Okay, I want to go to the library too.
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