или... или

Either ... or

Level 3Sounds Like ili... ili

Put или before each option to say either ... or: Или идваш, или оставаш. (Either you come or you stay.)

How It Works

1. Meaning. Или ... или presents two or more options and says that only one of them is possible: Или идваш, или оставаш. (Either you come or you stay.)

2. What it can join.

  • Whole clauses: Или ми кажи истината, или си тръгвай. (Either tell me the truth or leave.)
  • Words: или днес, или утре (either today or tomorrow).
  • Phrases: или в брой, или с карта (either in cash or by card).

Put each или right before the part it introduces, and keep the parts parallel: two clauses, two nouns or two phrases.

3. The comma. Always write a comma before the second или, whether it joins words or clauses. A longer series has a comma before each further или: или днес, или утре, или никога (today, tomorrow or never). A single или between two options normally has no comma: Ще сготвим нещо или ще поръчаме пица. (We will cook something or order pizza.)

4. Tone. The double form is stronger than a single или. It often sounds like a firm choice or an ultimatum: Или ще учиш, или ще работиш. (Either you study or you work.)

5. Related pairs. To reject both options, use нито ... нито: Не искам нито чай, нито кафе. (I want neither tea nor coffee.) To say that both are true at once, use хем ... хем.

Examples (5)

  1. Или идваш, или оставаш.

    Either you come or you stay.

  2. Ще се видим или днес, или утре.

    We will meet either today or tomorrow.

    Here или ... или joins two words.

  3. Или ми кажи истината, или си тръгвай.

    Either tell me the truth or leave.

    A firm choice between two commands.

  4. Можеш да платиш или в брой, или с карта.

    You can pay either in cash or by card.

  5. Той е или много уморен, или много сърдит.

    He is either very tired or very angry.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving out the comma before the second или.

    Или идваш или оставаш.
    Или идваш, или оставаш.

    In a double conjunction, a comma always goes before the second или.

  • Using или ... или to reject both options.

    Не искам или чай, или кафе.
    Не искам нито чай, нито кафе.

    Или ... или means that one option is chosen. To say that you want neither, use нито ... нито.

  • Adding a comma before a single или.

    Ще сготвим нещо, или ще поръчаме пица.
    Ще сготвим нещо или ще поръчаме пица.

    A single или between two options normally takes no comma. Only the second или of the double form gets one.

How It Connects

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или... илиLevel 3Either ... or

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Either ... or builds on или.

Words in This Pattern