entweeder ... oder

Either ... or

Level 4

Entweeder ... oder means either ... or: Du kanns entweeder Téi oder Kaffi hunn. The official spelling is entweeder, with a long ee.

How It Works

1. Two words or phrases
Entweeder goes directly before the first choice:

  • Du kanns entweeder Téi oder Kaffi hunn. (You can have either tea or coffee.)
  • Hien ass entweeder an der Kichen oder am Gaart. (He is either in the kitchen or in the garden.)

2. Two clauses
When entweeder starts the sentence, the subject and the verb follow in their normal order, just as after oder:

  • Entweeder mir fueren haut oder mir bleiwen doheem.
  • Entweeder du hëllefs mer oder ech maachen et eleng.

3. No comma
The official spelling rules put no comma before oder in entweeder ... oder, even between two clauses.

4. Spelling
A stressed long e is written ee in Luxembourgish, so the official spelling is entweeder. The Luxembourgish Online Dictionary (LOD) also lists entweder and points it to entweeder. The same goes for weeder ... nach.

A plain oder already offers a choice. Entweeder makes it clear that it is one of the two, and nothing else.

Examples (5)

  1. Du kanns entweeder Téi oder Kaffi hunn.

    You can have either tea or coffee.

  2. Entweeder mir fueren haut oder mir bleiwen doheem.

    Either we leave today or we stay at home.

    After entweeder, mir fueren keeps its normal order. No comma goes before oder.

  3. Hien ass entweeder an der Kichen oder am Gaart.

    He is either in the kitchen or in the garden.

  4. Mir treffen eis entweeder e Méindeg oder en Dënschdeg.

    We'll meet either on Monday or on Tuesday.

  5. Entweeder du hëllefs mer oder ech maachen et eleng.

    Either you help me or I'll do it alone.

Common Mistakes

  • Using nach instead of oder.

    Du kanns entweeder Téi nach Kaffi hunn.
    Du kanns entweeder Téi oder Kaffi hunn.

    Nach belongs to weeder ... nach (neither ... nor). Entweeder always pairs with oder.

  • Putting a comma before oder.

    Entweeder mir fueren haut, oder mir bleiwen doheem.
    Entweeder mir fueren haut oder mir bleiwen doheem.

    The official rules put no comma before oder in entweeder ... oder, even between two clauses.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

entweeder ... oderLevel 4Either ... or

Learn This First

Before Either ... Or, learn Or and But: Oder and Mee.

Words in This Pattern

entweederoder