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それとも details

Examples

or — offers a further alternative, normally the last one, and asks the listener to choose

コーヒーにする？それとも、紅茶こうちゃがいい？

koohii ni suru? soretomo, koucha ga ii?

Shall we make it coffee? Or would you rather have tea? casual

打うち合あわせは今日きょうでしたっけ。それとも、明日あしたでしたっけ。

uchiawase wa kyou deshita kke. soretomo, ashita deshita kke.

Was the meeting today? Or was it tomorrow? neutral

会場かいじょうでお受うけ取とりになりますか。それとも、ご自宅じたくまでお送おくりいたしましょうか。

kaijou de o uketori ni narimasu ka. soretomo, go jitaku made o okuri itashimashou ka.

Would you like to collect it at the venue? Or shall we send it to your home? formal

Formation

Notes

What follows それとも is interrogative; what precedes it may be an offer or a
proposal instead (コーヒーを入いれるよ。それとも、紅茶こうちゃがいい？).
A flat declarative list of options takes または or もしくは.

Related patterns

Similar

  • か

    か is the question particle inside each alternative and joins them only by juxtaposition (コーヒーにしますか、紅茶こうちゃにしますか); それとも is the conjunction BETWEEN them, which is what lets the second alternative start a new sentence after a full stop, or be added as an afterthought once the first has landed.

Lookalikes

  • それも

    One と apart and constantly mistyped for each other, but それとも needs what follows it to be interrogative and asks the listener to pick, while それも asks nothing and merely adds a detail to a statement already made.