connective N3 common casualpolitewritten
それとも — or
それとも
Meaning
- or / or else — offers a second alternative between two questions, asking the listener to choose
Key sentence
コーヒーにしますか、それとも紅茶にしますか。
Will you have coffee, or tea?
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Between two questions (A か、それとも B か) | [question A]か、それとも[question B]か。 | 行く?それとも、やめる? |
Examples
今決めますか、それとも後で連絡しますか。
Will you decide now, or contact me later?
本当に知らないの?それとも、隠しているの?
Do you really not know — or are you hiding something?
Easily confused with
か か links alternatives inside a single phrase (コーヒーか紅茶, 'coffee or tea'); それとも joins two whole questions and explicitly asks 'which of these?' — it can't sit between bare nouns. あるいは あるいは is a formal/written 'or' that simply lists possibilities in a statement; それとも is spoken and specifically presents a choice between two questions.
Notes
- Used only with alternative *questions*, not with statements. The listener is expected to pick one of the two.
See それとも in real sentences
Jengo shows それとも the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled with reference to A Dictionary of Advanced Japanese Grammar, A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar.