Questions · CEFR A2 · Everyday
Tea or coffee? — English questions
A question that offers two answers rather than yes or no. The voice rises on the first and falls on the second.
The shape
question + A or B?
Offer somebody a choice.
In Hindi
ऐसा सवाल जो हाँ/ना नहीं, दो विकल्प देता है। आवाज़ पहले ऊपर, फिर नीचे जाती है।
CoCap explains every structure in both languages, because a rule you understand in Hindi is a rule you can use in English.
The mistake to fix first
The sentence Indian-English speakers actually produce, and the reason it is wrong.
| Commonly said | Correct English |
|---|---|
You want tea or you want coffee? | Would you like tea or coffee? The second half does not repeat the whole question. |
Tea or coffee? examples
Easiest first. Every sentence is authored, with the Hindi it comes from.
Will you sit here or there?
तुम यहाँ बैठोगे या वहाँ?
Will you go by bus or by train?
तुम बस से जाओगे या ट्रेन से?
Do you like red or blue?
तुम्हें लाल रंग पसंद है या नीला?
Is he at school or at home?
वह स्कूल में है या घर पर?
Do you want the big one or the small one?
तुम्हें बड़ा वाला चाहिए या छोटा?
Will he come today or tomorrow?
क्या वह आज आएगा या कल?
Should we go now or later?
हमें अभी जाना चाहिए या बाद में?
Easy to confuse with
Close enough to be mixed up with this one. Knowing the difference is most of knowing either.
Questions people ask
- What is the tea or coffee? used for?
- A question that offers two answers rather than yes or no. The voice rises on the first and falls on the second. In practice: offer somebody a choice.
- How do you form the tea or coffee??
- question + A or B?.
- What is the most common mistake with the tea or coffee??
- Saying “You want tea or you want coffee?” instead of “Would you like tea or coffee?”. The second half does not repeat the whole question.
Where tea or coffee? fits
Where this structure sits in the ladder, and what surrounds it.
Tea or coffee? is a CEFR A2 structure — the everyday band — and it belongs to questions. CoCap’s syllabus files every structure this way so you can learn in order instead of jumping between whatever a search happened to return.
Reading it is not the same as saying it.
CoCap turns this page into practice: Hindi sentence in, English sentence out, corrected one thing at a time. Free, no card.
Practise the tea or coffee? →