宁可…也不…
Would rather… than…; would rather… in order to…
HSK 5HSK 3.0 · 6
S + 宁可 + A,也不 + B | S + 宁可 + A,也要 + B
宁可A,也不B: having weighed the options, the speaker accepts A (though unpleasant) rather than do B: 我宁可走路,也不坐他的车 'I'd rather walk than ride in his car'. The variant 宁可A,也要B means accepting A in order to achieve B (宁可晚点儿到,也要把事情做好). It conveys strong determination. The subject precedes 宁可, and the second clause uses 也, not 就/所以. 宁愿 is a synonym.
HSK 5 gap fills and listening (determination).
Examples
我宁可走路,也不坐他的车。
I'd rather walk than ride in his car.
他宁可饿着,也不吃垃圾食品。
He'd rather go hungry than eat junk food.
她宁可少赚点儿钱,也不愿意天天加班。
She'd rather earn less than work overtime every day.
我宁可晚点儿到,也要把这件事做好。
I'd rather arrive late than do this badly.
Exercises
1.我宁可自己做, 请他帮忙。
2.他 不睡觉,也要把报告写完。
3.“我宁可站着,也不坐那把脏椅子”说明:
4.Choose the correct sentence: