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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. 1.我宁可自己做, 请他帮忙。

  2. 2.他 不睡觉,也要把报告写完。

  3. 3.“我宁可站着,也不坐那把脏椅子”说明:

  4. 4.Choose the correct sentence:

More grammar points