When the speaker uses it, it indicates he or she does not know “which one or what situation it is”. It is often used in questions.
Eg: nǐ xǐ huān píng guǒ hái shì cǎo méi?
你喜欢苹果还是草莓?
Which one do you like, apple or strawberry?
Sometimes it doesn’t have to appear in a question. This is when phrase like “bù zhī dào不知道: don’t know yet,bù qīng chǔ不清楚: not clear,méi jué ding没决定: haven’t decided yet,bú què ding不确定: not sure” is in the sentence, too.
Eg: qù měi guó hái shì qù yīng guó,wǒ hái méi què dìng.
去美国还是去英国,我还没确定。
I’m not sure where to visit, U.S. or U.K.
2. 或者(huò zhě): It’s normally not used in questions. The speaker uses it to tell others there are multiple possibilities.
Eg: nǐ míng tiān lái huò zhě hòu tiān lái dōu kě yǐ.
你明天来或者后天来都可以。
You can come tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.
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