entweder

German

Etymology

Middle High German ein(t)weder, Old High German ein(h)wedar. By surface analysis, ent- +‎ weder.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈɛntveːdɐ/
  • Audio (Germany (Berlin)):(file)

Conjunction

entweder

  1. either (only with oder)
    entweder … oder ― either … or

Usage notes

  • Used only in the pair "entweder … oder", like "either … or" in English.
  • Syntactically, entweder may be treated like a coordinating conjunction or like an adverb. In the latter case, word order inversion takes place without there being any change in meaning. Compare:
Entweder du gehst nach Hause oder du bleibst noch.
Entweder gehst du nach Hause oder du bleibst noch.
Either you go home or you stay some more.

See also

Further reading

  • “entweder” in Duden online
  • “entweder” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
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