"Bạn có muốn cam hay chuối không?" -- Does this sentence sound unnatural and/or grammatically broken? Do you use both "có + không" and "hay" (or) in the same sentence? Duolingo gave me a translation exercise. ENG: "Do you want oranges or bananas?" The abo (2024)

Yup, I think it's redundant. Using "có + không" in an "or" sentence sounds kinda unnatural to me in written Vietnamese, but I wouldn't notice it in spoken Vietnamese.

@nipahh Thank you for your answer. I intentionally inserted "có + không" in order not to be interpreted as "(I guess) you want either oranges or bananas" as an affirmative sentence (not a question). In spoken Vietnamese, don't you get confused between an affirmative sentence "Bạn muốn cam hay chuối" and a question sentence "Bạn muốn cam hay chuối?" Or do you always use "hoặc" for the affirmative context so you won't get confused?

@nipahh
Thank you for your answer. I intentionally inserted "có + không" in order not to be interpreted as "(I guess) you want either oranges or bananas" as an affirmative sentence (not a question).

In spoken Vietnamese, don't you get confused between an affirmative sentence "Bạn muốn cam hay chuối" and a question sentence "Bạn muốn cam hay chuối?" Or do you always use "hoặc" for the affirmative context so you won't get confused?

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@MsFixer ニュアンスは少し違います。1. Bạn có muốn cam hay chuối không? → 提案「他はこれもあるんだけど、欲しいの？」 2. Bạn muốn cam hay chuối 決めてほしい→「どっちにするか選択して」

@detarame Very interesting! In your opinion, "co + không" along with "hay" is not grammatically wrong nor redundant.(A five-star hotel manager to a special guest)Would you like anything to eat or drink, sir? How about oranges or apples for refreshment?==> In this situation, the "co + không" along with "hay" structure would be better though "bạn" is not probably the right pronoun for a hotel guest.@nipahh Could you tell me what you think of detarame's explanation?1. Bạn có muốn cam hay chuối không?The speaker "suggests" several options. The connotation is "we have something else that we could offer to you: oranges and bananas. Would you like either of them?"2. Bạn muốn cam hay chuốiThe speaker wants the listener to pick up one from available options. The connotation is "Which do you want: oranges or bananas?"According to detarame, both sentences are correct but just have different connotations.

@detarame
Very interesting! In your opinion, "co + không" along with "hay" is not grammatically wrong nor redundant.

(A five-star hotel manager to a special guest)
Would you like anything to eat or drink, sir? How about oranges or apples for refreshment?

==> In this situation, the "co + không" along with "hay" structure would be better though "bạn" is not probably the right pronoun for a hotel guest.

@nipahh
Could you tell me what you think of detarame's explanation?

1. Bạn có muốn cam hay chuối không?
The speaker "suggests" several options. The connotation is "we have something else that we could offer to you: oranges and bananas. Would you like either of them?"

2. Bạn muốn cam hay chuối
The speaker wants the listener to pick up one from available options. The connotation is "Which do you want: oranges or bananas?"

According to detarame, both sentences are correct but just have different connotations.

@MsFixer I never knew there was a difference like that between the two sentences... But yeah, I guess I'll have to agree with detarame's explanation. Though I think the nuance is not that obvious, and you'll have to add another sentence for clarification if you think that the "we have something else for you" connotation is necessary. Ex: "Quý khách (formal noun for addressing customers) có muốn cam hay quý không ạ? Bên em ngoài ra còn nhiều loại trái cây lắm."As for your previous question- no, we don't phrase the affirmative sentence like that. That sentence will always get interpreted as a question, even in written Vietnamese. We either use "hoặc" like you said or we add "đều được" (either is fine)."Anh ta nói cam hay chuối đều được."Using "đều được" alongside "muốn" sounds a bit weird to me, so I switched it to "nói". Though this could just very much be a "me problem". "Anh ta muốn cam hoặc chuối."

@nipahh Thank you for taking my two follow-on questions!So, “hay” is used in an interrogative sentence so that you won’t get confused without “có + không”.The difference between the two patterns of expressions is subtle. Okay, I got it!Asian people including Vietnamese and Japanese often speak politely when they offer or suggest something. It’s important for me to understand the subtle difference of connotation and nuance. Your answers help me a lot!

@nipahh

Thank you for taking my two follow-on questions!
So, “hay” is used in an interrogative sentence so that you won’t get confused without “có + không”.

The difference between the two patterns of expressions is subtle. Okay, I got it!

Asian people including Vietnamese and Japanese often speak politely when they offer or suggest something. It’s important for me to understand the subtle difference of connotation and nuance. Your answers help me a lot!

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