How to Say ‘If not then / otherwise’ in Traditional Chinese
那不然
nà bù rán
[nah boo ran]
💬 Usage Tip: [那不然] is a spoken way to pivot to a new suggestion: "if not, then..." It's common in negotiation: [那不然我們看一下跳表] "Otherwise, how about we check the meter?"
Phrase Breakdown
那
nà
[nah]
then; in that case
Used to move the conversation along, like "then" or "in that case."
那不然我們先看一下跳表。
Then why don't we first check the meter?
不然
bù rán
[boo ran]
otherwise; if not, then
Often used to suggest an alternative plan in a natural spoken way. In Taiwan, 那不然... is common for proposing a solution.
不然這樣好了，少算你一點。
Otherwise, let's do this: I'll charge you a little less.
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