▎還是 A 吧, (háishì (Adv) A ba (Ptc)), it will be better if A, it would be best if A

 

Function 還是, an adverb, indicates that the A-sentence is the best option given the circumstances. The sentence always ends with the particle 吧.

1 我最近很忙，我們還是週末再出去吃飯吧！

Wǒ zuìjìn hěn máng, wǒmen háishì zhōumò zài chūqù chīfàn ba!

I’ve been very busy lately. It would be best if we went out to eat on the weekend.

2 已經晚上11點了。我還是明天早上再給老師打電話吧！

Yǐjīng wǎnshàng 11 diǎn le. Wǒ háishì míngtiān zǎoshàng zài gěi lǎoshī dǎ diànhuà ba!

It’s already 11 o’clock, I should probabaly wait until tomorrow morning to call the teacher.

3 去學校，可以坐公車，也可以坐捷運，但是坐捷運應該比較快，我們還是坐捷運去吧。

Qù xuéxiào, kěyǐ zuò gōngchē, yě kěyǐ zuò jiéyùn, dànshì zuò jiéyùn yīnggāi bǐjiào kuài, wǒmen háishì zuò jiéyùn qù ba.

You can get to school by bus or MRT, but the MRT is faster, so that’s what we should take.

 

Structures 還是, being an adverb (lexicalized), occurs between the subject and the verb, and 吧 is placed at the sentence-final position.

Negation：

1 坐公車很慢。我們還是不要坐公車吧！

Zuò gōngchē hěn màn. Wǒmen háishì bú yào zuò gōngchē ba!

Buses are slow. We probably shouldn’t take the bus.

2 雨下得很大。今天你還是別回家吧！

Yǔ xià de hěn dà. Jīntiān nǐ háishì bié huí jiā ba!

It’s raining hard. You probabaly shouldn’t go home today.

3 他聽了一定不開心。你還是別告訴他吧！

Tā tīngle yídìng bù kāixīn. Nǐ háishì bié gàosù tā ba!

If he hears about it, he’ll be upset. You probably shouldn’t tell him.

 

Usage The use of 還是 adds much to politeness in communication. It’s a mitigated suggestion, rather than a blunt command.