HSK 5 grammar · conjunction
宁可…也
宁可…也… — would rather
Pattern
+ +
+ +
( ) can be left out · other words may come before, between and after
How it works
Expresses a firm preference: the speaker willingly accepts an unpleasant A in order to achieve or avoid B. With 也不/也要 the second clause states what one insists on doing or refuses to do. Unlike 与其…不如, the chosen option is the FIRST clause.
Examples
他宁可自己吃亏，也不愿意麻烦别人。
Tā nìngkě zìjǐ chīkuī, yě bù yuànyì máfan biéren.
He'd rather lose out himself than trouble other people.
我宁可走路，也不坐那么挤的地铁。
Wǒ nìngkě zǒulù, yě bù zuò nàme jǐ de dìtiě.
I'd rather walk than take such a crowded subway.
Related
See it in a story
In the app, 宁可…也 is underlined wherever it appears in the stories you read, and practised with sentences from them. Free.