HSK 6 grammar · conjunction
要不然／不然
要不然／不然 — otherwise / or else
Pattern
+
( ) can be left out · other words may come before, between and after
How it works
要不然 or 不然 introduces what would happen otherwise — "otherwise", "or else". It follows advice or a condition and warns of the alternative outcome.
Examples
快走吧，不然就迟到了。
Kuài zǒu ba, bùrán jiù chídào le.
Hurry up, or we'll be late.
你得多穿点儿，要不然会感冒。
Nǐ děi duō chuān diǎnr, yàoburán huì gǎnmào.
You should dress warmer, otherwise you'll catch a cold.
幸好带了伞，不然就淋湿了。
Xìnghǎo dài le sǎn, bùrán jiù lín shī le.
Luckily I brought an umbrella, or I'd have gotten soaked.
Related
See it in a story
In the app, 要不然／不然 is underlined wherever it appears in the stories you read, and practised with sentences from them. Free.