要不然 (yào bù rán) — otherwise, or else

Definition

A colloquial conjunction meaning 'otherwise' or 'or else,' linking a warning to its consequence. It's the everyday spoken form; in writing, 否则 is more formal.

conjunction

otherwiseor else

Examples

，要不然。
Nǐ dé zǎo diǎn chū fā, yào bù rán gǎn bú shàng huǒ chē.
You need to leave early, otherwise you'll miss the train.
，要不然。
Zán men xiàn zài jiù zǒu ba, yào bù rán yí huì r xià yǔ jiù má fan le.
Let's go now, or else it'll be a problem if it rains later.
，要不然。
Nǐ yào hǎo hǎo xué xí, yào bù rán kǎo shì huì bù jí gé de.
You must study hard, otherwise you'll fail the exam.