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開始
hoi1 ci2
hoi1 ci2
1. Guess the Word
You are going to hear some Cantonese words. Guess the meaning of each word from the sound. As a hint, each word represents a type of food or drink.
Expressions
You can use the following expressions when guessing the words.
-
係咪 bus 呀？
hai6 mai6 bus aa3?
Is it ‘bus’? -
啱喇，就係 bus 喇。
ngaam1 laa3, zau6 hai6 bus laa3.
Correct. It is ‘bus’. -
唔係 bus 呀，再試吓吖。
m4 hai6 bus aa3, zoi3 si3 haa5 aa1.
It is not ‘bus’. Try again. -
哦！
o5!
Oh!
It is used when we finally know something we did not know.
Level 1 ⭐
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Level 2 ⭐⭐
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Level 3 ⭐⭐⭐
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
These Cantonese words come from other languages and are created by converting the pronunciation of the original languages into Cantonese pronunciation.
The words at Level 3 are slightly different from the words at Levels 1 and 2. The last syllable of each word at Level 3 indicates the type of thing the word refers to. Take the word 曲奇餅 kuk1 kei4 beng2 for example. The first two syllables 曲奇 kuk1 kei4 are the Cantonese pronunciation converted from the original language. The last syllable 餅 beng2 means ‘biscuit’, which is the type of thing the word 曲奇餅 kuk1 kei4 beng2 refers to.
2. Classroom Language
Let’s learn some words and expressions which we will frequently use in class. Listen and repeat.
Action Verbs
Classroom Expressions
Who will say the following expressions? The student or the teacher?
-
揭去第二頁。 / 㨴去第二頁。
kit3 heoi3 dai6 ji6 jip6. / kin2 heoi3 dai6 ji6 jip6.
Turn to page 2.
Both 揭 kit3 and 㨴 kin2 mean ‘to turn a page’. -
跟住我讀。
gan1 zyu6 ngo5 duk6.
Repeat after me. -
啱喇，非常好！
ngaam1 laa3, fei1 soeng4 hou2!
Correct. Very Good! -
唔啱呀，再試吓吖。
m4 ngaam1 aa3, zoi3 si3 haa5 aa1.
Not correct. Try again. -
有冇問題？
jau5 mou5 man6 tai4?
Any questions? -
請問呢個字點讀呀？
cing2 man6 ni1 go3 zi6 dim2 duk6 aa3?
How to pronounce this word?
We can add 請問 cing2 man6 at the beginning of a question to make the question more polite. -
請問「巴士」點解呀？
cing2 man6 ‘baa1 si2’ dim2 gaai2 aa3?
What is the meaning for ‘baa1 si2’? -
請問「巴士」嘅拼音係咩呀？
cing2 man6 ‘baa1 si2’ ge3 ping3 jam1 hai6 me1 aa3?
What is the Romanized Cantonese for ‘baa1 si2’? -
請問「bus」嘅廣東話係咩呀？
cing2 man6 ‘bus’ ge3 gwong2 dung1 waa2 hai6 me1 aa3?
How to say ‘bus’ in Cantonese? -
請問可唔可以講慢啲呀？
cing2 man6 ho2 m4 ho2 ji5 gong2 maan6 di1 aa3?
Can you speak more slowly, please? -
請問可唔可以講多次呀？
cing2 man6 ho2 m4 ho2 ji5 gong2 do1 ci3 aa3?
Can you say that again, please? -
唔好意思，我唔係好明呀。
m4 hou2 ji3 si1, ngo5 m4 hai6 hou2 ming4 aa3.
Sorry, I don’t quite get it.
3. Daily Expressions
Saying ‘hello’
-
哈佬
haa1 lou2 / haa1 lou3
Hello. -
你好
nei5 hou2
Hello.
It is more formal than 哈佬 haa1 lou2. It is usually used when you see someone for the first time in a formal context. -
大家好
daai6 gaa1 hou2
Hello, everyone.
It is usually used when you speak to a group of people. -
喂
wai3
Hey.
It is informal and less polite. It is usually said to friends only. It is also used when you bump into someone. -
喂？
wai2?
Hello?
It is used when you pick up a phone call. Pay attention to the tone difference between 喂 wai2 and the last expression 喂 wai3.
Saying ‘goodbye’
-
再見
zoi3 gin3
Goodbye.
見 gin3 means ‘to meet’. It also appears in some of the expressions below. -
拜拜
baai1 baai3
Bye.
It is less formal than 再見 zoi3 gin3. -
一陣見
jat1 zan6 gin3 / jat1 zan2 gin3
See you later.
Notice that the use of this expression in Cantonese is different from that in English. In Cantonese, the expression is used only if you are actually going to see someone later the same day. -
下次見
haa6 ci3 gin3
See you next time. -
聽日見
ting1 jat6 gin3
See you tomorrow. -
走先喇
zau2 sin1 laa3
I got to go.
走先 zaau2 sin1 means ‘to leave first’. It is used when you leave a place or a gathering. It is usually followed by one of the expressions above.
Greeting someone according to time of the day
-
早晨
zou2 san4
Good morning. -
午安
ng5 on1
Good afternoon.
It is not often used in daily conversations. It is usually used by students to greet the teacher or by TV or radio hosts. -
晚安
maan5 on1
Good evening / Good night.
It is not often used in daily conversations. It is usually used by TV or radio hosts. It can be used to greet or say goodbye to someone. -
早抖
zou2 tau2
Good night.
早抖 zou2 tau2 means ‘to take rest early’. It is usually used between intimate people before sleep.
Saying ‘sorry’
-
對唔住
deoi3 m4 zyu6
Sorry. -
Sorry
Sorry / so1 li4
Sorry.
It is weaker than 對唔住 deoi3 m4 zyu6 and is usually used for something less serious. It is often said with the Cantonese pronunciation so1 li4. -
唔好意思
m4 hou2 ji3 si1
Sorry.
It is weaker than 對唔住 deoi3 m4 zyu6 and is usually used for something less serious. See below for its second use. -
唔緊要
m4 gan2 jiu3
Never mind.
Pay attention to the intonation. Say the last syllable 要 jiu3 longer and with a slightly higher pitch.
Saying ‘thank you’
-
唔該(晒)
m4 goi1 (saai3)
Thank you (so much).
It is said to someone who has helped you do something or offered you some service (e.g., a waiter, waitress, cashier or taxi driver). 晒 saai3 means ‘so much’. It can be added or omitted. -
多謝(晒)
do1 ze6 (saai3)
Thank you (so much).
It is said to someone who has given you a gift or praised you. -
唔使客氣
m4 sai2 haak3 hei3
No problem. / You’re welcome.
Drawing someone’s attention
-
喂
wai3
Hey.
It is used usually when you want to draw attention from your friends. -
唔該……
m4 goi1…
Excuse me.
It is usually used to draw attention from someone who will offer you service (e.g., a waiter, waitress or shop assistant). Remember not to add 晒 saai3 in this use. 唔該晒 m4 goi1 saai3 with 晒 saai3 always means ‘thank you’ instead of ‘excuse me’. -
唔好意思……
m4 hou2 ji3 si1…
Excuse me.
It is used to draw attention from someone who you are unfamiliar with or subordinate to (e.g., your boss, supervisor, teacher). It is also used when someone blocks your way and you want to ask the person to let you through.
Saying ‘how are you?’
Hong Kong Cantonese speakers don’t often say ‘how are you?’ in greetings. It is usually said only when two people haven’t met each other for a long time.
-
你最近點呀？
nei5 zeoi3 gan6 dim2 aa3?
How are you recently? -
幾好呀
gei2 hou2 aa3
Quite good. -
唔錯呀
m4 co3 aa3
Not bad. -
都係咁啦
dou1 hai6 gam2 laa1
Same old, same old. -
麻麻地啦
maa4 maa2 dei2 laa1
So-so. / Not that good.
Activity
Listen to this song. Find four expressions you have just learnt in the song.
係咁先啦 hai6 gam2 sin1 laa3
MC $oHo & KidNey ft. Kayan9896
4. Numbers I
Cardinal Numbers (0-10)
We use cardinal numbers to count something.
Ordinal Numbers
We use ordinal numbers to indicate order. English words like first, second and third are ordinal numbers in English.
In this book, you will sometimes be asked to observe patterns in grammar or vocabulary by yourself. It can help you develop observation skills for learning a language.
Observe the ordinal numbers below and complete the description.
We add ________ before a cardinal number to form an ordinal number.
We add 第 dai6 before a cardinal number to form an ordinal number.
Culture: Special Meaning of Numbers
Some numbers have special meaning because their pronunciation is similar to the pronunciation of another word.
四 sei3 is associated with 死 sei2. Some people believe that 四 sei3 will bring bad luck. Therefore, some shopping malls or buildings don’t have a fourth floor.
On the other hand, 三 saam1 and 八 baat3 are associated with something good. Some people believe that 三 saam1 and 八 baat3 can bring good luck. Therefore, they prefer 三 saam1 and 八 baat3 in numbers like their flat number, license plate number or telephone number.
Activity
Get a deck of poker cards. Split the cards into equal piles for each person in your group. Draw a card in turn. The person who says the number of the card the fastest will get the card. Say 1 for the aces and 0 for cards without a number (J, Q, K and jokers). The game ends when everyone has used up their cards. The person who got the most cards will win the game.
5. Cantonese Pronunciation
Click the tones, initials and finals to hear the sounds. Click + to see mouth shapes and examples.
Tones
There are 6 tones in total. Listen and repeat.
Initials
There are 19 initials in total. Listen and repeat.
Finals
There are 59 finals in total. Listen and repeat.
Note that eo doesn’t form a final on its own.
Pronunciation Variations
When you talk to Hong Kong Cantonese speakers, you will likely discover that their pronunciation varies from one person to another. Some of the pronunciation variations come from the sound changes taking place in Hong Kong Cantonese. Some sounds have been pronounced as another sound or dropped. Some Hong Kong Cantonese speakers consider these sound changes as 懶音 laan2 jam1 (‘lazy pronunciation’), which they think is incorrect and should be corrected.
There are several pronunciation variations you will often encounter:
The initial n is pronounced as the initial l.
Many Hong Kong Cantonese speakers no longer differentiate between the initials n and l. They often replace n with l when producing words which originally had n as the initial.
你 nei5 → lei5
The initial gw is sometimes pronounced as the initial g.
法國 faat3 gwok3 → faat3 gok3
The initial ng is sometimes dropped, or the initial ng is sometimes added.
我 ngo5 → o5
愛 oi3 → ngoi3
The ending ng in some finals is sometimes pronounced as n.
銀行 ngan4 hong4 → ngan4 hon4
The ending n in some finals is sometimes pronounced as ng.
乾 gon1 → gong1
The ending k in some finals is sometimes pronounced as t.
百 baak3 → baat3
The final ng is sometimes pronounced as the final m.
五 ng5 → m5
In this book, the original pronunciations will be listed. The audio, however, will contain pronunciation variations because this can prepare you for communication in the real world.
6. Introduction to Cantonese
Word Order
Word order refers to the order used for arranging different components in a sentence. Cantonese uses this basic word order:
In a sentence, the subject is basically the noun which comes before the verb, and the object is the noun which comes after the verb.
If the verb refers to an action, the subject is usually someone or something which starts the action, and the object is affected by the action.
Note that the description above only applies to languages with the word order like English and Cantonese.
While sentences are generally formed with the basic word order above, you will quite often see sentences formed differently.
For example, components are sometimes moved to another position.
-
我食壽司呀。
ngo5 sik6 sau6 si1 aa3.
I eat sushi. -
食壽司呀我。
sik6 sau6 si1 aa3 ngo5.
I eat sushi.
The subject 我 ngo5, which means ‘I’, is moved to the end.
Also, components are sometimes omitted if they are clear and obvious in the context.
你食咩呀？
nei5 sik6 me1 aa3?
What do you want to eat?
↓
食咩呀？
sik6 me1 aa3?
What do you want to eat?
The subject 你 nei2, which means ‘you’, is omitted because it is obvious that ‘you’ is being asked in the context.
Word Classes
Word classes (also known as parts of speech) are categories of words. Words of the same word class share similar grammatical properties.
You will encounter the following word classes throughout the book.
老師 lou5 si1 teacher
書 syu1 book
學校 hok6 haau6 school
Classifiers are a type of words we need to add before a noun in several situations (e.g., when counting the number of something).
一個老師
jat1 go3 lou5 si1
one teacher
兩本書
loeng5 bun2 syu1
two books
三間學校
saam1 gaan1 hok6 haau6
three schools
我 ngo5 I
你 nei5 you
佢 keoi5 he/she/it
學 hok6 to learn
跑步 paau2 bou6 to run
買 maai5 to buy
Aspect particles are used with verbs to express aspectual meaning (e.g., whether an action is ongoing or complete).
我跑緊步。
ngo5 paau2 gan2 bou6.
I am running.
我買咗咖啡。
ngo5 maai5 zo2 gaa3 fe1.
I have bought coffee.
Verbal particles are used with verbs to express meaning related to verbs (e.g., whether an action is done successfully).
我煮好飯喇。
ngo5 zyu2 hou2 faan6 laa3.
I have finished cooking.
Adjectives are used to modify nouns. In the context of grammar, the word modify means ‘to describe’ or ‘to provide extra details about’.
好食嘅壽司
hou2 sik6 ge3 sau6 si1
delicious sushi
新嘅鞋
san1 ge3 haai4
new shoes
特別嘅地方
dak6 bit6 ge3 dei6 fong1
special place
Adverbs are used to modify verbs, adjectives or sentences.
Modifying a verb:
講得好快
gong2 dak1 hou2 faai3
speak very fast
This is not strictly an adverb. In Cantonese, we use grammatical constructions, rather than adverbs, to modify verbs.
Modifying an adjective:
太難
taai3 naan4
too difficult
Modifying a sentence:
我都鍾意行山。
ngo5 dou1 zung1 ji3 haang4 saan1.
I also like hiking.
Coverbs
Prepositions appear before nouns. They are usually used to express spatial relationships. Since prepositions share some similarities with verbs in Cantonese, they are also called coverbs.
我喺香港做嘢。
ngo5 hai2 hoeng1 gong2 zou6 je5.
I work in Hong Kong.
Localizers
Postpositions appear after nouns. They are usually used to express spatial relationships. Since they are related to locations, they are also called localizers.
課室出面有人。
fo3 sat1 ceot1 min6 jau5 jan4.
There is someone outside the classroom.
Sentence particles are added to the end of a sentence to perform different functions (e.g., signaling a question).
你叫咩名呀？
nei5 giu3 me1 meng2 aa3?
What is your name?
呀 aa3 signals a question.
Conjunctions can be used to link two elements (e.g., two nouns or two clauses).
我同你
ngo5 tung4 nei5
I and you
我想買樓，但係我冇錢。
ngo5 soeng2 maai5 lau2, daan6 hai6 ngo5 mou5 cin2.
I want to buy a house, but I don’t have the money.
Here are a few points to note:
-
Verbs are not conjugated in Cantonese. Time is usually expressed through adverbs, and aspect (e.g., whether an action is ongoing or complete) is usually expressed through aspect particles.
-
Sometimes multiple words are used together in a sentence to express one meaning. The words are usually from different word classes (e.g., one adverb and one sentence particle).
我淨係鍾意你咋。
ngo5 zing6 hai6 zung1 ji3 nei5 zaa3.
I only like you.
The adverb 淨係 zing6 hai6 in the front and the sentence particle 咋 zaa3 at the end are used together to express the meaning of ‘only’.
- The term phrase refers to a group of words which functions as a grammatical unit in a sentence.
我喺香港做嘢。
ngo5 hai2 hoeng1 gong2 zou6 je5.
I work in Hong Kong.
喺 hai2 is a preposition which means ‘in’ and 香港 hoeng1 gong2 is a noun which means ‘Hong Kong’. 喺香港 hai2 hoeng1 gong2 is a prepositional phrase which, as a whole, functions as a grammatical unit to express spatial meaning in the sentence.
Words with Multiple Meanings and Functions
Many Cantonese words have multiple meanings or functions. This is especially common for prepositions and sentence particles. You need to consider the context of the sentence to figure out the meaning or function.
-
我喺香港做野。
ngo5 hai2 hoeng1 gong2 zou6 je5.
I work in Hon Kong. -
我喺香港嚟。
ngo5 hai2 hoeng1 gong2 lai4.
I come from Hon Kong.
The preposition 喺 hai2 means ‘in’ in the first sentence and ‘from’ in the second sentence.
Words with Multiple Pronunciations
Some Cantonese words have more than one pronunciation. For example, the third-person pronoun (‘he, she, it’) is pronounced as keoi5 or heoi5.
When you are introduced to a word like this for the first time, all its common pronunciations will be listed. The first pronunciation listed will be used to refer to the word thereafter for convenience. You will still hear different pronunciations in the audio of this book because this can prepare you for communication in the real world.
Code-Mixing
Code-mixing refers to the situation when a speaker mixes more than one language in a sentence. It is common for Hong Kong Cantonese speakers to mix English words into their Cantonese sentences. Here is an example:
你 check 咗 email 未呀？我 send 咗啲快勞畀你喇。
nei5 check zo2 email mei6 aa3? ngo5 send zo2 di1 faai1 lou2 bei2 nei5 laa3.
Have you checked your emails? I have sent the files to you.
You will be introduced to the situations where English words are usually used throughout the book.