When we introduce a person, we can say the relationship we have with that person. Listen and repeat the words for different types of relationships.

Listen to two conversations. The speakers will introduce a person by saying their relationship with that person. Complete each blank in the scripts with a one-syllable word.

Conversation 1

Conversation 2

Listen to the conversations again. Read the scripts while listening. Write each person’s identity in the boxes.

Conversation 1

Conversation 2

Listen and repeat the conversations.

Replace the highlighted words in the scripts with other words in Step 1 to make your conversations.

We will cover quite a lot of grammar points in this lesson. Add oil! 🙂

In the Grammar and Vocabulary section, you will learn:

• Introduction to Classifiers

• Indicating Quantity

• 二 ji6 (‘two’) and 兩 loeng5 (‘two’)

• Possessive Constructions I

• Demonstrative Constructions I

• The Sentence Particle 嚟 lai4 (Assertion)

• The Sentence Particle 嘅 ge3 (Assertion)

• Comparison between 嚟 lai4 and 嘅 ge3

• The Question Word 邊個 bin1 go3 (‘who’) I

• Vocabulary List

• Vocabulary for People I

Classifiers ( 量詞 loeng6 ci4), or measure words in some books, are a type of words we need to add before a noun in several situations. In this lesson, we will learn the following situations.

We can divide classifiers into two board types: sortal classifiers and measure classifiers.

Sortal classifiers are assigned to a noun based on the features of the thing which the noun refers to. Some common features are the type, shape or size of the thing.

Sometimes more than one classifier can be assigned to a specific noun. In that case, the classifiers usually have different uses. For example, we can use both 個 go3 and 位 wai2 with nouns referring to people, but their uses are different.

Measure classifiers give information about the quantity of the thing which the noun refers to. The most common measure classifier is 啲 di1.

Notice when we put 一 jat1 and 啲 di1 together, the meaning becomes ‘some’. We will learn more about this in later lessons.

Some measure classifiers are used with nouns which refer to something with specific features. For example, the measure classifier 班 baan1 is used with people.

Some sortal classifiers are listed below. Observe the examples and guess the feature of each classifier.

When we indicate the quantity of something, we need to put a classifier between the number and the noun.

To mean ‘several’, we can use the word 幾 gei2. 幾 gei2 usually refers to a quantity between 3 and 9.

In Unit 0, we learned that 二 ji6 means ‘two’. 兩 loeng5 also means ‘two’. However, 二 ji6 and 兩 loeng5 are used in different situations.

We use 二 ji6 to count or to say a number (e.g., room numbers and telephone numbers).

We use 兩 loeng5 to indicate the quantity of something.

⚠️ To mean ‘second’, we say 第二 dai6 ji6, but not 第兩 dai6 loeng5.

Follow the example to form the noun phrases. Then, check your answers and repeat after the recordings.

Example

朱古力  zyu1 gu1 lik1  chocolate

三粒朱古力
saam1 lap1 zyu1 gu1 lik1
three pieces of chocolate

1.

同事  tung4 si6  colleague

________

2.

雞  gai1  chicken

________

3.

相機  soeng2 gei1  camera

________

4.

雜誌  zaap6 zi3  magazine

________

5.

飲筒  jam2 tung2  straw

________

6.

戲飛  hei3 fei1  movie ticket

________

We use possessive constructions to show that something belongs to someone. In grammar, the person who owns the thing is called the possessor, and the thing being owned is called the possessed. There are two ways to form possessive constructions in Cantonese.

嘅 ge3 is similar to the apostrophe s (’s) in English. We can put 嘅 ge3 between the possessor and the possessed to form a possessive construction.

Notice that possessive constructions with 嘅 ge3 don’t indicate the quantity of the possessed. The possessed can be singular or plural.

The possessed can also be people who the possessor has a relationship with.

We can omit 嘅 ge3 if the possessor has a close relationship with the possessed (e.g., family members, friends and colleagues). In general, we omit 嘅 ge3 only if the possessed is singular.

However, if the possessive construction is a subject complement after the verb 係 hai6, 嘅 ge3 can still be omitted even if the possessed is plural.

Alternatively, we can put a classifier between the possessor and the possessed to form a possessive construction. Note that the classifier is determined by the possessed (the noun after the classifier) instead of the possessor.

If we use a sortal classifier, we indicate that the possessed is singular. To indicate that the possessed is plural, we can use measure classifiers like 啲 di1.

The following table summarizes the quantity of the possessed in different possessive constructions:

The table below shows the differences between possessive constructions with 嘅 ge3 and classifiers.

Note that the actual use is more complicated. As a beginner, you will usually use possessive constructions with classifiers. Also, try to omit 嘅 ge3 when the possessor has a close relationship with the possessed and the possessed is singular.

Follow the examples to form possessive constructions with classifiers. Then, check your answers and repeat after the recordings.

Example

朋友  pang4 jau5  friend

我個朋友
ngo5 go3 pang4 jau5
my friend

朋友  pang4 jau5  friend

我啲朋友
ngo5 di1 pang4 jau5
my friends

1.

筆  bat1  pen

________

2.

老公  lou5 gung1  husband

________

3.

狗  gau2  dog

________

4.

同學  tung4 hok6  classmate

________

5.

相機  soeng2 gei1  camera

________

6.

阿頭  aa3 tau2  supervisor

________

7.

枱  toi2  desk

________

8.

同事  tung4 si6  colleague

________

We use demonstratives to refer to a specific thing based on its distance from us.

In English, words like this and that are demonstratives.

In Cantonese, we use the demonstratives 呢 ni1 / nei1 / ji1 and 嗰 go2 to form demonstrative constructions.

呢
ni1 / nei1 / ji1

嗰
go2

this / these
(Used to refer something close to us)

that / those
(Used to refer something far away from us)

We don’t use 呢 ni1 and 嗰 go2 alone. We form demonstrative constructions with this structure:

If the number is 一 jat1 (‘one’), we often omit the number.

We can use the classifier 啲 di1 to indicate that the noun is plural without specifying the number. We usually use 啲 di1 when the quantity is three or above.

If the quantity is exactly two, we usually say the number 兩 loeng5 (‘two’) directly instead of 啲 di1. Notice we use 兩 loeng5 instead of 二 ji6 in a demonstrative construction.

If the noun is obvious in the context, we can often omit the noun.

In the context of this lesson, we don’t usually say 呢啲人 ni1 di1 jan4 and 嗰啲人 go2 di1 jan4.

To refer to several people, we can use 幾 gei2 (‘several’) as the number.

To refer to a group of people, we can use the measure classifier 班 baan1 (‘group’). Notice the number 一 jat1 (‘one’) is omitted in the examples.

We can also simply use the personal pronoun 佢哋 keoi5 dei6 (‘they / them’) to refer to the people.

Follow the examples to form demonstrative constructions. Try to use as many ways as possible. Then, check your answers and repeat after the recordings.

Example

男仔  naam4 zai2  teenage boy or young man

呢個男仔
ni1 go3 naam4 zai2
this teenage boy or young man

書  syu1  book

嗰三本書 / 嗰幾本書 / 嗰啲書
go2 saam1 bun2 syu1 / go2 gei2 bun2 syu1 / go2 di1 syu1
those three books / those several books / those books

1.

電話  din6 waa2  phone

________

2.

人  jan4  person

________

3.

糖  tong2  candy

________

4.

女仔  neoi5 zai2  teenage girl or young woman

________

5.

筆  bat1  pen

________

6.

男人  naam4 jan2  man

________

7.

枱  toi2  desk

________

8.

人  jan4  person

________

We can use the sentence particle 嚟 lai4 / lei4 to form sentences that assert facts by using the following sentence structure:

The subject complement indicates the identity of the subject or describes the subject. In this sentence structure, we put the subject complement right after the subject without a verb in between. Note that we put 嚟 lai4 right after the subject complement. Therefore, if there are other sentence particles in the sentence, we put them after 嚟 lai4.

嚟 lai4 brings the subject complement into focus. We usually use this sentence structure when the subject complement is the information we want to exchange.

We can also add 嚟 lai4 to a sentence which has the verb 係 hai6.

We don’t usually put two personal pronouns right next to each other. In sentences like the following example, we usually add the verb 係 hai6 so that the two personal pronouns are separated.

⚠️ We don’t usually use 嚟 lai4 when we are simply saying someone’s name.

We can add the sentence particle 嘅 ge3 to sentences that assert facts. 嘅 ge3 brings the facts asserted, usually new information for the listener, into focus. In Grammar and Vocabulary 2.6, we use the sentence particle 嚟 lai4 to form a sentence that assert facts. We can add 嘅 ge3 to a sentence with 嚟 lai4. Notice we put 嘅 ge3 after 嚟 lai4.

⚠️ We don’t add 嘅 ge3 when we are simply saying someone’s name.

If we want to add 嘅 ge3 to a sentence with the verb 係 hai6, we need to add 嚟 lai4 at the same time. Otherwise, the meaning will change.

嘅 ge3 can also be added to questions that elicit facts.

We can optionally add the sentence particle 呀 aa3 to the questions. Note that we put aa3 呀 after 嘅 ge3. Also, we usually contract 嘅 ge3 and 呀 aa3 to 㗎 gaa3 (嘅 ge3 + 呀 aa3 = 㗎 gaa3).

We can also optionally apply rising intonation to the questions. When rising intonation is applied, 嘅 ge3 becomes 嘅 ge2 (嘅 ge3 + Rising Intonation ↗ = 㗎 ge2).

We either add the sentence particle 呀 aa3 or apply rising intonation, but don’t do both at the same time.

Both the sentence particles 嚟 lai4 and 嘅 ge3 are related to asserting facts, but their functions are different.

嚟 lai4 is only used to form sentences with this sentence structure:

We always need 嚟 lai4 for this sentence structure. 嘅 ge3 cannot replace 嚟 lai4.

嘅 ge3 is a more general sentence particle for bringing focus to the facts asserted in a sentence. We can add 嘅 ge3 not only to sentences with 嚟 lai4, but also other types of sentences.

The question word 邊個 bin1 go3 is similar to who in English. We can use 邊個 bin1 go3 to form a question that elicits someone’s identity as the answer.

Classifiers for people:

💡 Tips: 位 wai2 is only used in a few situations. When you are not sure, you can simply use 個 go3.

We can use these gender-neutral terms to refer to a partner.

1. When we refer to a person with indication of the person’s gender, we pick the word based on the person’s age. For teenagers or young adults, we can use 男仔 naam4 zai2 or 女仔 neoi5 zai2. For adults, we can use 男人 naam4 jan2 or 女人 neoi5 jan2.

2. 同 tung4 = together
   同學 tung4 hok6 = 同 tung4 (‘together’) + 學 hok6 (‘to learn’)
   同事 tung4 si6 = 同 tung4 (‘together’) + 事 si6 (‘to do’)

3. 上司 soeng6 si1 is more formal than 阿頭 aa3 tau2. 上司 soeng6 si1 is less frequently used in everyday conversations. Both 老闆 lou5 baan2 and 老細 lou5 sai3 are frequently used.

4. 先生 sin1 saang1 and 太太 taai3 taai2 are more formal than 老公 lou5 gung1 and 老婆 lou5 po4. We usually use 先生 sin1 saang1 and 太太 taai3 taai2 when we want to be polite and show respect to the person we refer to.

In very informal conversations, we can use the classifier 條 tiu4, instead of 個 go3 or 位 wai2, when referring to a person. Note that some people consider the use of 條 tiu4 vulgar and find it offensive.

We often use 條 tiu4 with the words 友 jau2 (‘guy’), 仔 zai2 (‘teenage boy or young man’) and 女 neoi2 (‘teenage girl or young woman’) in a demonstrative construction to refer to someone informally.

We also use 條 tiu4 with the words 仔 zai2 and 女 neoi2 in a possessive construction to refer to someone’s boyfriend or girlfriend informally. Notice the meanings of 仔 zai2 and 女 neoi2 become ‘boyfriend’ and ‘girlfriend’ respectively here.

In the Communication section, you will learn:

• Identifying someone by relationship

When we introduce a person, we can say the relationship we have with that person. We will learn the expressions we can use when referring to one single person and multiple people.

To refer to only one person, we can say:

We can also use a demonstrative construction to refer to a person based on the person’s distance from us. We can omit the noun 人 jan4 (e.g., 呢個人 ni1 go3 jan4 → 呢個 ni1 go3) because it is obvious in the context.

To refer to more than one person, we can say:

We can also use a demonstrative construction. To avoid repetition, only examples with 呢 ni1 will be included below. Simply replace 呢 ni1 with 嗰 go2 if needed. Also, the noun 人 jan4 will be omitted in the following examples.

To refer to exactly two people, we can say:

To refer to someone present in the conversation politely, we can say:

To refer to several people, we can say:

To refer to exactly two people, we can say:

We can also use the personal pronouns 佢 keoi5 or 佢地 keoi5 dei6.

Complete the descriptions.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Complete the table.

Add the words provided to the conversations. Then, listen to the recordings to check your answers. Finally, repeat after the recordings.

Conversation 1

㗎 gaa3 / 嚟 lai4 / 我 ngo5

Conversation 2

啲 di1 / 嘅 ge3 / 嗰 go2

Conversation 3

啲 di1 / 幾 gei2 / 係 hai6

Follow the examples to complete the conversations. Then, listen to the recordings to check your answers. Finally, repeat after the recordings.

Examples

人 jan4 / 阿詩同學 aa3 si1 tung4 hok6

阿俊：

呢個人係邊個嚟㗎？

aa3 zeon3:

ni1 go3 jan4 hai6 bin1 go3 lai4 gaa3?

Who is this person?

阿詩：

呢個人係我同學嚟嘅。

aa3 si1:

ni1 go3 jan4 hai6 ngo5 tung4 hok6 lai4 ge3.

This person is my classmate.

人 jan4 / 阿詩同學 aa3 si1 tung4 hok6

阿俊：

嗰個人係邊個嚟㗎？

aa3 zeon3:

go2 go3 jan4 hai6 bin1 go3 lai4 gaa3?

Who is that person?

阿詩：

嗰個人係我同學嚟嘅。

aa3 si1:

go2 go3 jan4 hai6 ngo5 tung4 hok6 lai4 ge3.

That person is my classmate.

1.

女仔 neoi5 zai2 / 阿偉女朋友 aa3 wai5 neoi5 pang4 jau5

Answers

2.

男人 naam4 jan2 / 阿詩同事 aa3 si1 tung4 si6

Answers

3.

男仔 naam4 zai2 / 阿峰同學 aa3 fung1 tung4 hok6

Answers

4.

女人 neoi5 jan2 / William太太 William taai3 taai2

Answers