3.6 The Sentence Particle 呀 aa3 II (Emphasis)
💡 Tips
Many sentence particles have more than one function. 呀 aa3 is one of the examples.
In Lesson 1, we learned that we can add the sentence particle 呀 aa3 at the end of a question. We can also use 呀 aa3 to add emphasis to a sentence.
For example, when we use the adverb 都 dou1 in a sentence, we often add 呀 aa3 to the sentence to emphasize that we have something in common.
A:
我鍾意游水嘅。
ngo5 zung1 ji3 jau4 seoi2 ge3.
I like swimming.
B:
我都鍾意游水㗎。 ← 嘅 + 呀 = 㗎
ngo5 dou1 zung1 ji3 jau4 seoi2 gaa3. ← ge3 + aa3 = gaa3
I like swimming too.
In the second sentence, Speaker B adds 呀 aa3 to emphasize that he / she also likes swimming. The sentence originally ends with 嘅 ge3. After 呀 aa3 is added, 嘅 ge3 and 呀 aa3 are contracted to 㗎 gaa3.