Listen and complete the sentences.

1. ❤️ 我鍾意行山。
   ngo5 zung1 ji3 haang4 saan1.
   I like hiking.

2. 😖 我____鍾意行山。
   ngo5 ____ zung1 ji3 haang4 saan1.
   I don't like hiking.

3. ❤️❤️ 我____鍾意行山。
   ngo5 ____ zung1 ji3 haang4 saan1.
   I like hiking very much.

Observe the sentences in Step 1 and complete the descriptions.

1. We add ____ before 鍾意 zung1 ji3 to indicate that we don't like something.

2. We add ____ before 鍾意 zung1 ji3 to indicate that we like something very much.

Listen to a conversation. The speakers will talk about their hobbies. Circle the correct answers.

Listen to the conversation again. Read the scripts while listening. Check your answers.

Listen and repeat the conversations.

Replace the highlighted words in the script with the hobbies you have learned to make your conversations.

In the Grammar and Vocabulary section, you will learn:

• Types of Verbs
• The Adverb 唔 m4 (‘not’)
• Preference Verbs and Degree Words
• Yes-No Questions: X-not-X Constructions I
• The Sentence Particle 呀 aa3 III (Softening the Tone)
• The Modal Verb 識 sik1 (‘to know how to’)
• The Adverb 仲 / 重 zung6 I (‘in addition’)
• Vocabulary List
• Vocabulary for Hobbies II

We can divide verbs into different types based on their function.

Modal verbs are different from the three other types of verbs. We need to use a modal verb with another verb.

The adverb 唔 m4 means ‘not’. We use it to negate a verb in the present tense. We put 唔 m4 before the verb we want to negate.

Add the adverb 唔 m4 to negate the verb in each sentence. Then, check your answers and repeat after the recordings.

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5.

We use preference verbs to show that we like or dislike something. Preference verbs are stative verbs because they describe feelings.

We use degree words to indicate how much we like or dislike something.

唔係好 m4 hai6 hou2 is technically not a degree word, but we can use it like other degree words.

Degree words are adverbs. We put them before a preference verb to modify the preference verb.

By using preference verbs and degree words together, we can form different expressions to express likes and dislikes of different degrees.

⚠️ We don’t often say 憎 zang1 without a degree word.

If we need to add the adverb 都 dou1 (‘too’ or ‘also’), we put 都 dou1 before the degree word.

The Word 撚 lan2

When a sentence has a degree word, we can add the word 撚 lan2 (‘dick’) after the degree word. The word 撚 lan2 makes our tone stronger and adds extra emphasis on how much we like or dislike something.

If the sentence has both the adverb 唔 m4 (‘not’) and a degree word, we can add 撚 lan2 either after 唔 m4 or after the degree word.

⚠️ While we will learn some foul language in this book, you should use it with extra caution. Some Hong Kong Cantonese speakers consider speaking foul language to be a very serious misconduct. They will feel extremely offended if they hear any foul language.

There are different ways to form yes-no questions. To form yes-no questions in the present tense, one way is to use the X-not-X construction.

In the X-not-X construction, where X represents the verb, we combine the positive form (X) and the negative form (not X) of the verb. To make the negative form, we simply add 唔 m4 (‘not’) before the verb.

If the verb has more than one syllable, we keep only the first syllable and omit the other syllables in the positive form.

The actual meaning of a question using the X-not-X construction varies depending on the context. If the verb is a stative verb, such as 鍾意 zung1 ji3, the question usually asks whether a state is true or false, without assuming what the answer should be. It is like questions that begin with do you in English (e.g., Do you like hiking?).

Notice the sentence particle 嘅 ge3 is added to the questions above. In this context, we are asking about someone’s likes and dislikes. This is similar to eliciting some facts.

To answer the question, we can give a short answer or a long answer. We give a short answer more often.

Cantonese doesn’t have words like yes and no in English that can be used for short answers. We form a short answer by keeping the verb and omitting the subject and the object in the long answer.

Notice the answers above end with the sentence particle 呀 aa3. We generally will use the sentence particle 呀 aa3 if we are simply answering “yes” or “no” (i.e. there isn’t anything special about the answer or anything we want to add after the answer). We may use other sentence particles in different situations, but we won’t examine them here.

Form the X-not-X construction with each verb.

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5.

We can add the sentence particle 呀 aa3 to soften the tone of a sentence. For example, a sentence ending without any sentence particles may sound abrupt. We can add 呀 aa3 at the end of the sentence to make the tone a bit softer.

You may notice that 呀 aa3 can be used to add emphasis or soften the tone. The actual function of 呀 aa3 in a sentence depends on the meaning and the intonation of the sentence. Compare:

The modal verb 識 sik1 means ‘to know how to’. We put a verb for a skill or an activity after 識 sik1.

We put 唔 m4 (‘not’) before 識 sik1 to negate 識 sik1.

We use the X-not-X construction to form yes-no questions with 識 sik1. Notice X will be 識 sik1 instead of the verb behind it.

To answer the question, we can give a long answer or a short answer. We give a short answer more often.

The adverb 仲 / 重 zung6 means ‘in addition’. We put 仲 zung6 before the verb we want to modify.

In the Communication section, you will learn:

• Talking about Likes and Dislikes
• Talking about Abilities

We can show how much we like or dislike an activity by using degree words.

If we dislike an activity, we can express it implicitly by saying that we don’t or seldom do the activity.

To continue the conversation, we can talk about other activities. If the other person likes the previous activity, we can ask:

If the other person doesn’t like the previous activity, we can ask:

If the activity we want to talk about requires some training (e.g., swimming and playing play mahjong), we can ask the other person if he / she knows how to do it first.

If the other person knows how to do the activity, we can then ask whether he / she likes it.

Answer the questions.

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3.

Observe the expressions for hobbies in the last lesson and this lesson. Many of them begin with one of the following words. Find more examples and guess the meaning of each word.

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The sentences below are long answers to some questions. Delete words in the sentences to form short answers. Then, listen to the recordings to check your answers. Finally, repeat after the recordings.

Example

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

Examples

❤️ 游水 jau4 seoi2

1.

😖 篤波 duk1 bo1

2.

❤️❤️❤️ 去旅行 heoi3 leoi5 hang4

3.

😖😖 打羽毛球 daa2 jyu5 mou4 kau4

4.

❤️❤️ 去飲嘢 heoi3 jam2 je5

5.

😖😖😖 睇展覽 tai2 zin2 laam5

6.

😐 碌ling luk1 ling1

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

Examples

✔️ 游水 jau4 seoi2

1.

❌ 彈結他 taan4 git3 taa1

2.

❌ 打高爾夫球 daa2 gou1 ji5 fu1 kau4

3.

✔️ 滑水 waat6 seoi2