In the Grammar and Vocabulary section, you will learn:

• The Verb 識 sik1 (‘to know’)
• The Sentence Particle 咋 zaa3 I (‘only’)
• Time Adverbs
• The Aspect Particle 過 gwo3 (Experiential)
• The Question Word 點解 dim2 gaai2 (‘why’)
• Introduction to Conjunctions for Connecting Clauses
• The Conjunctions 因為 jan1 wai6 (‘because’) and 所以 so2 ji5 (‘so’)
• Subject Omission I
• Vocabulary List
• Vocabulary: Languages
• Vocabulary: Reasons for Knowing a Language
• Vocabulary: Reasons for Learning a Language

In Grammar and Vocabulary 4.6, we learned the modal verb 識 sik1 (‘to know how to’). We learned that we can put a verb phrase for a skill or an activity after 識 sik1.

The word 識 sik1 can also be a verb. When 識 sik1 is a verb, it means ‘to know’. We put a noun (e.g., a language or a person) after it.

We can use the sentence particle 咋 zaa3 to add the meaning of ‘only’ to a sentence.

We often use 咋 zaa3 together with the adverb 淨係 zing6 hai6, which also means ‘only’. We put 淨係 zing6 hai6 before the verb we want to modify.

We can use time adverbs to indicate the time when an activity happens. Here are some common time adverbs:

We put a time adverb before the verb of the activity, like we put other adverbs before the verb we want to modify.

If the sentence has a prepositional phrase, we can put the time adverb before the prepositional phrase.

We can use the aspect particle 過 gwo3 to indicate we have experience of doing an activity in the past. 過 gwo3 often adds the meaning of ‘before’ to a sentence. In grammar, this aspect is called the experiential aspect.

We put 過 gwo3 after the verb and before the object if there is one.

If the verb is a separable verb (e.g., 讀書 duk6 syu1 ‘to study’ and 做嘢 zou6 je5 ‘to work’), we insert 過 gwo3 between the first syllable (the verb part) and the second syllable (the object part).

We can use 過 gwo3 with time adverbs that indicate the past, such as 以前 ji5 cin4 (‘before’, usually at a much earlier time) or 之前 zi1 cin4 (‘before’).

To indicate an activity happened in the past, we can use time adverbs that indicate the past alone, without adding 過 gwo3. However, when we add 過 gwo3, we can emphasize that we have experience of that activity.

The question word 點解 dim2 gaai2 is similar to why in English. We can use 點解 dim2 gaai2 to form a question that elicits the reason or purpose of an action as the answer. We can put 點解 dim2 gaai2 before the verb phrase of the action we want to ask about, or at the beginning of the question.

We often use the sentence particle 嘅 ge2 with 點解 dim2 gaai2 if we want to ask the question neutrally. If we use the sentence particle 呀 aa3 or 㗎 gaa3 instead, it may add a sense of surprise, puzzlement or complaint to the question.

In grammar, the term clause refers to a group of words that contains a subject and a verb, and sometimes an object. A clause as a whole expresses an idea. A sentence may consist of one single clause or multiple clauses.

We can use conjunctions to connect two or more clauses in a sentence and express different meaning relationships between ideas, such as contrast and causal relationship. In Cantonese, a conjunction for connecting clauses can appear as an individual word or a pair of words in a sentence.

The conjunctions 因為 jan1 wai6 and 所以 so2 ji5 mean ‘because’ and ‘so’ respectively. We can use them to connect two clauses and express a causal relationship. We put a reason after 因為 jan1 wai6 and the result after 所以 so2 ji5.

We sometimes omit either 因為 jan1 wai6 or 所以 so2 ji5.

We can also move the clause that begins with 因為 jan1 wai6 to the back. When doing so, we will omit 所以 so2 ji5.

We can also say the clause that begins with 因為 jan1 wai6 alone.

In Cantonese sentences, the subject is not always required. We can optionally omit the subject of a sentence if the subject is the same as that of the last sentence.

Language names generally end with the following words:

We can usually use the rules below to form a language name from the place name, but note that there are sometimes exceptions.

If the place name has only two syllables, we usually take the first syllable of the place name and add the word 文 man2 (‘language’).

There are some exceptions in which we take the whole place name.

If the place name has more than two syllables, we usually take the whole place name and add the word 文 man2.

Some languages have more than one name.

For varieties of Chinese, we usually take the whole place name and add the word 話 (‘language’).

For some varieties, we use the word 語 (‘language’) and may take the first syllable of the place name or the whole place name.

Note that some language names don’t follow the rules mentioned above. Also, for some language names, people use the words 文 man2, 話 waa2, or 語 jyu5 interchangeably.

In the Communication section, you will learn:

• Talking About Languages