11.1 The Verb 住 zyu6 (‘to live’)

In Grammar and Vocabulary 7.2, we learned to use the preposition hai2 (‘in, on, at’, also pronounced as hoeng2) to indicate where an activity takes place. We also learned that we put the prepositional phrase with 喺 hai2 before the verb we want to modify.

The verb zyu6 means ‘to live’ in the sense of ‘to reside’. It is a special verb. We put the prepositional phrase with 喺 hai2 after it, instead of before it.

Subject
zyu6
‘to live’

hai2
‘in, on, at’
LocationSP
旺角
ngo5zyu6hai2wong6 gok3ge3.
IliveinMong KokSP
I live in Mong Kok [a district in Hong Kong].

We put the prepositional phrase after the aspect particle if there is one.

Subject
zyu6
‘to live’
AP
hai2
‘in, on, at’
Location
佢屋企
ngo5zyu6gan2hai2keoi5 uk1 kei2.
IliveAPinhis / her home
I am living in his or her home.

We can still put the prepositional phrase before 住 zyu6 if we want to put emphasis on the location.

Subject
hai2
‘in, on, at’
Location
zyu6
‘to live’
SP
旺角
ngo5hai2wong6 gok3zyu6ge3.
IinMong KokliveSP
I live in Mong Kok.

The verb 住 zyu6 can also mean ‘to live in’. We can put the location right after 住 zyu6 without 喺 hai2.

Subject
zyu6
‘to live in’
LocationSP
旺角
ngo5zyu6wong6 gok3ge3.
Ilive inMong KokSP
I live in Mong Kok.