11.5 The Verbs 有 jau5 (‘to have’) and 冇 mou5 (‘to not have’)
The verb 有 jau5 means ‘to have’. We use it to indicate we have something.
我有一個阿哥嘅。
ngo5 jau5 jat1 go3 aa3 go1 ge3.
I have an older brother.
The verb 冇 mou5 means ‘to not have’. We use it to indicate we don’t have something. Note that we don’t say 唔有 m4 jau5 (唔 m4 ‘not’ + 有 jau5 ‘to have’) to mean ‘to not have’.
我冇兄弟姊妹嘅。
ngo5 mou5 hing1 dai6 zi2 mui6 ge3.
I don’t have siblings.
We can combine the positive form 有 jau5 and the negative form 冇 mou5 to form yes-no questions. We use the questions to ask if someone has something. It is like questions that begin with do you have in English (e.g., Do you have siblings?).
你有冇兄弟姊妹㗎？
nei5 jau5 mou5 hing1 dai6 zi2 mui6 gaa3?
Do you have siblings?
To answer the question, we can give a short answer or a long answer. We give a short answer more often.