In the Grammar and Vocabulary section, you will learn:

• The Verb 住 zyu6 (‘to live’)
• The Preposition 同 tung4 I (‘with’)
• Possessive Constructions II
• The Pronoun 自己 zi6 gei2 (‘oneself’)
• The Verbs 有 jau5 (‘to have’) and 冇 mou5 (‘to not have’)
• The Question Word 幾多 gei2 do1 (‘how many, how much’) I (Countable Nouns)
• Vocabulary List
• Vocabulary: Family Members

In Grammar and Vocabulary 7.2, we learned to use the preposition 喺 hai2 (‘in, on, at’, also pronounced as 响 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 住 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.

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

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

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

The preposition 同 tung4 means ‘with’, in the sense of ‘in the company of someone’. We use 同 tung4 to indicate the companions who we do an activity with. We put a person after 同 tung4 to form a prepositional phrase.

We put the prepositional phrase before the verb we want to modify.

We often use 同 tung4 with the adverb 一齊 jat1 cai4 (‘together’). We put 一齊 jat1 cai4 between the prepositional phrase and the verb.

In Grammar and Vocabulary 2.4, we learned to use possessive constructions. We also learned that in grammar, the person who owns the thing is called the possessor, and the thing being owned is called the possessed.

In a possessive construction, if we want to indicate the quantity of the possessed, we can add a number and a classifier before the possessed.

⚠️ If the quantity is one, we don’t add the number 一 jat1. Otherwise, the meaning will change. Compare:

⚠️ When we add a number, we don’t omit the classifier even if the possessor has a close relationship with the possessed.

Use the preposition 同 tung4 to add the companions of the activity to each sentence. Also, add the adverb 一齊 jat1 cai4. Then, check your answers and repeat after the recordings.

Example

我睇戲。
ngo5 tai2 hei3.

1.

我打波。
ngo5 daa2 bo1.

2.

我去飲嘢。
ngo5 heoi3 jam2 je5.

3.

我踢波。
ngo5 tek3 bo1.

4.

我學日文。
ngo5 hok6 jat6 man2.

The pronoun 自己 zi6 gei2 means ‘oneself’. It can mean ‘myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves or themselves’ depending on the context.

We can use 自己 zi6 gei2 to express the meaning of ‘alone’ or ‘on someone’s own’. We put 自己 zi6 gei2 before an activity to indicate we do the activity alone or on our own.

The verb 有 jau5 means ‘to have’. We use it to indicate we have something.

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’.

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?).

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

The question word 幾多 gei2 do1 is similar to how many or how much in English. We use 幾多 gei2 do1 to form a question that elicits a quantity as the answer.

We put the noun whose quantity we want to ask about after 幾多 gei2 do1. If the noun is countable (e.g., 人 jan4 ‘person’), we often add a classifier between 幾多 gei2 do1 and the noun, especially when we want to know the exact quantity. The classifier is determined based on the noun.

When 幾多 gei2 do1 is followed by a classifier, 幾多 gei2 do1 can be contracted to 幾 gei2.

When we are not sure where we should put 幾多 gei2 do1, we can always think of the answer to the question. We put 幾多 gei2 do1 at the position where the number appears in the answer.

In Grammar and Vocabulary 1.8, we learned the prefix for names 阿 aa3. 阿 aa3 also appears in some of the terms for family members below.

⚠️ We usually use 老母 lou5 mou2 to refer to our own mother only in informal contexts (e.g., when chatting with close friends). Some people find the word 老母 lou5 mou2 very offensive. You should use it with extra caution!

The word 老母 lou5 mou2 is part of the common swear word 屌你老母 diu2 nei5 lou5 mou2 (‘fuck your mother’). We can use it to swear at someone or simply express our anger without directing it to someone specific. We can also replace 你 nei5 with 佢 keoi5 and say 屌佢老母 diu2 keoi5 lou5 mou2 (‘fuck his or her mother’).

In Cantonese, we use different terms to address siblings depending on whether they are older or younger than us.

When 阿妹 aa3 mui2 is preceded by a number and a classifier, we can omit 阿 aa3.

However, for 阿哥 aa3 go1, we don’t omit 阿 aa3 even if it is preceded by a number and a classifier.

We sometimes use 哥 go1 (‘brother’) or 姐 ze1 (‘sister’) to refer to someone, especially those who are older than us, to show respect. We take the last syllable of their name and add 哥 go1 or 姐 ze1 after it.

Note that the tone of 哥 go1 or 姐 ze1 may change depending on the name it follows.

Note that the words 女 neoi2 (‘daughter’) and 女 neoi5 (‘female’), as in 女朋友 neoi5 pang4 jau5 (‘girlfriend’), are said with different tones.

When we use 仔仔 zai4 zai2 or 女女 neoi4 neoi2 to mean ‘son’ or ‘daughter’, we usually refer to someone who is still a child.

Note that the second syllables of the words 細路 sai3 lou6 (‘child’) and 細佬 sai3 lou2 (‘younger brother’) are said with different tones.

Pay attention to the use of these terms:

When we form a possessive construction with 仔 zai2 and 女 neoi2, we always need a classifier.

When parents address their children at home directly, they may use 阿仔 aa3 zai2 (阿 aa3 + 仔 zai2) and 阿女 aa3 neoi2 (阿 aa3 + 女 neoi2). However, they more often use the terms for siblings or the children’s names. For example, they may address the older son using 阿哥 aa3 go1 or his name.

In the Communication section, you will learn:

• Talking About Home
• Talking About Family