In the Grammar and Vocabulary section, you will learn:

• Yes-No Questions with 有冇 jau5 mou5 I
• Duration I (Year, Month and Day)
• Approximate Numbers I
• The Aspect Particle 咗 zo2 (Perfective)
• Comparison Between 咗 zo2 (Perfective) and 過 gwo3 (Experiential)
• The Sentence Particle 喇 laa3 I (Change of State)
• The Question Word 幾耐 gei2 noi6 (‘how long’) I
• The Adverb 未 mei6 I (‘not yet; yet’)
• Vocabulary List

To ask whether someone does an activity or not, we can put 有冇 jau5 mou5 (‘to have + to not have’) before the verb phrase for the activity to form a yes-no question. This type of yes-no question focuses on whether someone actually does the activity or not.

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

For short answers, we can simply say 有呀 jau5 aa3 for ‘yes’ or 冇呀 mou5 aa3 for ‘no’. We can also form a short answer by keeping the verbs and omitting the subject and the object in the long answer. If the verb is a separable verb (e.g., 拍拖 paak3 to1), we usually keep the first syllable (the verb part) and omit the second syllable (the object part).

We can use the words for dates to indicate duration.

The words 年 nin4 (‘year’) and 日 jat6 (‘day’) are measurement unit classifiers. They are used alone without a noun. We simply put the number of years or days before them.

The word 月 jyut6 (‘month’) is a noun instead of a classifier. We add the classifier 個 go3 between the number and 月 jyut6.

We say 兩 loeng5 instead of 二 ji6 for ‘two’ because we are indicating a quantity.

The word 半 bun3 means ‘half’. We can put it before the classifier to mean ‘half a …’.

We put 半 bun3 after the classifier to indicate a number and a half. Notice for months, we put 半 bun3 after 個 go3.

When we put 半 bun3 after the classifier and the number is 一 jat1 (‘one’), we can optionally omit the number.

The word 幾 gei2 means ‘several’. We can put it before the classifier to mean ‘several …’. 幾 gei2 here usually refers to a quantity between 3 and 9 inclusive.

We can put 幾 gei2 after 10, 20, 30, etc. to mean ’10, 20, 30 something, etc.’. 幾 gei2 here also usually refers to a quantity between 3 and 9 inclusive.

We can also put 幾 gei2 after the classifier to mean ‘… and slightly more’. Notice for months, we put 幾 gei2 after 個 go3. We usually use 幾 gei2 this way with a small number, usually not larger than 10.

When we put 幾 gei2 after the classifier and the number is 一 jat1 (‘one’), we can optionally omit the number.

Notice the meaning changes depending on whether 幾 gei2 is put before or after the classifier.

Say each duration. Then, check your answers and repeat after the recordings.

1. 14 days

2. half a year

3. several months

4. 1 and a half days

5. 50 something years

6. 2 and a half months

7. 4 days and slightly more

8. 5 and a half years

9. 6 months and slightly more

10. half a day

11. 5 years and slightly more

12. half a month

We can add the adverb 大約 daai6 joek3 (‘about’) before a number to indicate an approximate number.

We can also add the suffix 到 dou2 (‘about’) or the adverb 左右 zo2 jau2 (‘about’, literally ‘left + right’) after a number to indicate an approximate number.

We can put 大約 daai6 joek3 before the number and 到 dou2 or 左右 zo2 jau2 after the number at the same time.

We can add 差唔多 caa1 m4 do1 (‘almost’) before a number to indicate almost reaching a number.

The table below summarizes the position of each expression:

The aspect particle 咗 zo2 functions like the present perfect tense in English (e.g., I have eaten breakfast). We use 咗 zo2 to indicate an activity has been completed. The completion of the activity is often relevant to the present (e.g., it is done recently, or it will affect what we do in the present). We also use 咗 zo2 to indicate a state has changed if the changed state remains true in the present. In grammar, this aspect is called the perfective aspect.

If we want to indicate how long an activity has been completed or a state has changed, we can add duration to the sentence. To add duration to a sentence, we put the duration after the whole verb phrase. If the verb phrase has an aspect particle or an object, we put the duration after all of them. For separable verbs, we put the duration after the whole separable verb.

We can add the adverb 大約 daai6 joek3 (‘about’) and the suffix 到 dou2 (‘about’) or the adverb 左右 zo2 jau2 (‘about’) to indicate an approximate number.

If the sentence has an object, we can also put the duration before the object. For separable verbs, we can put the duration before the second syllable (the object part). We usually only do so when the verb refers to an activity that can be continued over time (e.g., 拍拖 paak3 to1 ‘to date’). For example, it will sound less natural if we do so with verbs like 結婚 git3 fan1 (‘to get married’) because the action of getting married can be done once only.

Again, we can add 大約 daai6 joek3 and 到 dou2 or 左右 zo2 jau2 to indicate an approximate number.

Note that when indicating an activity is ongoing, we use 緊 gan2 if duration is not mentioned, but we use 咗 zo2 if duration is mentioned.

The aspect particles 咗 zo2 and 過 gwo3 may look similar. Here are their differences:

Add the duration to each sentence. Try to add the duration to the two possible positions. Then, check your answers and repeat after the recordings.

1.

我哋拍拖。
ngo5 dei6 paak3 to1.

2.

佢哋學廣東話。
keoi5 dei6 hok6 gwong2 dung1 waa2.

3.

我做老師。
ngo5 zou6 lou5 si1.

4.

佢返工。
keoi5 faan1 gung1.

5.

我打波。
ngo5 daa2 bo1.

We can use the sentence particle 喇 laa3 to help signal a state has changed (e.g., an activity has started or has been completed). For example, we can add 喇 laa3 to a sentence when we use the aspect particle 咗 zo2 to indicate an activity has been completed or a state has changed. When used with 咗 zo2, 喇 laa3 often adds the meaning of ‘already’ to the sentence.

The question word 幾耐 gei2 noi6 is similar to how long in English. We can use 幾耐 gei2 noi6 to form a question that elicits duration as the answer. We put 幾耐 gei2 noi6 after the whole verb phrase. If the verb phrase has an aspect particle or an object, we put 幾耐 gei2 noi6 after all of them. For separable verbs, we put 幾耐 gei2 noi6 after the whole separable verb.

If the sentence has an object, we can also put 幾耐 gei2 noi6 before the object. For separable verbs, we can put 幾耐 gei2 noi6 before the second syllable (the object part). We usually only do so when the verb refers to an activity that can be continued over time (e.g., 拍拖 paak3 to1 ‘to date’). For example, it will sound less natural if we do so with verbs like 結婚 git3 fan1 (‘to get married’) because the action of getting married can be done once only.

When we are not sure where we should put 幾耐 gei2 noi6, we can always think of the answer to the question. We put 幾耐 gei2 noi6 at the position where the duration appears in the answer.

The adverb 未 mei6 means ‘not yet’. We use 未 mei6 to indicate an activity has not been completed yet. We put 未 mei6 before the verb for the activity. Notice we don’t add the aspect particle 咗 zo2 at the same time.

We can add the adverb 仲 zung6 (‘still’) before 未 mei6.

We can use 未 mei6 to form yes-no questions that asks whether an activity has been completed yet or not. In yes-no questions, the meaning of 未 mei6 becomes ‘yet’. For this type of question, we put 未 mei6 after the verb, instead of before it. If there is an aspect particle or an object after the verb, we put 未 mei6 after them. For separable verbs, we put 未 mei6 after the whole verb. As a rule of thumb, we usually put 未 mei6 at the end of the question or before the sentence particle, if any. Notice we add the aspect particle 咗 zo2 at the same time.

To answer the question, we can give a short answer or a long answer. We give a short answer more often. We use the aspect particle 咗 zo2 and the sentence particle 喇 laa3 for positive answers, and the adverb 未 mei6 (‘not yet’) and the sentence particle 呀 aa3 for negative answers.

We form a short answer by omitting the subject and the object in the long answer. For separate verbs (e.g., 結婚 git3 fan1), we omit the second syllable (the object part). For a negative short answer, we can simply say 未呀 mei6 aa3 (‘not yet’).

When we ask a question with 未 mei6, we assume the activity should be completed sometime. This is different from a question with 有冇 jau5 mou5, which only asks whether something happens.

In the Communication section, you will learn:

• Talking About Marital Status
• Talking About Romantic Relationships