21.11 Vocabulary: Commenting on Restaurants

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Positive Comments

To make positive comments, we can use positive adjectives. We can add degree words to indicate the level of intensity. Note that we don’t add degree words before 新開 san1 hoi1 (‘newly opened’). While we can add degree words before 新 san1 (‘new’), we don’t usually do so in the context of this lesson.

Degree WordsPositive Adjectives

hou2
very

ging6
strongly

ciu1
super

gei2
quite
好食
hou2 sik6
delicious (literally ‘good + eat’)
抵食
dai2 sik6
good value (literally ‘good value + eat’)

peng4
cheap

zeng3
awesome (colloquial)
出名
ceot1 meng2
famous
--
san1
new
--新開
san1 hoi1
newly opened

Note that for 好食 hou2 sik6 (‘delicious’), the first syllable 好 hou2 is part of the adjective. When we use 好食 hou2 sik6 as a predicate adjective, we still need to put an adverb (the default adverb 好 hou2 or other degree words) between the subject and the predicative adjective.

佢哋啲嘢好好食。
keoi5 dei6 di1 je5 hou2 hou2 sik6.
Their things [their food] are very delicious.
The default adverb 好 hou2 is put between the subject and 好食 hou2 sik6.

Negative Comments

To make negative comments, we can use negative adjectives. We can add degree words to indicate the level of intensity. Note that we usually use 麻麻哋 maa4 maa2 dei2 (‘so-so’, also written as 麻麻地) without degree words.

Degree WordsNegative Adjectives

hou2
very

ging6
strongly

ciu1
super
有啲
jau5 di1
a bit

gwai3
expensive
難食
naan4 sik6
not delicious (literally ‘difficult + eat’)
--麻麻哋
maa4 maa2 dei2
so-so

We can also add 唔 m4 (‘not’), 唔係好 m4 hai6 hou2 (‘not very’) or 唔係幾 m4 hai6 gei2 (‘not quite’) before positive adjectives to form negative comments.

Degree WordsPositive Adjectives

m4
not
唔係好
m4 hai6 hou2
not very
唔係幾
m4 hai6 gei2
not quite
好食
hou2 sik6
delicious (literally ‘good + eat’)
抵食
dai2 sik6
good value (literally ‘good value + eat’)

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