In the Grammar and Vocabulary section, you will learn:

• Indefinite Noun Phrases II
• Attributive Adjectives I
• The Verbs 有 jau5 and 冇 mou5 (Existence) I
• The Noun 嘢 je5 (‘thing’) II
• The Aspect Particle 下 / 吓 haa5 (Delimitative)
• Confirming Information with 係唔係 hai6 m4 hai6
• Yes-No Questions with 有冇 jau5 mou5 II (with 過 gwo3)
• The Conjunction 不過 bat1 gwo3 (‘but’)
• Vocabulary List
• Vocabulary: Type of Restaurants
• Vocabulary: Commenting on Restaurants

In Grammar and Vocabulary 6.1, we learned that we can use indefinite noun phrases to refer to a type of people or things in general.

We also use indefinite noun phrases to introduce new people or things that we mention for the first time in a conversation. To form an indefinite noun phrase, we add the number 一 jat1 (‘one’) and a classifier before a noun. This is similar to noun phrases with the indefinite article a or an in English (e.g., a restaurant).

We can omit the number 一 jat1 if the indefinite noun phrase appears after a verb (as an object or a subject complement).

In Grammar and Vocabulary 2.2, we learned that 啲 di1 is the classifier for plural or uncountable nouns. We can add the number 一 jat1 (‘one’) and the classifier 啲 di1 before a noun to mean ‘some …’.

When the classifier is 啲 di1, we usually omit the number 一 jat1 if the indefinite noun phrase appears after a verb (as an object or a subject complement).

We put an attributive adjective before a noun to modify the noun. We use the particle 嘅 ge3 to link an attributive adjective and a noun. Notice 嘅 ge3 is also the particle we use to form possessive constructions (See Grammar and Vocabulary 2.4).

To negate an attributive adjective, we can put the adverb 唔 (‘not’) before it.

We can put a degree word before an attributive adjective to indicate different levels of intensity of the adjective.

We can omit the particle 嘅 ge3 when using some attributive adjectives (e.g., 新 san1 ‘new’). There are no general rules to decide when we can omit 嘅 ge3.

⚠️ If we want to add a degree word, we always need the particle 嘅 ge3.

We don’t usually add a degree word before some attributive adjectives (e.g., 新開 san1 hoi1 ‘newly opened’).

If we want to indicate the quantity, we put the number and the classifier before the attributive adjective, or before the degree word if any. When the number is 一 jat1 (‘one’), the phrase can also be an indefinite noun phrase.

In Grammar and Vocabulary 11.5, we learned that the verb 有 jau5 means ‘to have’ and the verb 冇 mou5 means ‘to not have’.

We can also use 有 jau5 to indicate something exists at a location. It functions like there is/are in English here. We put the location before 有 jau5 and the thing after 有 jau5. We can put an indefinite noun phrase after 有 jau5.

We often omit the number 一 jat1.

We can use 冇 mou5 similarly to indicate something doesn’t exist at a location. It functions like there is/are no in English here. We put the location before 冇 mou5 and the thing after 冇 mou5. We usually put a bare noun phrase (a noun phrase without a number and a classifier) after 冇 mou5.

We can omit the location if it is obvious in the context.

In Grammar and Vocabulary 18.6, we learned that the word 嘢 je5 (‘thing’) can sometimes refer to things that are not usually referred as thing in English.

In this lesson, we will see that when we put 嘢 je5 after a place name, 嘢 je5 can refer to a restaurant that serves the place’s cuisine or food.

We can put the aspect particle 下 haa5 (also written as 吓) after a verb to indicate that we do an activity for a while or casually. The meaning of 下 haa5 is similar to ‘to … for a while’ (as in to run for a while) or ‘to have a …’ (as in to have a run). In grammar, this aspect is called the delimitative aspect.

When making a suggestion or extending an invitation, we often use 下 haa5 to make the activity sound more casual or easier to do.

We can use 係唔係 hai6 m4 hai6 (‘to be + to not be’) to form questions that confirm whether some information is correct. In this context, 係唔係 hai6 m4 hai6 means ‘Is it true that …?’ or ‘Am I right that …?’. We put 係唔係 hai6 m4 hai6 before the verb phrase.

We can contract 係唔係 hai6 m4 hai6 to 係咪 hai6 mai6.

To answer the question, we can give a short answer or a long answer. We give a short answer more often. For long answers, we usually add 係 hai6 and 唔係 m4 hai6 only if we want to add extra emphasis.

If we need to put the adverb 唔 m4 (‘not’) before the verb to negate the verb, we put 係唔係 hai6 m4 hai6 before 唔 m4.

In Grammar and Vocabulary 9.4, we learned to use the aspect particle 過 gwo3 to indicate we have experience of doing an activity in the past. In Grammar and Vocabulary 13.1, we learned to use 有冇 jau5 mou5 to ask whether someone actually does an activity or not.

To ask whether someone has done an activity or not before, we can use 過 gwo3 and 有冇 jau5 mou5 together to form a yes-no question. We put 有冇 jau5 mou5 before the verb for the activity. This type of question is like Have you … before? in English (as in Have you been to that restaurant before?)

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

For positive answers, we can add or omit 有 jau5. 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 omitting the subject and the object in the long answer. If the verb is a separate verb (e.g., 打邊爐 daa2 bin1 lou4), we usually keep the first syllable (the verb part) and omit the other syllables (the object part).

⚠️ Notice when forming a yes-no question with 過 gwo3, we don’t use the X-not-X construction of the verb for the activity. Instead, we add 有冇 jau5 mou5 before the verb.

⚠️ Also, we don’t use the adverb 唔 m4 (‘not’) to negate a verb with 過 gwo3 in the context here. Instead, we use 冇 mou5.

The conjunction 不過 bat1 gwo3 means ‘but’. We use 不過 bat1 gwo3 to introduce an idea that contrasts with what was said before. We put 不過 bat1 gwo3 at the beginning of the clause with the contrasting idea.

We can add the word 餐廳 caan1 teng1 (‘restaurant’) or 嘢 je5 (‘thing’) after a place name (e.g. 法國 faat3 gwok3 ‘France’ and日本 jat6 bun2 ‘Japan’) to refer to a restaurant that serves the place’s cuisine or food. The word 嘢 je5 literally means ‘thing’ and is more colloquial than 餐廳 caan1 teng1.

We can also put 餐廳 caan1 teng1 or 嘢 je5 after 素食 sou3 sik6 (‘vegetarian food’).

Here are some other common types of restaurants in Hong Kong:

It is also common to refer to a restaurant by the type of food they serve. Here are some common examples:

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.

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.

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.

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.

In the Communication section, you will learn:

• Deciding on the Restaurant for a Meal