29.1 The Verbal Particle 好 hou2 (‘finished’)
The word 好 hou2 means ‘good’ as an adjective. We can also use 好 hou2 as a verbal particle to mean ‘finished’. We usually use 好 hou2 with a task that has a clear expected outcome (e.g., choosing the food we want to order). 好 hou2 indicates that we have completed the task well with a favorable outcome and are ready for the following task or activity (e.g., calling the server to place an order).
我揀好。
ngo5 gaan2 hou2.
I have finished choosing.
Since 好 hou2 indicates a task has been completed, we usually use the sentence particle 喇 laa3 at the same time (See Grammar and vocabulary 13.6).
我揀好喇。
ngo5 gaan2 hou2 laa3.
I have already finished choosing.
To indicate a task has not been completed with a favorable outcome yet, we can add the adverb 未 mei6 (‘not yet’) before the verb for the task. Since the task has not been completed yet, we don’t use 喇 laa3.
我未揀好。
ngo5 mei6 gaan2 hou2.
I haven’t finished choosing yet.
We can use the adverb 未 mei6 (‘yet’) with 好 hou2 to form yes-no questions that asks whether a task has been completed with a favorable outcome yet. We put 未 mei6 after 好 hou2 instead of before the verb. If there is an object after the verb, we put 未 mei6 after it. 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.
To answer the question, we can give a short answer or a long answer.
We form a short answer by omitting the subject and the object in the long answer. For separate verbs, we usually keep the first syllable (the verb part) and omit the other syllables (the object part). For a negative short answer, we can also simply say 未呀 mei6 aa3 (‘not yet’).
好 hou2 may look similar to the aspect particle 咗 zo2, which can also indicate a task has been completed. However, when we use 好 hou2, we additionally indicate the task has been completed well with a favorable outcome, making it ready for the next task or activity.
我揀咗喇。
ngo5 gaan2 zo2 laa3.
I have already chosen.
我揀好喇。
ngo5 gaan2 hou2 laa3.
I have already finished choosing [well with a favorable outcome].
The first sentence with 咗 zo2 only indicates that the task of choosing has been completed. The second sentence with 好 hou2 additionally indicates that the task has been completed well with a favorable outcome.
The meaning of the two sentences above may look similar to each other. However, in some other situations, the meaning can differ significantly when a different particle is used. We will see more examples in later books.