38.5 Imperative Sentences
Audio is not available for this page yet.
Imperative sentences are sentences used to give instructions or commands (e.g., walk toward this side and turn left). In this lesson, we will use imperative sentences to give directions.
We use an imperative sentence to ask the listener to do an action. The subject of the sentence will generally be the listener. We will usually use 你 nei5 (‘you’) to refer to the listener. We can mention the subject explicitly or omit it.
| A: | 請問戲院點去呀？ cing2 man6 hei3 jyun2 dim2 heoi3 aa3? May I ask how I go to the movie theater? |
| B: | (你)向呢邊行。 (nei5) hoeng3 ni1 bin6 haang4. Walk toward this side. |
If there is more than one listener, the subject will become 你哋 nei5 dei6 (‘you’, plural).
| A: | 請問戲院點去呀？ cing2 man6 hei3 jyun2 dim2 heoi3 aa3? May I ask how I go to the movie theater? |
| B: | (你哋)向呢邊行。 (nei5 dei6) hoeng3 ni1 bin6 haang4. Walk toward this side. |
To ask the listener not to do an action, we put 唔好 m4 hou2 (don’t) before the action.
坐左邊嗰部𨋢，唔好坐右邊嗰部𨋢。
co5 zo2 bin6 go2 bou6 lip1, m4 hou2 co5 jau6 bin6 go2 bou6 lip1.
Take the elevator on the left. Don’t take the elevator on the right.