Cantonese grammar

An attributive adjective normally precedes its noun in the pattern adjective + 嘅 + noun. The adjective may itself be preceded by a degree adverb.

「形容詞＋嘅＋名詞」描述事物性質；形容詞前可以再加程度副詞。

General descriptions of a property commonly use 好 between the subject and adjective. In this structure, 好 does not necessarily carry the strong meaning ‘very’.

一般性質描述常用「好」連接主語同形容詞，當中「好」未必有強烈嘅「非常」意思。

An adjective can form an A唔A question and can be negated directly with 唔 + adjective. No separate 係 is required.

形容詞可用「A唔A」提問，同時用「唔＋形容詞」否定，唔使另加「係」。

咁 or 咁樣 can stand before a verb on its own to mean performing the action ‘this way’.

「咁、咁樣」可以獨立放喺動詞前，表示用呢種方式做。

Time expressions such as 今日, 而家, 頭先 and 聽日 normally occur at the beginning of the sentence or after the subject and before the verb.

「今日、而家、頭先、聽日」等通常放喺句首或主語之後、動詞之前，用嚟交代時間。

Frequency adverbs such as 成日, 有時, 通常 and 平時 generally occur before the verb and indicate how often an action happens.

「成日、有時、通常、平時」等放喺動詞前，表示動作出現嘅頻率。

Quantity phrases generally follow the order numeral + classifier + noun. Classifiers such as 個, 條, 隻 and 本 must be matched to the kind of item being counted.

數量短語一般用「數詞＋量詞＋名詞」，量詞要配合所指事物。

Numeral + a measure or container such as 磅, 斤, 杯, 盒 or 碗 expresses an amount of a substance. When a container is itself treated as a noun, it can take a separate classifier.

「數詞＋磅／斤／杯／盒」等可以量度物質；容器本身作名詞時亦可以另加量詞。

With a count noun, 啲 can mean an unspecified number of items or, depending on context, a known plural group. With a mass noun, it denotes an unspecified amount.

「啲」配可數名詞可以表示若干個體，亦可以按語境指一組已知事物；配物質名詞就表示一定份量。

A demonstrative normally takes a classifier before its noun: 呢 or 嗰 + classifier + noun. This identifies a particular person or thing.

「呢／嗰＋量詞＋名詞」指出特定人物或事物。

Compound numbers are built from larger to smaller place values using 十, 百, 千, 萬 and 億. Larger numbers commonly group by 萬, and 零 can mark a missing place value between nonzero digits.

數詞依十、百、千、萬等位值組成；較大數量以「萬」為常用組合單位，中間空位可以用「零」。

Place 第 before a numeral to form an ordinal such as 第一 or 第二. In some contexts, 第二 can also mean ‘another’.

「第一、第二」等表示排序；「第二」喺特定語境亦可以表示另一個。

Years are normally read digit by digit, followed by 年 + numbered month + 月 + numbered date + 號. 星期 names weekdays by number, except for Sunday.

年份通常逐位讀，再接「年＋月份＋月＋日期＋號」；星期用數序命名，星期日例外。

Clock times are formed with 點, 半, 分 and 秒. 點半 means half past the hour, and 零 is commonly placed before a minute value below ten.

「幾點＋幾分」表示時間，「點半」表示三十分；唔足十分鐘常喺分鐘前加「零」。

Time-of-day terms such as 上午, 下午 and 夜晚 precede the clock time. Addresses likewise normally run from the larger area, such as city and district, to the street, floor and unit.

「上午、下午、夜晚」放喺鐘點前；地址亦通常先講城市地區，再講街道、樓層同單位。

呀 is common in questions and can also make an answer sound less abrupt. It is not a dedicated marker required in every yes–no question.

「呀」常用喺疑問句，亦可以令回答冇咁生硬，本身唔係所有是非問句嘅專用標記。

啦 or 吖 can occur at the end of an imperative or request. 啦 is normally more insistent, while 吖 is more neutral.

祈使句尾可以用「啦」或「吖」；「啦」通常較有敦促意味，「吖」較中性。

The personal pronouns 我, 你 and 佢 do not change for subject or object case, gender, or social status. 佢 can refer to either a man or a woman.

「我、你、佢」唔會因為主語、賓語、性別或社會身份而改變形式；「佢」可以指男性或女性。

Add 哋 to a personal pronoun to form 我哋, 你哋 or 佢哋. 哋 cannot generally be added to ordinary nouns to make them plural.

「哋」加喺人稱代詞後形成「我哋、你哋、佢哋」，唔可以一般化噉加喺普通名詞後。

自己 is the reflexive pronoun referring back to the subject. Its form does not change for person or number.

「自己」可以指返句中主語，形式唔隨人稱或單複數改變。

A subject or object pronoun referring to a known inanimate thing is normally omitted. Weather expressions also use the predicate directly, without an equivalent of English ‘it’.

指返已知嘅無生命事物時通常省略賓語或主語；講天氣亦直接用謂語，唔需要補一個等同英文 it 嘅代詞。

Subject + 係 + noun phrase identifies a person's identity, occupation or category.

「主語＋係＋名詞短語」用嚟確認身份、職業或類別。

A property is normally described with a pattern such as subject + 好 + adjective. Do not copy the English structure ‘be + adjective’ by inserting 係.

一般描述性質時用「主語＋好＋形容詞」等形式，唔直接照搬英文 be 加形容詞嘅結構。

A basic Cantonese statement can follow subject–verb–object order: who acts, what they do, and the object affected.

一般陳述句可以用「邊個＋做乜＋對象」嘅次序組成。

To express possession, place 嘅 after a name, pronoun or noun phrase and before the possessed noun: possessor + 嘅 + noun.

人名、代詞或名詞短語後加「嘅」，再接被擁有嘅事物。

Forms such as 我嘅 and 你嘅 can stand alone when the possessed noun is understood. They can also serve as the predicate after 係 without repeating the noun.

「我嘅、你嘅」可以獨立使用，亦可以放喺「係」後作謂語，唔使重複名詞。

嘅 is often omitted when the possessor and noun have a close inherent relationship, especially with kinship terms, as in 佢細佬 and 我老公.

擁有者同名詞有緊密關係，尤其係家人稱謂時，常直接相接，如「佢細佬」。

Subject + 有 + noun phrase states what someone has, including family relationships and possessions. 有 does not change form according to the subject.

「主語＋有＋名詞短語」表示擁有某人或某物，動詞唔隨人稱改變。

The negative of 有 is 冇, and the affirmative-negative question form is 有冇. Do not use 唔有 or 有唔有.

「有」嘅否定係「冇」；正反問句用「有冇」，唔用「唔有」或「有唔有」。

Place a location before 有 or 冇 to say that someone or something exists or does not exist there. A preposition is not necessarily required before the location.

地方詞放喺「有／冇」前，說明某處有冇人或事物；地方詞前唔一定要加介詞。

唔 precedes most verbs or adjectives to negate present, future or habitual actions, intentions and properties.

「唔」放喺多數動詞或形容詞前，否定現在、將來或一般性嘅行為、意願同事物性質。

冇 + noun expresses lack of possession, while 冇 + verb says that an event did not occur. 咗 is normally omitted in the latter pattern.

「冇＋名詞」表示冇擁有；「冇＋動詞」表示事件冇發生，通常唔再用「咗」。

Form a yes–no question by putting a verb or adjective into the A唔A pattern, presenting affirmative and negative alternatives. 呀 is often added at the end.

動詞或形容詞用「A唔A」形式提出兩個選擇，句尾常加「呀」。

When there is an auxiliary verb, use its affirmative-negative form before the main verb, as in 會唔會, 識唔識 and 要唔要, to ask about possibility, ability or willingness.

用「會唔會、識唔識、要唔要」等放喺主要動詞前，詢問可能、能力或意願。

係唔係 or its contraction 係咪 can precede the information being checked and ask whether the entire proposition is correct.

「係唔係／係咪」可以放喺要核對嘅內容前，詢問整個判斷係咪成立。

Use 使唔使 to ask whether something is necessary. The usual positive answer is 要, while the negative answer is 唔使.

詢問需唔需要用「使唔使」；肯定通常答「要」，否定答「唔使」。

A positive answer to an affirmative-negative question normally repeats the full verb or adjective; a negative answer uses its corresponding negative form. 係 is not a universal word for ‘yes’.

肯定回答通常重複完整動詞或形容詞，否定回答用相應否定形式，唔一律答「係」。

Question words such as 邊個, 乜嘢 and 邊度 normally remain in the position where the answer would appear in an ordinary statement. They are not automatically moved to the beginning.

「邊個、乜嘢、邊度」等通常放喺正常陳述中該答案會出現嘅位置，唔一律搬到句首。

幾時 and 點樣 normally occur after the subject and before the verb, replacing a time or manner expression.

「幾時、點樣」通常放喺主語後、動詞前，代替時間或方式成分。

When asking a stranger or posing a relatively direct question, begin with 請問 and use 呀 at the end to soften the question.

問陌生人或提出較直接問題時，可用「請問」開頭，句尾用「呀」柔化語氣。

邊 combines with the appropriate classifier and noun to ask ‘which one’. The noun may be omitted when it is already understood.

「邊」配合適量詞同名詞，名詞已知時可以省略。

Expressions such as 幾耐, 幾長, 幾多錢 and 幾多次 ask about duration, length, price or frequency. Use 幾多歲 to ask age.

「幾耐、幾長、幾多錢、幾多次」等問時間、長度、金額或次數；年齡可問「幾多歲」。

Cantonese commonly forms yes–no questions with an affirmative–negative predicate, such as ‘A唔A’ or ‘verb + 唔 + verb + 到’.

將述語寫成「A唔A」或「動詞唔動詞到」等正反形式，係粵語常用嘅是非問句。

Choice questions use 定 or 定係 between two possible answers and ask the listener to choose one.

選擇問句用「定」或「定係」連接兩個候選答案，問聽者揀邊一項。

喺 can directly precede a place name or a noun followed by a localizer such as 上面, 下面, 入面 or 出面, as in 喺張枱上面.

「喺」可以直接接地方名稱，亦可以接「名詞＋方位詞」，如「喺張枱上面」。

喺度 and 唔喺度 are commonly used to say whether someone is present at the relevant location.

問某人喺唔喺現場，常用「喺度／唔喺度」表示在場或不在場。

去 and 嚟 can directly take a destination, without a preposition, or be followed by a verb phrase stating the purpose of the journey.

「去、嚟」後可直接接地方，亦可以再接動詞短語表示去做乜。

Directional verbs can take a noun directly, without a preposition, in expressions such as 上車, 落車, 入院 and 返屋企.

「上車、落車、入院、返屋企」等由方向動詞直接帶賓語，唔需要加介詞。

Commands and requests normally use 你 or 你哋 + verb + a sentence-final particle such as 啦 or 吖. The pronoun may be omitted directly in an emergency.

命令或請求通常用「你／你哋＋動詞＋句尾助詞」；緊急情況可直接省略人稱。

唔該 can occur at the beginning or end of a request to make it more polite. It commonly appears with a personal pronoun and a sentence-final particle.

「唔該」可放喺請求句首或句尾，常同人稱代詞及句尾助詞一齊用。

Place 唔好 before a verb or adjective to form a negative imperative or prohibition. 咁 commonly occurs before an adjective in this pattern.

「唔好」放喺動詞或形容詞前表示勸阻；形容詞前亦常配「咁」。

二 is normally used in counting, dates and ordinal numbers, while 兩 is normally used before a classifier to mean two items. Before 百, 千 or 萬, either form is possible in some contexts.

數數、日期同序數通常用「二」；量詞前表示兩個事物通常用「兩」，百千萬前部分情況兩者都得。

三月 names the month of March, while 三個月 denotes a duration of three months. The classifier 個 distinguishes a quantity of months from a month name.

「三月」係月份名稱，「三個月」係持續時間；「個」區分日期名稱同時間份量。

唔要 negates wanting, whereas 唔使 negates needing. When 要 means ‘need to’, its usual negative form is 唔使.

「唔要」否定想要，「唔使」否定需要；「要」表示需要時，其常用否定形式係「唔使」。

係 expresses identity or a judgment, whereas 喺 indicates location. The two differ in both grammatical function and tone.

「係」表示身份或判斷；「喺」表示位於某處，兩者語法功能同聲調唔同。

唔該 commonly thanks someone for a service or small favor. 多謝 is commonly used for a gift, invitation, compliment or more exceptional act of kindness.

「唔該」常回應服務或小幫忙；「多謝」常回應禮物、邀請、讚賞或較特別嘅好意。

對唔住 is a general apology; 唔好意思 is common for a minor mistake or interruption; and 唔該借過 asks someone politely to let you pass.

「對唔住」用於一般道歉；「唔好意思」常用於小失誤或打擾；「唔該借過」用於請人讓路。

請 introduces a polite invitation in expressions such as 請入嚟 and 請坐.

「請入嚟、請坐」等用「請」引出對對方有禮貌嘅邀請。

Adding 晒 strengthens thanks in the expressions 唔該晒 and 多謝晒.

「唔該晒、多謝晒」用「晒」加強感謝程度。

唔使唔該, 唔使多謝 and 唔使客氣 tell someone there is no need for thanks or formality. 唔使 can also be used alone as the reply.

「唔使唔該、唔使多謝、唔使客氣」表示唔需要咁客氣，亦可以簡答「唔使」。

Everyday greetings commonly include 好耐冇見喎 and 食咗飯未呀. Although 你好嗎 is grammatical, it is rarely used as a natural greeting.

日常見面常講「好耐冇見喎」「食咗飯未呀」等；「你好嗎」雖然文法正確，但實際上少用。

哈囉 and 拜拜 are common in Hong Kong Cantonese, and 拜拜 is much more frequent in everyday speech than the formal 再見.

香港口語常用「哈囉」「拜拜」，其中「拜拜」比正式嘅「再見」普遍得多。

恭喜, or the warmer 恭喜晒, can congratulate someone on happy occasions such as a birth, wedding, graduation, or promotion.

生仔、結婚、畢業、升職等喜事都可以用「恭喜」或較熱情嘅「恭喜晒」。