Introduction

Common Questions in Cantonese

Introduction

  • This module focuses on daily life questions in Cantonese, covering question words and sentence structures.

Asking for Phone Number

  • Telephone Vocabulary:

    • Phone in Cantonese is din wa.

    • Possessive Particle: The word ge denotes possession (e.g., neige din wa = your phone).

  • Asking the Question:

    • To ask for someone's phone number: neigadim wa geido ho?

      • geido: how many/how much

      • ho: to work for number

  • Politeness Enhancements:

    • Add Ting Man at the beginning (similar to "May I ask...").

    • Add the sentence final particle a at the end to soften the tone.

  • Complete Polite Form:

    • Most polite way to ask: Ting Man, neigadim wa geido ho a?

  • Answering the Question:

    • Change your phone to "my phone": ngoh ge din wa hai...

    • Use hai (to be).

    • Example: In Hong Kong, phone numbers usually consist of 8 digits.

    • Calling from overseas requires the international code +852.

Review of Numbers (0-10 in Cantonese)

  • Zero: lan

  • One: yacht

  • Two: yee

  • Three: saam

  • Four: sei

  • Five: m

  • Six: lok

  • Seven: tud

  • Eight: baat

  • Nine: gau

  • Ten: sup

Asking Year of Birth

  • Question Format:

    • How to ask: nee binin cho si ah?

      • bin: which

      • binlin: which year

      • chewsai: to be born

  • Politeness: Again, the sentence final particle a is added for courtesy.

  • Answering the Question:

    • State the 4 digits of your year followed by nin.

    • Example: 2022 is read as yi lang, yi lang, yi lin.

Chinese Zodiac

  • Zodiac Cycle:

    • 12-year cycle represented by animal signs: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Ram, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig.

  • These signs influence personality, career, health, and love.

Useful Time Vocabulary

  • This Year: kam nin

  • Last Year: kao nin

  • Year Before Last: tien nin

  • Next Year: chot nin

  • Year After Next: hao nin

  • Example Format for Responses:

    • This year 2023 is kam nin hai yi lang.

    • Last year 2022 is kao nin hai yi lang yi lin.

Asking for Birthday

  • Birthday Vocabulary:

    • Birthday in Cantonese is sang yat.

    • Asking: nee gei si sang yat a? (When is your birthday?)

  • Polite Form: Add the particle a at the end for politeness.

  • Answering the Question:

    • Replace nee (you) with mo (I) and state the date.

    • The word sang yat is kept and the particle can be omitted.

Months and Dates

  • Words for Month and Date in Cantonese:

    • Month: yue

    • Date: ho (common) or yat.

  • Examples:

    • New Year’s Day (1st January): yat yue yat ho.

    • Valentine’s Day (14th February): yi yue sap sei ho.

    • Christmas (25th December): sap yi yue ng ho.

Additional Date Vocabulary

  • Today: kam yat

  • Yesterday: kam yat (interchangeable)

  • Day Before Yesterday: jinyap

  • Tomorrow: haoyat

  • Day After Tomorrow: haoyat

Birthday Greeting

  • Happy Birthday in Cantonese: san yat fai lok.

Conclusion

  • This concludes lesson 1.

  • Thank you for watching.