Teaching Cantonese to “Gwai-Lou” 1: Nei5-Hou2

教鬼佬廣東話 1：你好

Vocabulary 1

GREETINGS

• Good morning：早晨【zou2-san4】
• Good night：早抖【zou2-tau2】
• Hello：你好【nei5-hou2】
• How are you?：你好嗎？【nei5 hou2 maa3】
• Have you eaten?：食咗飯未呀？【sik6-zo2-faan6 mei6】
• Thank you：多謝【do1-ze6】

British greetings always talk about weather. In Chinese culture, we concern"eat" a lot! We always ask "have you eaten?" to express our caring to each other during greetings.

PERSONS

• I / me：我 【ngo5】
• You：你 【nei5】
• He / him / she / her / it ：佢【keoi5】
• We / us：我哋【ngo5 dei6】
• You (plural)：你哋【nei5 dei6】
• They / them：佢哋【keoi5 dei6】

Please do not asuume that you can make everything plural by adding [dei6]. It does not work!

BASICS

• to be, is / am / are：係【hai6】
• also：都【dou1】
• good, well, fine, OK, nice; very：好【hou2】

“Final particles” (fp) tack onto the end of sentences.

• (fp) turns a statement into a question：嗎？【maa1 / maa3】
• (fp) repeats a questions about a different matter：呢？【le1】

【Hai6】also can means "yes".

Dialogue 1

John: Hello, Susan. I am John. Susan: Good morning, John. How are you? John: I am very well, thank you. And you? Susan: I am good too. Have you eaten? John: I have eaten. And you? Susan: I have eaten too. Thank you.

John: nei5-hou2, Susan. ngo5 hai6 John. Susan: zou2-san4, John. nei5 hou2 maa3？ John: ngo5 hou2-hou2, do1-ze6. nei5 le1? Susan: ngo5 dou1 hou2. nei5 sik6-zo2-faan5 mei6 aa3? John: ngo5 sik6-zo2-faan5 laa3. nei5 le1? Susan: ngo5 dou1 sik6-zo2. do1-ze6

John: 你好，Susan。我係 John。 Susan: 早晨，John。你好嗎？ John: 我好好，多謝。你呢？ Susan: 我都好。你食咗飯未呀？ John: 我食咗飯喇。你呢？ Susan: 我都食咗。多謝。

Verb + 【zo2】= Past Tense

咗【zo2】
used after a verb as a perfective aspect marker for completed actions.

sik6 = eat
sik6-zo2 = ate

Vocabulary 2

COUNTRIES, NATIONALITIES & LANGUAGE

• Person, people：人【jan4】
• Hong Kong：香港【hoeng1-gong2】
• Hong Kong people：香港人【hoeng1-gong2-jan4】
• Cantonese：廣東話【gwong2-dung1-waa2】
• Britain, UK：英國【jing1-gwok3】
• British people：英國人【jing1-gwok3-jan4】
• English：英文【jing1-man2】
• America, USA：美國【mei5-gwok3】
• American people：美國人【mei5-gwok3-jan4】
• China：中國【zung1-gwok3】
• Chinese：中文【zung1-man2】
• Japan：日本【jat6-bun2】
• Jamaica：牙買加【ngaa4-maai5-gaa1】

BASICS

• not：唔【m4】
• not to be, is not / am not / are not：唔係【m4-hai6】
• Excuse me：唔好意思【m4-hou2-ji3-si1】
• Sorry：對唔住【deoi3-m4-zyu6】
• Thank you（for receiving gift or compliment）：多謝【do1-ze6】
• Thank you（for other doing you a favour）：唔該【m4-goi1】
• Understand：明白【ming4-baak6】
• Not understand：唔明白【m4-ming4-baak6】or 唔明【m4-ming4】

ADJECTIVES

• Pretty, handsome, good looking：靚【leng3】
• Beautiful girl：靚女【leng3-neoi2】
• Handsome man：靚仔【leng3-zai2】
• Smart, good at：叻【lek1】
• Smart girl：叻女【lek1-neoi2】
• Smart boy：叻仔【lek1-zai2】

Useful Phase 實用句子

What is it in Cantonese? : 呢個廣東話係咩呀？ 【nei1-go3 gwong2-dung1-waa2 hai6 me1 aa4】

• This：呢個【nei1 go3】
• Cantonese：廣東話【gwong2 dung1 waa2】
• Be / Is：係【hai6】
• What：咩【me1】
• (fp) reinforcing a question：呀【aa4】

Dialogue 2

Susan: Are you American? John: No, I am not American, I am British. Susan: Your Cantonese is very good. John: Thank you! You are also very pretty. You are a beautiful girl. Susan: Thank you! You are also a smart boy. John: Are you Japanese? Susan: I am not Japanese, I am Hongkonger.

Susan：nei5 hai6-m4-hai6 mei5-gwok3-jan4? John: m4-hai6, ngo5 m4-hai6 mei5-gwok3-jan4, ngo5 hai6 jing1-gwok3-jan4. Susan: nei5-ge3 gwong2-dung1-waa2 hou2-hou2. John: do1-ze6. nei5 dou1 hou2-leng3. nei5 hai6 leng3-neoi2. Susan: do1-ze6. nei5 dou1 hai6 lek1-zai2. John: nei5 hai6-m4-hai6 jat6-bun2-jan4? Susan: ngo5 m4-hai6 jat6-bun2-jan4, ngo5 hai6 hoeng1-gong2-jan4.

Susan: 你係唔係美國人？ John: 唔係, 我唔係美國人, 我係英國人。 Susan: 你嘅廣東話好好。 John: 多謝。你都好靚。你係靚女。 Susan: 多謝。你都係叻仔。 John: 你係唔係日本人？ Susan: 我唔係日本人，我係香港人。

POSSESSION
Your：你嘅【nei5-ge3】
My: 我嘅【ngo5-ge3】

ASK QUESTION
Is / Is Not (A or Not A)：係唔係【hai6-m4-hai6】

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