Cantonese grammar

Every grammar guide of Lingora’s Cantonese A1 course, with examples you can listen to.

01Question Marker '嗎'The particle 嗎 (maa1) is a question marker placed at the very end of a sentence. Its primary function is to turn a declarative statement into a yes/no…
02ClassifiersClassifiers are measure words used to categorize nouns based on their shape, function, or type. While English uses these occasionally (e.g., a slice of…
03Possessives with '嘅'The particle 嘅 (ge3) is one of the most common and versatile words in Cantonese. Its primary function is to link two words together, usually to show…
04Plural Pronouns with '哋'To make personal pronouns plural in Cantonese, you add the suffix 哋 (dei6) to the singular form. This single syllable changes "I" to "we," "you" to "you…
05Progressive Tense with '緊'The particle 緊 (gan2) is used to indicate the progressive aspect, meaning an action is currently in progress. It functions similarly to the English…
06Emphasis with '喇'The particle 喇 (laa3) is one of the most common sentence-final particles in Cantonese. It is placed at the very end of a sentence to indicate a "change…
07Expressing Degree with '得'In Cantonese, a verb can be followed by a complement to describe the result or outcome of the action. For example, 聽明 (teng1 ming4) combines the verb 聽…
08Focus Particle '係'While 係 (hai6) is most commonly known as the verb "to be" (is, am, are), it also functions as a focus particle to add emphasis to a specific piece of…
09Emphasis with Sentence-Final '嘅'The particle 嘅 (ge3) is placed at the end of a sentence to add emphasis. It is most commonly used together with 係 (hai6) to form the 係...嘅 (hai6...ge3)…
10Indicating Results with '到'The word 到 (dou2) is a result complement. When attached to a verb, it indicates that the action was performed successfully and achieved its intended…
11Softening a Request with '下'The particle 下 (haa5) is placed directly after a verb to soften the tone of a request or suggestion. It implies that the action is brief, casual, or done…
12Imperatives with '啦'The final particle 啦 (laa1) is added to the end of an imperative sentence to soften its tone. It changes a direct command into a more friendly request,…
13Completed Action with '埋'The word 埋 (maai4) is a verb complement, meaning it is placed directly after a verb to add more information. Its primary function is to indicate that an…
14Plurals with Prefix '啲'The prefix 啲 (di1) is placed before a noun to indicate an indefinite quantity. It can be translated as 'some', 'a few', or 'a little bit'. Unlike the…
15Completed Action with '咗'The particle 咗 (zo2) is an aspect marker placed directly after a verb to indicate that an action has been completed. Its use often corresponds to the…
16Question Markers '呀' & '啊'The sentence-final particles 呀 (aa3) and 啊 (aa3) are frequently used in spoken language to add a specific mood or to turn a statement into a question.…
17Emphasis with '呀' & '啊'The sentence-final particles 呀 (aa3) and 啊 (aa3) are fundamental in conversational Cantonese. They are added to the end of sentences to add mood, soften…
18Adjectives as AttributesWhen an adjective is used to directly describe a noun that follows it, the particle 嘅 (ge3) is placed between them. This is the most common way to form…
19Emphasis with '嚟㗎'The particle 嚟㗎 (lai4 gaa3) is placed at the end of a sentence to emphasize a fact. It is often used to clarify, correct, or provide new information that…
20Negation with '冇'冇 (mou5) is the negative counterpart to 有 (jau5), which means to have or there is/are. It is a fundamental word for expressing negation.
21Suggestions with '囉'The sentence-final particle 囉 (lo1) is used to make a friendly and casual suggestion. It implies that the proposed action is a logical or obvious choice…
22Emphasis with '就'The particle 就 (zau6) is a versatile word used to add emphasis in various situations. Its meaning changes depending on the context, but it generally…
23Softening a Request with '吖'The particle 吖 (aa1) is placed at the end of a sentence to soften its tone. It transforms a direct command into a polite request, or a simple statement…
24Question Marker '㗎'The final particle 㗎 (gaa3) is used to turn a statement into a question that expresses surprise, disbelief, or seeks confirmation about something…
25Expressing Surprise with '喎'The sentence-final particle 喎 (wo4) is used to express mild surprise or acknowledgement upon learning a new piece of information. It signals that the…
26Formal Writing in MandarinIn Hong Kong, the language used for daily conversation, Cantonese (廣東話 gwóng dūng wáa), is different from the language used in most formal writing. This…
27Placeholder Object '嘢'The word 嘢 (je5) is a highly versatile noun that generally translates to thing, stuff, or matter. It is used to refer to objects, concepts, or activities…
28Noun Phrase Marker '嘅'The particle 嘅 (ge3) is a fundamental building block used to show relationships between words. Its two primary functions are to indicate possession and…
29The Linking Verb '係'係 (hai6) means "to be" and is used to equate or identify: 佢係老師 (keoi5 hai6 lou5·si1) — he is a teacher. It links a subject to a noun, never to an…
30Demonstratives: '呢' and '嗰'呢 (ni1) — this, and 嗰 (go2) — that. Before a noun, they require a classifier: 呢個人 (ni1 go3 jan4) — this person, 嗰本書 (go2 bun2 syu1) — that book. As…
31The Adverb '好'好 (hou2) means "very" but also serves as a required filler before a lone adjective, even without emphasis. 我好好 (ngo5 hou2 hou2) simply means "I'm fine,"…
32Question WordsCantonese question words stay in place — no word order change. The main ones are 咩 (me1) / 乜嘢 (mat1·je5) — what, 邊個 (bin1·go3) — who, 邊度 (bin1·dou6) —…
33Conjunctions: '同' and '同埋'同 (tung4) means "and" or "with" and is the everyday connector: 我同你 (ngo5 tung4 nei5) — me and you. 同埋 (tung4·maai4) is a fuller form commonly used in…
34Negation with '唔'唔 (m4) is the general negator for present and future actions, placed directly before the verb: 我唔食 (ngo5 m4 sik6) — I don't eat. For past or completed…
35The Locative '喺'喺 (hai2) means "at," "in," or "on" — it marks location: 我喺屋企 (ngo5 hai2 uk1·kei2) — I'm at home. It also works as "to be located at": 你部電腦喺嗰邊 (nei5 bou6…
36The Adverb '都'都 (dou1) means "also," "all," or "even," always placed before the verb: 我都好高興 (ngo5 dou1 hou2 gou1·hing1) — I'm also very happy. With plural subjects it…
37Modal VerbsModal verbs go before the main verb and never change form. The key ones are 會 (wui5) — can / will, 可以 (ho2·ji5) — may / can, 要 (jiu3) — want to / must, 想…