Question Words — Cantonese Grammar

Cantonese question words stay in place — no word order change. The main ones are (me1mēme1) / (mat1·je5māt·yéhmat7·je5) — what, (bin1·go3bīn·gobin1·go3) — who, (bin1·dou6bīn·douhbin1·dou6) — where, (dim2dímdim2) — how, (dim2·gaai2dím·gáaidim2·gaai2) — why, (gei2géigei2) — how many, and (gei2·do1géi·dōgei2·do1) — how much.

Swap the unknown for the question word: (nei5 giu3 me1 meng2néih giu mē méngnei5 giu3 me1 meu2) — what's your name?, (nei5 hœ̄i bin1·dou6néih hēui bīn·douhnei5 hœ̄i bin1·dou6) — where are you going?

In the course

Sentences from Lingora’s Cantonese course

62 of the course's 500 sentences use this, the first in lesson 4. A few of them, with the words “Question Words” is about in bold:

你見點？有冇唔舒服？
nei5 gin3 dim2? jau5 mou5 m4 syu1·fuk6?néih gin dím? yáuh móuh m̀h syū·fuhk?nei5 gin3 dim2? jau5 mou5 m4 sy1·fuk9?
How are you feeling? Good or bad?
Lesson 61
阿女喺邊呀？ - 佢喺學校。
aa3·neoi2 hai2 bin1 aa4? - keoi5 hai2 hok6·haau6.a·néui hái bīn àh? - kéuih hái hohk·haauh.aa3·noey2 hai2 bin1 aa4? - koey5 hai2 hok9·haau6.
Where is our daughter? - She's at school.
Lesson 242
你啲仔女好靚仔靚女。佢哋幾多歲呀？
nei5 di1 zai2·neoi2 hou2 leng3·zai2 leng3·neoi2. keoi5·dei6 gei2·do1 seoi3 aa4?néih dī jái·néui hóu leng·jái leng·néui. kéuih·deih géi·dō seui àh?nei5 di1 dzai2·noey2 hou2 leu3·dzai2 leu3·noey2. koey5·dei6 gei2·do1 soey3 aa4?
You have two very beautiful children. How old are they?
Lesson 264

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Sentences from Lingora’s Cantonese course

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