分 (bunˋ): Give, For and Let

01

Giving

At its plainest 分 (bunˋpûn) is the verb to give. The order is 分 (bunˋpûn) + RECIPIENT + THING, which is the order of English give me the book rather than give the book to me.

• 𠊎分你一粒阿司匹林治頭那痛。

  ngai bunˋ ngi rhid liab a+ siiˋ pid lim chi+ teu na tungˇngài pûn ngì yit liap å sṳ̂ phit lìm chhi̊ thèu nà thung

  I'll give you an aspirin for the headache.

• 請分𠊎一杯咖啡摎一隻三明治。

  ciangˊ bunˋ ngai rhid buiˋ gaˋ biˋ lauˋ rhid zhag samˋ mang chi+tshiáng pûn ngài yit pûi kâ pî lâu yit chak sâm màng chhi̊

  Please give me a coffee and a sandwich.

02

Marking the Recipient After Another Verb

When some other verb does the handing over — lending, buying, passing — 分 (bunˋpûn) follows it and introduces the person who ends up with the thing. The pattern is VERB + 分 (bunˋpûn) + PERSON, and it is how lend it to me and pass me the salt are built.

• 𠊎既經摎手機仔借分你了。

  ngai giˇ ginˋ lauˋ shiuˊ giˋ er ziaˇ bunˋ ngi leˋngài ki kîn lâu shiú kî èr tsia pûn ngì lê

  I've already lent you my cell phone.

• 𠊎爸買了一隻禮物分𠊎姆。

  ngai baˋ maiˋ leˋ rhid zhag liˋ vudˋ bunˋ ngai meˋngài pâ mâi lê yit chak lî vu̍t pûn ngài mê

  My dad bought a present for my mum.

• 請摎帳單分𠊎好無？

  ciangˊ lauˋ zhongˇ danˋ bunˋ ngai hoˊ motshiáng lâu chong tân pûn ngài hó mò

  Could you give me the bill, please?

03

Letting and Allowing

With a person followed by a verb, 分 (bunˋpûn) means let or allow. What is handed over here is permission, and the person permitted stands between 分 (bunˋpûn) and the action they are permitted to do.

• 佢分倈仔讀這本書。

  gi bunˋ laiˇ er tugˋ liaˊ bunˊ shuˋkì pûn lai èr thu̍k liá pún shû

  She let her son read this book.

• 你做得分𠊎看一下仔相片無？

  ngi zoˇ ded bunˋ ngai konˇ rhid ha+ er siongˇ pienˊ mongì tso tet pûn ngài khon yit hå èr siong phién mò

  Can you let me look at the photo for a moment?

• 佢在該開門，好分𠊎落去。

  gi diˇ gai koiˋ mun hoˊ bunˋ ngai logˋ hiˇkì ti kài khôi mùn hó pûn ngài lo̍k hi

  She's opening the door so she can let me go down.

04

Recognising Which Is Which

What follows 分 (bunˋpûn) settles the reading. A person and then a noun gives give somebody something; a person and then a verb gives let somebody do something. The word itself never changes, so the sentence around it carries the whole distinction. Beyond the uses above, 分 (bunˋpûn) also serves as the ordinary verb to divide, splitting a whole into parts.

05

The Passive

The last job follows from let: allow something to be done to you and you have a passive. The order is the thing affected, then 分 (bunˋpûn), then whoever did it, then the verb. The one thing to remember is that the doer cannot be left out — where English says the door was shut and names nobody, Hakka has to say who shut it. Recognising the shape is enough at this stage.