Personal Pronouns and the Plural 兜

01

The Plural Suffix 兜

A plural is formed by adding 兜 (deuˋtêu) to the singular pronoun. The suffix never changes shape, so all three plurals are perfectly regular — there is nothing answering to the irregular I / we of English.

• 𠊎 (ngaingài) → 𠊎兜 (ngai deuˋngài têu) — I → we
• 你 (ngingì) → 你兜 (ngi deuˋngì têu) — you → you (more than one)
• 佢 (gikì) → 佢兜 (gi deuˋkì têu) — he, she, it → they

• 𠊎兜在該食晝。

  ngai deuˋ diˇ gai shidˋ zhiuˇngài têu ti kài shi̍t chiu

  We are eating lunch.

• 𠊎兜戴在十六樓。

  ngai deuˋ daiˇ diˇ shibˋ liug leungài têu tai ti shi̍p liuk lèu

  We live on the sixteenth floor.

• 朋友，你兜有看著無？

  pen rhiuˋ ngi deuˋ rhiuˋ konˇ doˊ mophèn yiû ngì têu yiû khon tó mò

  Friends, did you see it?

A demonstrative can be folded in between the two, giving 你這兜 (ngi liaˊ deuˋngì liá têu) — you said to a group that is present, literally you these ones.

• 你這兜這下在該做麼个？

  ngi liaˊ deuˋ liaˊ ha+ diˇ gai zoˇ maˋ gaiˇngì liá têu liá hå ti kài tso mâ kai

  What are you all doing now?

02

Possessives of the Plurals

A plural pronoun takes 个 (gaiˇkai) to become a possessive, giving our and their. This is the regular pattern, and it applies to every plural pronoun without exception.

• 𠊎兜个細人仔摎佢兜个細人仔都係學生仔。

  ngai deuˋ gaiˇ seˇ ngin er lauˋ gi deuˋ gaiˇ seˇ ngin er du+ heˇ hogˋ sangˋ erngài têu kai se ngìn èr lâu kì têu kai se ngìn èr tů he ho̍k sâng èr

  Our children and their children are all students.

• 𠊎兜个倈仔無頭路。

  ngai deuˋ gaiˇ laiˇ er mo teu lu+ngài têu kai lai èr mò thèu lů

  Our son doesn't have a job.

• 佢兜个細人仔當吵。

  gi deuˋ gaiˇ seˇ ngin er dongˋ caukì têu kai se ngìn èr tông tshàu

  Their children are very noisy.

03

兜 Outside the Pronouns

The same 兜 (deuˋtêu) works with nouns, where it marks an unspecified small quantity — some, a few. Attached to a demonstrative it yields these and those, and no classifier is needed once it is in place.

• 𠊎做得為你做兜麼个？

  ngai zoˇ ded vui+ ngi zoˇ deuˋ maˋ gaiˇngài tso tet vůi ngì tso têu mâ kai

  What can I do for you?

• 有兜人毋相信。

  rhiuˋ deuˋ ngin m siongˋ sinˇyiû têu ngìn m̀ siông sin

  Some people do not believe.

• 這兜又愛幾多錢？

  liaˊ deuˋ rhiu+ oiˇ giˊ doˋ cienliá têu yiů oi kí tô tshièn

  How much do these cost?

04

Leaving the Pronoun Out

When the context already makes the subject plain, the pronoun is simply dropped. A sentence with no subject at all is entirely ordinary and carries no sense of abruptness; the listener supplies it from what came before. This happens far more readily than in English, where a subject is nearly always obligatory.

• 食飽吂？

  shidˋ bauˊ mangshi̍t páu màng

  Have you eaten yet?

• 噢，做毋得！

  oˊ zoˇ m dedó tso m̀ tet

  Oh, that's not possible!