Possessive Pronouns: 𠊎个, 若 and 厥 — Hailu Hakka Grammar

Hakka does not build my and your the way English does. For the second and third person it keeps a dedicated possessive word, fused long ago out of the pronoun and the linking particle, which is why (ngiangià) and (giakià) look so unlike the pronouns they belong to. The first person works differently: it uses the plain pronoun (ngaingài) with the linker (gaiˇkai), exactly as any other possessor would.

(ngai gaiˇngài kai) — my
(ngiangià) — your
(giakià) — his, her, its

這係𠊎个電腦。
liaˊ heˇ ngai gaiˇ tien+ noˊliá he ngài kai thie̊n nó
This is my computer.
若屋當靚。
ngia vug dongˋ ziangˋngià vuk tông tsiâng
Your house is very pretty.
該儕人牽等厥狗走。
gai sa ngin kienˋ denˊ gia gieuˊ zeuˊkài sà ngìn khiên tén kià kiéu tséu
That man is running with his dog.

Straight Before the Noun

(ngiangià) and (giakià) take their noun directly, with nothing in between — no classifier, no linking particle. This is the ordinary way of speaking about family, belongings and parts of the body.

若姆安到麼个名？
ngia meˋ onˋ doˇ maˋ gaiˇ miangngià mê ôn to mâ kai miàng
What is your mother's name?
厥爸當後生。
gia baˋ dongˋ heu+ sangˋkià pâ tông he̊u sâng
His father is very young.
若爺哀有在屋下無？
ngia rha oiˋ rhiuˋ diˇ vug haˋ mongià yà ôi yiû ti vuk hâ mò
Are your parents at home?

The First Person

Where the other two persons have a fused form, the first person simply puts (ngaingài) in front of the thing owned. Before a close relation the linker is often left off and the bare pronoun does the work on its own.

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.
𠊎公年紀大了，毋過當有活力。
ngai gungˋ ngien giˊ tai+ leˋ m goˇ dongˋ rhiuˋ fadˋ lidˋngài kûng ngièn kí thåi lê m̀ ko tông yiû fa̍t li̍t
My grandfather is old, but he's very energetic.
這係𠊎个朋友，Anna。
liaˊ heˇ ngai gaiˇ pen rhiuˋ Annaliá he ngài kai phèn yiû Anna
This is my friend, Anna.

The Longer Forms with 个

The second and third person also have a longer form ending in (gaiˇkai) — (ngia gaiˇngià kai) and (gia gaiˇkià kai) — carrying the same meaning as the short one. Either may be used, though the longer gives the possessor a little more weight.

若个工作係麼个？
ngia gaiˇ gungˋ zog heˇ maˋ gaiˇngià kai kûng tsok he mâ kai
What is your job?
好好享受若个假期。
hoˊ hoˊ hiongˊ shiu+ ngia gaiˇ gaˊ kihó hó hióng shiů ngià kai ká khì
Enjoy your holiday.
做運動對若个健康有好處。
zoˇ rhun+ tung+ duiˇ ngia gaiˇ kien+ kongˋ rhiuˋ hoˊ chuˇtso yůn thůng tui ngià kai khie̊n không yiû hó chhu
Exercise is good for your health.

Third Person, Any Owner

(giakià) covers his, her and its alike, matching the pronoun (gikì), which likewise makes no distinction of gender. Who is meant comes from the context alone. It does not stretch to their, which is built the regular way from the plural pronoun.

𠊎朋友送厥姆一隻禮物。
ngai pen rhiuˋ sungˇ gia meˋ rhid zhag liˋ vudˋngài phèn yiû sung kià mê yit chak lî vu̍t
My friend gave her mother a present.
毋識，毋過𠊎識厥主人。
m shid m goˇ ngai shid gia zhuˊ nginm̀ shit m̀ ko ngài shit kià chú ngìn
No, but I know its owner.

Only in the Singular

The dedicated words cover the singular only. For our and their the regular pattern takes over — the plural pronoun followed by (gaiˇkai) — so there is no further set of forms waiting to be learned.

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.

In the course

Sentences from Lingora’s Hailu Hakka course

54 of the course's 500 sentences use this, the first in lesson 2. A few of them, with the words “Possessive Pronouns: 𠊎个, 若 and 厥” is about in bold:

這係𠊎个朋友，Anna。佢係一個學生仔。
liaˊ heˇ ngai gaiˇ pen rhiuˋ, Anna. gi heˇ rhid gaiˇ hogˋ sangˋ er.liá he ngài kai phèn yiû, Anna. kì he yit kai ho̍k sâng èr.
This is my friend, Anna. She is a student.
Lesson 2
𠊎个第一印象係佢當聰明。
ngai gaiˇ ti+ rhid rhinˇ siong+ heˇ gi dongˋ cungˋ min.ngài kai thi̊ yit yin sio̊ng he kì tông tshûng mìn.
My first impression is that she is very smart.
Lesson 333
𠊎个間房號碼係十四號。
ngai gaiˇ gienˋ fong ho+ maˋ heˇ shibˋ siˇ ho+.ngài kai kiên fòng ho̊ mâ he shi̍p si ho̊.
My room number is fourteen.
Lesson 456

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