Imperatives and Suggestions: 來, 請, 啊, 毋好 and 莫 — Sixian Hakka Grammar

A bare verb can serve as a command, but it is blunt. Ordinary Hakka softens an instruction or a proposal with a word at the front, a particle at the end, or both, and the choice among them sets the tone of what is being asked.

來 — Let's

(loiˇlòi) before a verb proposes doing something together. It very often follows the inclusive word for we, which by its nature takes in the person being spoken to.

𫣆俚來算看啊：一，二，三，四，五
enˊ liˋ loiˇ son kon a idˋ ngi samˊ xi ngˋên lí lòi son khon a yit ngi sâm si ńg
Let's count: one, two, three, four, five.
遽來！
giagˋ loiˇkiak lòi
Come quick!
來同𠊎兜共下跳舞啊！
loiˇ tungˇ ngaiˇ deuˊ kiung ha tiau vuˋ alòi thùng ngài têu khiung ha thiau vú a
Come dance with us!

Paired with the verb to go it forms a set expression meaning let's set off, used for proposing an outing.

𫣆俚來去。
enˊ liˋ loiˇ hiên lí lòi hi
Let's go.
𫣆俚來去看電影好無？
enˊ liˋ loiˇ hi kon tien iangˋ hoˋ moˇên lí lòi hi khon thien yáng hó mò
Shall we go and watch a movie?

請 — Please

(qiangˋchhiáng) at the head of a sentence marks a request as polite. It is the straightforward way of asking for something without pressing.

請大聲講。
qiangˋ tai sangˊ gongˋchhiáng thai sâng kóng
Please speak up.
請分𠊎一杯咖啡同一隻三明治。
qiangˋ bunˊ ngaiˇ idˋ biˊ gaˊ biˊ tungˇ idˋ zagˋ samˊ minˇ ciichhiáng pûn ngài yit pî kâ pî thùng yit chak sâm mìn chhṳ
Please give me a coffee and a sandwich.

啊 — Making It Warm

(a) at the end turns an instruction into a friendly suggestion. The same particle closes a short reply, where it adds a note of willingness.

𫣆俚來去海灘啊。
enˊ liˋ loiˇ hi hoiˋ tanˊ aên lí lòi hi hói thân a
Let's go to the beach.
食兜仔水果啊。
siid deuˊ eˋ suiˋ goˋ asṳ̍t têu é súi kó a
Have some fruit.
好啊。
hoˋ ahó a
OK, sure.

毋好 — Don't

A negative order takes (mˇ hoˋm̀ hó) before the verb. The ordinary negators cannot be used to give an order — neither (moˇmò) nor (mˇm̀) on its own will do it.

毋好難過。
mˇ hoˋ nanˇ gom̀ hó nàn ko
Don't be sad.
毋好懶尸。
mˇ hoˋ lanˊ siiˊm̀ hó lân sṳ̂
Don't be lazy.
毋好等忒久。
mˇ hoˋ denˋ tedˋ giuˋm̀ hó tén thet kiú
Don't wait too long.

There is a second, sharper word for the same job: (mogmo̍k), a flat don't used to stop someone on the spot.

莫食該！
mog siid gemo̍k sṳ̍t ke
Don't eat that!
莫戴該頂帽仔。
mog dai ge dangˋ mo eˋmo̍k tai ke táng mo é
Don't wear that hat.

In the course

Sentences from Lingora’s Sixian Hakka course

39 of the course's 500 sentences use this, the first in lesson 29. A few of them, with the words “Imperatives and Suggestions: 來, 請, 啊, 毋好 and 莫” is about in bold:

知。𫣆俚來食中式料理。
diˊ. enˊ liˋ loiˇ siid zungˊ siidˋ liau liˊ.tî. ên lí lòi sṳ̍t chûng sṳt liau lî.
Yes. Let's eat Chinese food.
Lesson 127
莫食該！這係豬肉！
mog siid ge! iaˋ he zuˊ ngiugˋ!mo̍k sṳ̍t ke! yá he chû ngiuk!
Don't eat that! That's pork!
Lesson 366
毋好毋記得𫣆俚野餐用个乳酪。
mˇ hoˋ mˇ gi dedˋ enˊ liˋ iaˊ conˊ iung ge nen logˋ.m̀ hó m̀ ki tet ên lí yâ chhôn yung ke nen lok.
Don't forget the cheese for our picnic.
Lesson 477

Comments

Loading comments…