Negation: 無, 毋 and 吂

01

無 — Denying a Fact or an Event

無 (moˇmò) is the workhorse. It goes in front of a verb or an adjective and denies that something is so, or that it happened at all.

• 佢無睡。

  giˇ moˇ soikì mò soi

  She isn't sleeping.

• 𠊎無看著。

  ngaiˇ moˇ kon doˋngài mò khon tó

  I didn't see it.

• 你看起來無爽快。

  nˇ kon hiˋ loiˇ moˇ songˋ kuaiǹ khon hí lòi mò sóng khoai

  You don't look well.

It is also the negative of 有 (iuˊyû) to have, and in that role it covers both not have and there is not.

• 𠊎無時間。

  ngaiˇ moˇ siiˇ gienˊngài mò sṳ̀ kiên

  I don't have time.

• 無問題。

  moˇ mun tiˇmò mun thì

  No problem.

• 𠊎兜个倈仔無頭路。

  ngaiˇ deuˊ ge lai eˋ moˇ teuˇ lungài têu ke lai é mò thèu lu

  Our son doesn't have a job.

Because 無 (moˇmò) denies events as well as possession, a past event is negated with 無 (moˇmò) and never with 毋 (mˇm̀). Hakka has no past tense, so nothing else in the sentence shifts to mark the time. Standing alone, 無 (moˇmò) is the natural way to answer a question in the negative.

• 無，只有幾隻。

  moˇ ziiˋ iuˊ giˋ zagˋmò chṳ́ yû kí chak

  No, just a few.

02

毋 — Denying a State or an Intention

毋 (mˇm̀) denies what something is, or what someone is willing to do, rather than reporting that an event failed to happen. Roughly: 無 (moˇmò) says it didn't happen, while 毋 (mˇm̀) says it isn't so or I won't.

• 𠊎毋中意佢。

  ngaiˇ mˇ zung i giˇngài m̀ chung yi kì

  I don't like it.

• 𠊎毋知該隻樂隊个歌仔。

  ngaiˇ mˇ diˊ ge zagˋ ngog cui ge goˊ eˋngài m̀ tî ke chak ngo̍k chhui ke kô é

  I don't know that band's songs.

• 佢毋係先生。

  giˇ mˇ he xinˊ sangˊkì m̀ he sîn sâng

  She is not a teacher.

03

毋 Inside the Verb

毋 (mˇm̀) also drops in between a verb and the word naming its result, and the whole then says the result cannot be reached. This is a genuinely different construction from plain negation: the action is attempted, but it fails. English hides the difference inside can't.

• 𠊎看毋著你。

  ngaiˇ kon mˇ doˋ nˇngài khon m̀ tó ǹ

  I can't see you.

• 𠊎尋毋著吾目鏡。

  ngaiˇ qimˇ mˇ doˋ ngaˊ mugˋ giangngài chhìm m̀ tó ngâ muk kiang

  I can't find my glasses.

04

The 毋 Compounds

A set of very common words is built on 毋 (mˇm̀), and each is better learned whole than assembled fresh each time.

• 做毋得 (zo mˇ dedˋcho m̀ tet) — cannot, may not.
• 毋會 (mˇ voim̀ voi) — will not, cannot.
• 毋使 (mˇ siiˋm̀ sṳ́) — no need to.
• 毋好 (mˇ hoˋm̀ hó) — don't, the negative order.
• 毋過 (mˇ gom̀ ko) — but.

• 噢，做毋得！

  oˊ zo mˇ dedˋô cho m̀ tet

  Oh, that's not possible!

• 毋使細義。

  mˇ siiˋ se ngim̀ sṳ́ se ngi

  No need to be so polite.

• 毋好等忒久。

  mˇ hoˋ denˋ tedˋ giuˋm̀ hó tén thet kiú

  Don't wait too long.

05

吂 — Not Yet

吂 (mangˇmàng) covers what has not happened so far, leaving open that it still may. Placed at the end of a sentence it asks whether the event has taken place yet, and it is the ordinary way of putting that question.

• 食飽吂？

  siid bauˋ mangˇsṳ̍t páu màng

  Have you eaten yet?

• 你開門吂？

  nˇ koiˊ munˇ mangˇǹ khôi mùn màng

  Have you opened the door yet?

• 你準備好愛來食朝吂？

  nˇ zunˋ pi hoˋ oi loiˇ siid zeuˊ mangˇǹ chún phi hó oi lòi sṳ̍t chêu màng

  Are you ready to come and eat breakfast yet?

06

Choosing Between Them

A short guide that carries a learner a long way: 無 (moˇmò) for didn't and doesn't have; 毋 (mˇm̀) for isn't and won't, and before 係 (he); 吂 (mangˇmàng) for not yet. When the English is can't because an attempt came to nothing, the negator moves inside the verb rather than standing in front of it.