Result and Degree with 著 and 到

01

著 — Reaching the Target

著 (doˋtó) after a verb says the action succeeded in reaching its object. On its own the verb describes the effort; with 著 (doˋtó) it describes the outcome.

• 你兜下一課會學著當多新單詞。

  nˇ deuˊ ha idˋ ko voi hog doˋ dongˊ doˊ xinˊ danˊ ciiˇǹ têu ha yit kho voi ho̍k tó tông tô sîn tân chhṳ̀

  In the next lesson you'll learn a lot of new words.

• 佢兜無看著，毋過佢兜聽著了。

  giˇ deuˊ moˇ kon doˋ mˇ go giˇ deuˊ tangˊ doˋ leˋkì têu mò khon tó m̀ ko kì têu thâng tó lé

  They didn't see it, but they heard it.

02

The Negative Slots Inside

To say the result was NOT reached, 毋 (mˇm̀) goes between the verb and the complement rather than in front of the whole. This gives the ordinary way of saying can't see and can't find — the looking happens, the finding does not.

• 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.

03

到 — How Far It Goes

到 (doto) after a verb marks the extent or the degree the action reaches, and is followed by a description of that degree. This is how Hakka says that something is done well, badly or a lot: the adjective describes the action rather than the doer.

• 𠊎試著你講到當好。

  ngaiˇ cii doˋ nˇ gongˋ do dongˊ hoˋngài chhṳ tó ǹ kóng to tông hó

  I think you speak really well.

• 佢彈到當好。

  giˇ tanˇ do dongˊ hoˋkì thàn to tông hó

  He plays really well.

• 河壩水七月仔變到當燒暖。

  hoˇ ba suiˋ qidˋ ngied eˋ bien do dongˊ seuˊ nonˊhò pa súi chhit ngie̍t é pien to tông sêu nôn

  In July the river water turns really warm.

04

Asking About the Degree

A question about how something turned out uses the same frame, with a question word standing where the description would go.

• 你在法國个假期過到仰般形？

  nˇ di fabˋ guedˋ ge gaˋ kiˇ go do ngiongˋ banˊ hinˇǹ ti fap koet ke ká khì ko to ngióng pân hìn

  How did your holiday in France go?

• 金夫人你好，你在醫院過到仰仔？

  gimˊ fuˊ nginˇ nˇ hoˋ nˇ di iˊ ien go do ngiongˋ eˇkîm fû ngìn ǹ hó ǹ ti yî yen ko to ngióng è

  Hello Mrs. Kim, how are you getting on in hospital?

05

Two Different Jobs

著 (doˋtó) reports that the action hit its mark; 到 (doto) reports how far it went. A verb can take either, and the choice is a matter of what is being said about the action rather than of which verb is used.