The Linking Verb 是 (sī) — Taiwanese Hokkien Grammar

(sīsīsi7) links a subject to a noun that says what it is. Word order is the same as English: subject, then (sīsīsi7), then the noun.

這是我的朋友Anna。
tse sī guá-ê pîng-iú Annache sī góa-ê pêng-iú Aⁿatse1 si7 gua2-e5 ping5-iu2 Anna1
This is my friend Anna.
伊是學生。
i sī ha̍k-singi sī ha̍k-sengi1 si7 hak8-sing1
She is a student.
𪜶是朋友。
in sī pîng-iúin sī pêng-iúin1 si7 ping5-iu2
They are friends.

Not Used With Adjectives

This is the point English speakers get wrong most often. To say she is good you do NOT use (sīsīsi7). An adjective is its own predicate — it needs no linking verb, but it does normally take a degree word such as (tsinchintsin1) or (siunnsiuⁿsiunn1) in front of it.

這傷貴矣。
tse siunn kuì --ahche siuⁿ kùi --ahtse1 siunn1 kui3 --ah4
This is too expensive.

是 … 的: Saying What Kind

There is one place an adjective does follow (sīsīsi7): when the phrase is closed off with (êêe5). This does not describe the thing, it sorts it into a category — it is a flat one, it is a true one. The difference is real: a bare adjective tells you how something is, while (sīsīsi7) … (êêe5) tells you which kind of thing it is.

毋過這是真的！
m̄-koh tse sī tsin --êm̄-koh che sī chin --êm7-koh4 tse1 si7 tsin1 --e5
But this one is true.

The same frame will wrap a whole verb phrase, which is how you say what something is for or how it is done.

這个門是用捒的，毋是用搝的。
tsit ê mn̂g sī iōng sak --ê m̄-sī iōng khiú --êchit ê mn̂g sī iōng sak --ê m̄-sī iōng khiú --êtsit4 e5 mng5 si7 iong7 sak4 --e5 m7-si7 iong7 khiu2 --e5
This door is for pushing, not for pulling.

The Negative 毋是

The negative is (m̄-sīm̄-sīm7-si7). Treat it as a single word. This is important because Taiwanese has several negators and they are not interchangeable — you cannot negate (sīsīsi7) with (bôbôbo5) or (bēbēbe7), only with (m̄m̄m7), and only in this fixed pair.

伊毋是我的朋友。
i m̄-sī guá-ê pîng-iúi m̄-sī góa-ê pêng-iúi1 m7-si7 gua2-e5 ping5-iu2
He isn't my friend.
彼毋是野生動物。
he m̄-sī iá-sing tōng-bu̍the m̄-sī iá-seng tōng-bu̍the1 m7-si7 ia2-sing1 tong7-but8
That isn't a wild animal.

毋是 as 'No'

Because there is no word for no, (m̄-sīm̄-sīm7-si7) also stands alone at the front of a reply to reject what was just said, and the correction then follows.

毋是，彼个是阮的阿姨。
m̄-sī hit ê sī guán-ê a-îm̄-sī hit ê sī goán-ê a-îm7-si7 hit4 e5 si7 guan2-e5 a1-i5
No — that one is my aunt.
毋是，今仔日是第二工。
m̄-sī kin-á-ji̍t sī tē-jī kangm̄-sī kin-á-ji̍t sī tē-jī kangm7-si7 kin1-a2-jit8 si7 te7-ji7 kang1
No, today is the second day.

In the course

Sentences from Lingora’s Taiwanese Hokkien course

73 of the course's 500 sentences use this, the first in lesson 2. A few of them, with the words “The Linking Verb 是 (sī)” is about in bold:

這是我的朋友Anna。伊是學生。
tse sī guá-ê pîng-iú Anna. i sī ha̍k-sing.che sī góa-ê pêng-iú Aⁿa. i sī ha̍k-seng.tse1 si7 gua2-e5 ping5-iu2 Anna1. i1 si7 hak8-sing1.
This is my friend, Anna. She is a student.
Lesson 2
我對伊的第一印象是真巧。
guá tuì i-ê tē-it ìn-siōng sī tsin khiáu.góa tùi i-ê tē-it ìn-siōng sī chin khiáu.gua2 tui3 i1-e5 te7-it4 in3-siong7 si7 tsin1 khiau2.
My first impression is that she is very smart.
Lesson 333
你是第一个注意著的人！
lí sī tē-it ê tsù-ì --tio̍h ê lâng!lí sī tē-it ê chù-ì --tio̍h ê lâng!li2 si7 te7-it4 e5 tsu3-i3 --tioh8 e5 lang5!
You are the first person to notice!
Lesson 337

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