Cantonese Chinese · Cantonese Band 1 (A1) · Chapter 1
你好！Hello!
Your first Cantonese: 早晨 in the morning, 你好 when you meet, 拜拜 when you leave, 早唞 at night. And the two thank-yous — 唔該 and 多謝 — and when each one is right.
Dialogue
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早晨！— Good morning!
- WongTaai早晨！Good morning!
- Mike早晨！你好！Good morning! Hello!
- WongTaai你好！Hello!
- Mike拜拜！Bye-bye! (the lift is already at his floor)
- WongTaai拜拜！Bye-bye!
Dialogue
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多謝！— Thank you!
- WongTaaiMike，俾你。Mike, for you. (she hands him an orange)
- Mike唔該！Thanks! (唔該 — the word for a favour)
- WongTaai唔該？多謝呀！唔該? You mean 多謝!
- Mike多謝！多謝黃太！Thank you! Thank you, Mrs Wong!
- WongTaai唔使客氣。早唞！You're welcome. Good night!
- Mike早唞！唔該！Good night! Thanks! (she is holding the door for him)
Vocabulary
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- 早晨
int.good morning
- 你好
int.hello
- 拜拜
int.bye-bye
- 早唞
int.good night (going to bed, or parting late)
- 唔該
int.thanks (for a service or favour); excuse me
- 多謝
int.thank you (for a gift or a kindness)
- 唔使客氣
phraseyou're welcome (lit. no need to be polite)
- 俾
verbto give (俾你 = here, for you)
- 你
pronounyou
- 呀
particlesoftening particle at the end of a line (makes it warmer)
- 黃太
pn.Mrs Wong (surname 黃 + 太, "Mrs")
New characters
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- 早
early; morning (in 早晨, 早唞)
- 晨
morning (in 早晨)
- 你
you
- 好
good (in 你好)
- 拜
to pay respects; (拜拜 = bye-bye, said baai1 baai3)
- 唞
to rest (in 早唞)
- 唔
not (in 唔該, 唔使)
- 該
should; ought (in 唔該)
- 多
many; much (in 多謝)
- 謝
to thank (in 多謝)
- 使
to need; to use (in 唔使)
- 客
guest (in 客氣)
- 氣
air; manner (in 客氣 = polite)
- 俾
to give
- 呀
softening particle
- 黃
yellow; the surname Wong
- 太
too; after a surname: Mrs (黃太, said taai2)
Grammar
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早晨, 你好, 拜拜, 早唞 — which greeting when
Explanation
早晨 is for mornings only: when you see someone in the morning, it is the first thing you say. You do not say it in the afternoon or evening. 你好 suits a first meeting, or any moment you want to be polite. It works at any hour. 拜拜 is for leaving, and so is 再見. 拜拜 is lighter, and the one you will hear most. 早唞 is for parting late in the evening or before bed. It means something like "rest early". Never in the morning!
Examples
- 早晨，黃太！Good morning, Mrs Wong! (8 a.m., in the lift)
- 你好！Hello! (meeting someone new in the afternoon)
- 拜拜！Bye-bye! (leaving, any time of day)
- 早唞！Good night! (11 p.m., everyone going home)
Grammar
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唔該 or 多謝?
Explanation
Cantonese has two thank-yous. 唔該 is for when someone does something for you: opens a door, lets you pass, tells you the way. It is also the first word when you ask someone for help. 多謝 is for when you receive a gift or a kindness: a present, a meal someone treats you to, a compliment. Mrs Wong's orange is a gift, so 多謝. Holding the door is a service, so 唔該. Both get the same reply: 唔使客氣.
Examples
- 唔該！Thanks! (someone holds the lift for you)
- 多謝！Thank you! (a friend gives you a present)
- 唔該，黃太！Thanks, Mrs Wong! (she tells you where the shop is)
- 多謝黃太！Thank you, Mrs Wong! (she gives you fruit)
- 唔使客氣。You're welcome. (the reply to either)
pronunciation
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