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Cantonese Chinese · Cantonese Band 1 (A1) · Chapter 5

一、二、三！One, two, three!

jat1 ji6 saam1

Zero to ten, reading a phone number, asking with 幾多 and 幾, and the 幾位 of a Hong Kong café. The numbers already carry all six tones. Culture: how to address people in Hong Kong.

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Dialogue

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你電話幾多號呀？— What's your phone number?

  1. KaYanMike，你nei5電din6話waa2幾gei2多do1號hou6呀aa3？Mike, what's your phone number?
  2. Mike九gau2四sei3六luk6二ji6，五ng5零ling4八baat3七cat1。Nine-four-six-two, five-zero-eight-seven.
  3. KaYan九gau2四sei3六luk6二ji6，五ng5零ling4八baat3七cat1。好hou2！9462, 5087. Got it!
  4. Mike你nei5呢ne1？And yours?
  5. KaYan六luk6三saam1一jat1九gau2，一jat1零ling4……Six-three-one-nine, one-zero…
  6. Mike十sap6？Ten?
  7. KaYan唔m4係hai6十sap6！一jat1、零ling4、二ji6、四sei3。Not ten! One, zero, two, four.

Dialogue

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幾位呀？— How many of you?

  1. AhMing早zou2晨san4！幾gei2位wai2呀aa3？Morning! How many of you?
  2. KaYan早zou2晨san4，阿aa3明ming4！三saam1位wai2。Morning, Ah Ming! Three.
  3. AhMing三saam1位wai2？一jat1、二ji6……？Three? One, two…?
  4. Mike何ho4老lou5師si1！何ho4老lou5師si1，早zou2晨san4！Ms Ho! Good morning, Ms Ho! (the teacher walks in)
  5. AhMing哦o4，三saam1位wai2！Oh — three!

Vocabulary

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零ling4

numeralzero

一jat1

numeralone

二ji6

numeraltwo (when counting)

三saam1

numeralthree

四sei3

numeralfour

五ng5

numeralfive

六luk6

numeralsix

七cat1

numeralseven

八baat3

numeraleight

九gau2

numeralnine

十sap6

numeralten

電din6話waa2

nountelephone; phone number

幾gei2多do1

pronounhow many; how much (any amount)

號hou6

nounnumber (幾多號？ "what number?")

幾gei2

pronounhow many (+ measure word; expects a small number)

位wai2

m.polite measure word for people (幾位？ "how many of you?")

New characters

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零ling4

zero

一jat1

one

二ji6

two

三saam1

three

四sei3

four

五ng5

five

六luk6

six

七cat1

seven

八baat3

eight

九gau2

nine

十sap6

ten

電

electricity (in 電話)

話

speech; words (in 電話, said waa2 there)

幾gei2

how many; a few

號hou6

number

位wai2

polite measure for people (幾位, said wai2)

Grammar

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Zero to ten — and phone numbers, digit by digit

Explanation

Zero to ten: 零, 一, 二, 三, 四, 五, 六, 七, 八, 九, 十. A phone number is read one digit at a time: 九四六二，五零八七 — never as one big number. So 一零 is two digits, one and zero, not 十 "ten". That is why Ka-yan has to tell Mike: 唔係十! Ka-yan and Mike both read the eight digits in two halves: 六三一九，一零二四.

Examples

  • 一、二、三、四、五one, two, three, four, five
  • 六、七、八、九、十six, seven, eight, nine, ten
  • 九gau2四sei3六luk6二ji6，五ng5零ling4八baat3七cat1。9462 5087 — read digit by digit
  • 一零，唔係十。One-zero, not ten.

Grammar

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幾多 or 幾? Asking "how many"

Explanation

There are two ways to ask "how many": 幾多 and 幾. 幾多 can ask for any amount: 你電話幾多號呀? — the answer can be long. 幾 needs a measure word after it, and expects a small number: 幾位呀? — 三位. 位 is the polite measure word for people. Restaurant staff ask 幾位呀? and the customer answers 三位.

Examples

  • 你nei5電din6話waa2幾gei2多do1號hou6呀aa3？What's your phone number?
  • 幾位呀？三位。How many of you? — Three.
  • 幾個同學？五個。How many classmates? — Five.

Culture

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點樣叫人？How do you address people?

Addressing people in Hong Kong follows one simple rule: surname first, title after. Learn a handful of titles and you will not get it wrong.

先生, 太太, 小姐 — Mr, Mrs, Miss

The title goes after the surname: 陳先生 "Mr Chan", 陳太太 "Mrs Chan", 陳小姐 "Miss Chan". 黃太 is the short form of 黃太太, with 太 said taai2.

In speech, 先生 also shortens: 何先生 "Mr Ho" becomes 何生.

老師 — teacher as a title

老師 is itself a title. Students call their teacher 何老師: surname first, 老師 after, just like 先生 and 太太.

English names

Many people in Hong Kong have an English name. A 2015 survey found that about two in three do: roughly a quarter have it as part of their legal name, and about another four in ten simply go by one.

阿 + a name

Between friends and family, 阿 (aa3) goes in front of a name: 阿明, 阿 Mike. It sounds warm and casual.

pronunciation

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