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Cantonese Chinese · Cantonese Band 1 (A1) · Chapter 7

你有冇兄弟姊妹？Do you have any brothers or sisters?

nei5 jau5 mou5 hing1 dai6 zi2 mui6

有 and 冇, and how to ask 有冇…?; brothers and sisters: 哥哥, 家姐, 細佬, 妹妹; and 兩個 — why "two" before a measure word is not 二個.

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兄弟姊妹— Brothers and sisters

  1. KaYanMike，你nei5有jau5冇mou5兄hing1弟dai6姊zi2妹mui6呀aa3？Mike, do you have any brothers or sisters?
  2. Mike有jau5。我ngo5有jau5二ji6個go3家gaa1姐ze1。Yes. I have two older sisters. (he says 二, the "two" for counting)
  3. KaYan兩loeng5個go3家gaa1姐ze1！Two (兩個) older sisters!
  4. Mike係hai6，兩loeng5個go3家gaa1姐ze1。你nei5呢ne1？Right, two older sisters. And you?
  5. KaYan我ngo5有jau5一jat1個go3哥go4哥go1同tung4埋maai4一jat1個go3細sai3佬lou2。I have an older brother and a younger brother.
  6. Mike你nei5冇mou5妹mui4妹mui2？No younger sister?
  7. KaYan冇mou5，但daan6係hai6我ngo5有jau5阿aa3明ming4！No — but I've got Ah Ming!

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一個都冇— Not even one

  1. Mike阿aa3明ming4，你nei5有jau5冇mou5兄hing1弟dai6姊zi2妹mui6呀aa3？Ah Ming, do you have any brothers or sisters?
  2. AhMing冇mou5。我ngo5冇mou5兄hing1弟dai6姊zi2妹mui6。No. I don't have any brothers or sisters.
  3. Mike一jat1個go3都dou1冇mou5？Not even one?
  4. AhMing一jat1個go3都dou1冇mou5。但daan6係hai6我ngo5有jau5好hou2多do1朋pang4友jau5！Not even one. But I have lots of friends!
  5. Mike幾gei2多do1個go3？How many?
  6. AhMing一jat1個go3。你nei5！One. You!

Vocabulary

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有jau5

verbto have; there is

冇mou5

verbnot have; there isn't (one word — never 唔有)

有jau5冇mou5

phrasehave or not? — is there…? (asks a question)

兄hing1弟dai6姊zi2妹mui6

nounbrothers and sisters; siblings

兩loeng5

numeraltwo (before a measure word: 兩個)

哥go4哥go1

nounolder brother

細sai3佬lou2

nounyounger brother

妹mui4妹mui2

nounyounger sister

同tung4埋maai4

conjunctionand (joining nouns)

但daan6係hai6

conjunctionbut

New characters

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有jau5

to have; there is

冇mou5

not have (a Cantonese character: 有 without its inner strokes)

兄

older brother (in 兄弟姊妹)

弟

younger brother (in 兄弟姊妹)

姊

older sister (in 兄弟姊妹)

妹

younger sister

兩loeng5

two (before a measure word)

哥

older brother (哥哥)

細

small; young (in 細佬)

佬

guy; man (in 細佬, said lou2)

埋

to come together; (in 同埋 = and)

但

but (in 但係)

Grammar

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有, 冇 and 有冇: have, not have, have…?

Explanation

有 means "to have" or "there is": 我有兩個家姐. Its negative is not 唔有 but a single word: 冇. 我冇兄弟姊妹. To ask, put 有 and 冇 together, the way 係唔係 works: 你有冇兄弟姊妹呀? Answer with 有 or 冇. With 都 you can make it stronger: 一個都冇 "not even one".

Examples

  • 我有兩個家姐。I have two older sisters.
  • 我冇兄弟姊妹。I don't have any brothers or sisters.
  • 你有冇細佬？有。Do you have a younger brother? — Yes.
  • 妹妹？一個都冇。Younger sisters? Not even one.

Grammar

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兩個, not 二個: "two" before a measure word

Explanation

Cantonese has two words for "two". For counting, numbers and phone numbers, and inside 十二 "twelve" and 二十 "twenty", use 二: 一、二、三; 九四六二; 十二. Before a measure word, use 兩: 兩個家姐, 兩位. That is why Mike's 二個家姐 is wrong and Ka-yan says it back at once: 兩個家姐. The pattern is number + measure word + noun: 一個哥哥, 兩個家姐, 三個同學. The measure word cannot be left out.

Examples

  • 兩個家姐two older sisters
  • 一個哥哥同埋一個細佬an older brother and a younger brother
  • 十二twelve (counting: 二, not 兩)
  • 兩位two people (polite)

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