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Cantonese Chinese · Cantonese Band 1 (A1) · Chapter 10

我好鍾意香港。I really like Hong Kong.

ngo5 hou2 zung1 ji3 hoeng1 gong2

Saying what you like: 鍾意 and 鍾唔鍾意; describing things with 好 + adjective, with no 係 before the adjective. Dim sum: 蝦餃 and 燒賣. Culture: what yum cha is.

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Dialogue

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鍾唔鍾意香港？— Do you like Hong Kong?

  1. KaYanMike，你nei5鍾zung1唔m4鍾zung1意ji3香hoeng1港gong2呀aa3？Mike, do you like Hong Kong?
  2. Mike鍾zung1意ji3！香hoeng1港gong2係hai6好hou2熱jit6。I do! Hong Kong is very hot.
  3. KaYan係hai6呀aa3，香hoeng1港gong2好hou2熱jit6。Yes, Hong Kong is very hot.
  4. KaYan你nei5鍾zung1意ji3乜mat1嘢je5呀aa3？What do you like?
  5. Mike好hou2多do1嘢je5！香hoeng1港gong2好hou2好hou2玩waan2！Lots of things! Hong Kong is so much fun!
  6. KaYan你nei5鍾zung1意ji3食sik6乜mat1嘢je5呀aa3？What do you like to eat?
  7. Mike我ngo5鍾zung1意ji3飲jam2茶caa4！I love yum cha!

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飲茶— Yum cha

  1. AhMingMike，你nei5食sik6乜mat1嘢je5點dim2心sam1呀aa3？Mike, which dim sum are you having?
  2. Mike蝦haa1餃gaau2同tung4埋maai4燒siu1賣maai2！Shrimp dumplings and siu mai!
  3. AhMing好hou2！呢ni1間gaan1嘅ge3蝦haa1餃gaau2好hou2好hou2食sik6。Good! The shrimp dumplings here are really tasty.
  4. Mike係hai6呀aa3，好hou2好hou2食sik6！They are — so tasty!
  5. Mike燒siu1賣maai2都dou1好hou2好hou2食sik6！The siu mai is tasty too!
  6. AhMingMike，你nei5冇mou5飲jam2茶caa4喎wo3！Mike, you haven't drunk any tea!
  7. Mike我ngo5鍾zung1意ji3「飲jam2茶caa4」，唔m4鍾zung1意ji3飲jam2茶caa4！I like yum cha — I just don't like drinking tea!

Vocabulary

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鍾zung1意ji3

verbto like

香hoeng1港gong2

pn.Hong Kong

熱jit6

adjectivehot

好hou2玩waan2

adjectivefun

飲jam2

verbto drink

飲jam2茶caa4

verbto have yum cha (tea with dim sum); lit. "drink tea"

點dim2心sam1

noundim sum

蝦haa1餃gaau2

nounshrimp dumpling (har gow)

燒siu1賣maai2

nounsiu mai (pork dumpling)

好hou2食sik6

adjectivetasty (of food)

喎wo3

particleparticle for something just noticed (你冇飲茶喎！ "you haven't drunk your tea!")

New characters

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鍾

to be fond of (in 鍾意)

意

idea; wish (in 鍾意)

香

fragrant (in 香港)

港

harbor (in 香港)

熱jit6

hot

玩

to play (in 好玩)

飲jam2

to drink

點

dot; a little (in 點心)

心

heart

蝦

shrimp

餃

dumpling

燒

to roast; to burn

賣

to sell (said maai2 in 燒賣)

喎wo3

particle for something just noticed (a Cantonese character)

Grammar

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好 + adjective, with no 係

Explanation

The ordinary way to say what something is like is 好 + adjective: 香港好熱 "Hong Kong is hot", 蝦餃好好食 "the shrimp dumplings are tasty". 好 means "very", but this is simply how everyday statements are made. A bare adjective sounds as if you are comparing it with something else. There is no 係 before an adjective. 係 links two nouns: 我係學生 "I'm a student". So it is 香港好熱, not 香港係好熱. To say "not", put 唔 before the adjective: 唔熱 "not hot", 唔辛苦 "not tough".

Examples

  • 香港好熱。Hong Kong is hot.
  • 香港好好玩。Hong Kong is fun.
  • 呢間嘅蝦餃好好食。The shrimp dumplings here are tasty.
  • 佢係老師。She's a teacher. (two nouns: 係)
  • 茶唔熱。The tea isn't hot.

Grammar

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Liking things: 鍾意 and 鍾唔鍾意?

Explanation

鍾意 means "to like". It can take a noun: 我鍾意香港 "I like Hong Kong". It can also take a verb: 我鍾意飲茶 "I like yum cha", 我鍾意食點心 "I like eating dim sum". To ask whether someone likes something, use the A-not-A question. 鍾意 has two syllables, and only the first one is repeated: 你鍾唔鍾意香港呀? "Do you like Hong Kong?" Answer 鍾意 "I do" or 唔鍾意 "I don't". 好 goes before 鍾意 just as it goes before an adjective: 我好鍾意飲茶 "I really like yum cha".

Examples

  • 我鍾意香港。I like Hong Kong.
  • 我鍾意食點心。I like eating dim sum.
  • 你鍾唔鍾意飲茶呀？Do you like yum cha?
  • 唔鍾意。I don't (like it).
  • 我好鍾意飲茶。I really like yum cha.

Culture

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乜嘢係飲茶？What is yum cha?

飲茶 literally means "drink tea". In Hong Kong it names a whole meal: tea, with dim sum.

When people go

Traditionally, many older people go for yum cha after their morning exercise.

At weekends and on holidays, many families go together.

Pouring tea, and tapping the table

When you pour tea, pour for others first and for yourself last. Younger people pour for older people first.

When someone pours your tea, you can tap two fingers (sometimes one) lightly on the table to thank them. In English this is called the "finger kowtow": the fingers stand in for a bow.

The usual explanation is a legend: the Qianlong emperor, travelling in disguise, poured tea for his companions himself. They could not bow to him in public, so they tapped their fingers on the table instead.

Out of tea? Lift the lid

When the teapot is empty, open its lid or set the lid askew. The staff see it and refill the pot.

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