Cantonese Chinese · Cantonese Band 1 (A1) · Chapter 18
我七點起身。I get up at seven.
A day's routine: getting up, showering, breakfast, dinner, bed; before and after (之前, 之後); first …, then … (先 … 再 …); morning, noon, evening. Pronunciation: a puff of air or none.
Dialogue
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我七點起身。— I get up at seven.
- WongTaaiMike，你每日幾點起身呀？Mike, what time do you get up every day?
- Mike我七點起身。I get up at seven.
- WongTaai起身之後做乜嘢？And after you get up?
- Mike我先沖涼，再食早餐。First I shower, then I have breakfast.
- WongTaai早餐食乜嘢呀？What do you have for breakfast?
- Mike一杯咖啡。A cup of coffee.
- WongTaai咖啡唔係早餐！Coffee isn't breakfast!
Dialogue
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你幾點瞓覺？— What time do you go to bed?
- KaYanMike，你夜晚做乜嘢呀？Mike, what do you do in the evenings?
- Mike放工之後，我食晚飯。After work, I have dinner.
- KaYan食晚飯之後呢？And after dinner?
- Mike瞓覺之前，我飲杯茶。Before bed, I have a cup of tea.
- KaYan你幾點瞓覺？What time do you go to bed?
- Mike十二點。Twelve.
- KaYan十二點瞓覺，朝早七點起身？晏晝你要瞓覺喇！Bed at twelve and up at seven in the morning? You'll need a nap at noon!
Vocabulary
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- 起身
verbto get up
- 沖涼
verbto shower, to bathe
- 早餐
nounbreakfast
- 晚飯
noundinner
- 瞓覺
verbto sleep, to go to bed
- 每日
adverbevery day
- 朝早
nounmorning
- 晏晝
nounnoon; early afternoon
- 夜晚
nounevening; night
- 之前
adverbbefore (瞓覺之前 "before sleeping")
- 之後
adverbafter (放工之後 "after work")
- 先
adverbfirst
- 再
adverbthen; again
New characters
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- 每
every
- 起
to rise (in 起身 "get up")
- 身
body (in 起身)
- 之
(links words; in 之前 "before", 之後 "after")
- 先
first
- 沖
to rinse (in 沖涼 "shower")
- 涼
cool (in 沖涼)
- 再
then; again
- 夜
night
- 晚
evening; late
- 飯
cooked rice; a meal
- 瞓
to lie down, to sleep (in 瞓覺)
- 覺
sleep (in 瞓覺, said gaau3)
- 前
before; front
- 朝
morning (in 朝早)
- 晏
late in the day (in 晏晝 "noon")
- 晝
daytime (in 晏晝)
Grammar
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Before and after: 之前, 之後
Explanation
For "before" and "after": the action + 之前 / 之後, at the front of the sentence. 瞓覺之前，我飲杯茶 "before bed, I have a cup of tea". 放工之後，我食晚飯 "after work, I have dinner". Like a time word (chapter 16), it goes before the main verb.
Examples
- 起身之後，我沖涼。After I get up, I shower.
- 上堂之前，我飲咖啡。Before class, I drink coffee.
- 食晚飯之後，佢休息。After dinner, he rests.
Grammar
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First …, then …: 先 … 再 …
Explanation
To say which of two things comes first: 先 + the first action, 再 + the second. 我先沖涼，再食早餐 "first I shower, then I have breakfast". 先 and 再 both go right before their verbs.
Examples
- 我先飲咖啡，再返工。First I have coffee, then I go to work.
- 佢先食晚飯，再沖涼。She has dinner first, then showers.
- 你先休息，再上堂。Rest first, then go to class.
pronunciation
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