Cantonese Chinese · Cantonese Band 1 (A1) · Chapter 23
搭巴士定係搭地鐵？Bus or MTR?
Bus, MTR, minibus, taxi; "or" in a question (定係) and in a statement (或者); going by bus (搭巴士去); which stop? Pronunciation: long aa, short a.
Dialogue
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搭巴士定係搭地鐵？— Bus or MTR?
- Mike家欣，我哋搭巴士或者搭地鐵呀？Ka-yan, shall we take the bus or the MTR? (he uses 或者 in a question)
- KaYan搭巴士定係搭地鐵？你想搭邊個？Bus or MTR? Which do you want to take?
- Mike我想搭巴士。I want to take the bus.
- KaYan好，我哋搭巴士去。OK, we'll go by bus.
- Mike搭幾多號巴士呀？Which bus number?
- KaYan八號。或者搭小巴。Number 8. Or we take a minibus.
- Mike小巴好細！搭巴士啦。Minibuses are so small! Let's take the bus.
Dialogue
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你嚟唔嚟？— Are you coming?
- AhMing你哋去邊度呀？Where are you two going?
- KaYan我哋去大學。你嚟唔嚟呀？We're going to the university. Are you coming?
- AhMing嚟呀！你哋點去呀？Yes! How are you getting there?
- Mike我哋搭巴士去。We're going by bus.
- AhMing巴士？我坐的士去！The bus? I'm taking a taxi!
- KaYan的士好貴呀！Taxis are expensive!
- AhMing好啦，我同你哋一齊搭巴士。All right, I'll take the bus with you.
- Mike我哋喺邊個車站搭呀？Which stop do we catch it from?
- KaYan嗰個車站，喺街市對面。That stop, opposite the market.
Vocabulary
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- 搭
verbto take (a bus, the MTR)
- 巴士
nounbus
- 的士
nountaxi
- 小巴
nounminibus
- 車站
nounstation; stop (bus)
- 坐
verbto sit; to ride (a taxi, a bus)
- 定係
conjunctionor (in a question)
- 或者
conjunctionor (in a statement); maybe
- 嚟
verbto come
New characters
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- 搭
to take (transport)
- 巴
in 巴士 "bus", 小巴 "minibus"
- 士
in 巴士 "bus", 的士 "taxi"
- 的
in 的士 "taxi"
- 或
or (in 或者)
- 者
in 或者 "or"
- 定
settled, fixed (in 定係 "or")
- 嚟
to come
- 坐
to sit
- 車
vehicle, car
Grammar
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Two words for "or": 定係, 或者
Explanation
To ask someone to choose, use 定係: 搭巴士定係搭地鐵？ "bus or MTR?". The answer picks one: 搭巴士. To say that either would do, use 或者: 搭巴士或者搭小巴 "by bus or by minibus". That is a statement, not a question. Questions take 定係, statements take 或者. Mike put 或者 in a question, so Ka-yan asks him back with 定係.
Examples
- 你飲茶定係飲咖啡呀？Will you have tea or coffee?
- 星期六或者星期日都得。Saturday or Sunday, either is fine.
- 佢係學生定係老師？Is she a student or a teacher?
Grammar
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Going by bus: 搭巴士去
Explanation
To say how you travel, name the transport first, then 去 "go" or 嚟 "come": 搭巴士去 "go by bus", 坐的士嚟 "come by taxi". The place goes last: 我搭地鐵去大學 "I take the MTR to the university". Both 搭 and 坐 work: 搭巴士, 坐巴士. 坐 also means "to sit". Ask how with 點 from chapter 22: 你點去大學呀？ 我搭巴士去.
Examples
- 我搭地鐵去大學。I take the MTR to the university.
- 佢坐的士嚟。He's coming by taxi.
- 你點去街市呀？我搭小巴去。How do you get to the market? I go by minibus.
pronunciation
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