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Cantonese Chinese · Cantonese Band 1 (A1) · Chapter 25

我哋搭船去！Let's go by boat!

ngo5 dei6 daap3 syun4 heoi3

Taking the ferry: how long it takes (要 + time); careful, slowly (小心, 慢慢); the first time (第一次). Culture: how do you take a minibus or the Star Ferry?

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Dialogue

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我哋搭船去！— Let's go by boat!

  1. KaYan我ngo5哋dei6搭daap3船syun4去heoi3！Let's go by boat!
  2. Mike搭daap3船syun4？我ngo5第dai6一jat1次ci3搭daap3船syun4。By boat? It's my first time on a boat.
  3. KaYan你nei5會wui5鍾zung1意ji3！You'll love it!
  4. Mike要jiu3等dang2幾gei2多do1分fan1鐘zung1呀aa3？How many minutes do we have to wait?
  5. KaYan等dang2船syun4要jiu3五ng5分fan1鐘zung1。Five minutes for the boat.
  6. Mike好hou2，我ngo5哋dei6喺hai2呢ni1度dou6等dang2。OK, let's wait here.
  7. KaYan船syun4嚟lai4喇laa3！Here comes the boat!

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小心，慢慢行！— Careful, take it slowly!

  1. KaYanMike，小siu2心sam1呀aa3！慢maan6慢maan2行haang4。Mike, careful! Take it slowly.
  2. Mike哦o4，呢ni1個go3地dei6方fong1好hou2靚leng3！船syun4去heoi3唔m4去heoi3機gei1場coeng4呀aa3？Oh, this place is beautiful! Does the boat go to the airport?
  3. KaYan唔m4去heoi3，機gei1場coeng4好hou2遠jyun5。我ngo5哋dei6坐co5呢ni1度dou6啦laa1。No, the airport is far. Let's sit here.
  4. Mike第dai6一jat1次ci3搭daap3船syun4，好hou2好hou2呀aa3！My first time on a boat, and it's great!
  5. KaYan落lok6船syun4都dou1要jiu3慢maan6慢maan2行haang4呀aa3。Take it slowly getting off, too.
  6. Mike好hou2，慢maan6慢maan2行haang4，小siu2心sam1！Right: slowly, carefully!

Vocabulary

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船syun4

nounboat, ferry

機gei1場coeng4

nounairport

等dang2

verbto wait (for)

慢maan6慢maan2

adverbslowly; take your time

小siu2心sam1

verbto be careful; careful!

地dei6方fong1

nounplace

第dai6一jat1

numeralfirst

次ci3

nountime, occasion (第一次 "the first time")

New characters

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船syun4

boat

第dai6

ordinal prefix (第一 "first")

次ci3

time, occasion

等dang2

to wait

慢maan6

slow

方fong1

side, direction (in 地方)

場coeng4

open ground, site (in 機場)

Grammar

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"It takes …": 要 + time

Explanation

要 + a length of time says how long something takes: 等船要五分鐘 "the wait for the boat is five minutes". Say the activity first, then 要 + the time: 行路去地鐵站要五分鐘 "it's a five-minute walk to the station". Ask: 要幾多分鐘呀？ "how many minutes?". Answer: 要十分鐘 "ten minutes". In chapter 12, 要 took a thing: 我要一杯咖啡. In chapter 19 it took a verb: 要做功課. Now it takes a time.

Examples

  • 行haang4路lou6去heoi3地dei6鐵tit3站zaam6要jiu3五ng5分fan1鐘zung1。It's a five-minute walk to the MTR station.
  • 搭daap3巴baa1士si2去heoi3大daai6學hok6要jiu3二ji6十sap6分fan1鐘zung1。The bus to the university takes twenty minutes.
  • 等dang2小siu2巴baa1要jiu3幾gei2多do1分fan1鐘zung1呀aa3？How many minutes is the wait for the minibus?

Grammar

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Careful, slowly: 小心, 慢慢 + verb

Explanation

慢慢 goes before a verb and means "do it slowly": 慢慢行 "walk slowly", 慢慢講 "say it slowly". 小心 can stand alone, 小心呀！ "careful!", or go before a verb: 小心落車 "careful getting off". 慢慢 is read maan6 maan2: the second 慢 changes its tone.

Examples

  • 你nei5慢maan6慢maan2講gong2，好hou2唔m4好hou2？Could you say it slowly?
  • 小siu2心sam1落lok6車ce1呀aa3！Careful getting off!
  • 慢maan6慢maan2行haang4，好hou2近kan5。Walk slowly, it's close.

Culture

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點樣搭小巴同天星小輪？How do you take a minibus or the Star Ferry?

Besides buses and the MTR, Hong Kong also has minibuses and ferries.

Minibuses

A minibus, 小巴 siu2 baa1, is small: it seats at most 16 or 19 passengers.

There are two kinds. Green minibuses run on fixed routes at fixed fares, regulated by the government. Red minibuses' routes, times and fares are not fixed or regulated.

On a green minibus you pay the exact fare or use an Octopus card. On a red minibus you pay just before you get off, and only a few take Octopus.

Passengers usually call out to the driver where they want to get off: 唔該，前面落車！ Some green minibuses have a bell, and red minibuses registered from 15 September 2017 must have one.

The Star Ferry

The Star Ferry, 天星小輪 tin1 sing1 siu2 leon4, was founded in 1888.

It crosses Victoria Harbour, from Central to Tsim Sha Tsui and from Wan Chai to Tsim Sha Tsui.

You can pay for the Star Ferry with an Octopus card, too.

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