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Cantonese Chinese · Cantonese Band 1 (A1) · Chapter 30

我間屋好細。My apartment is tiny.

ngo5 gaan1 uk1 hou2 sai3

Talking about a home: small, big, old, tall, low; "so" (咁細); very good, not bad, so-so (好好, 唔錯, 麻麻哋). Culture: where do Hong Kong people live?

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Dialogue

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我間屋好細。— My apartment is tiny.

  1. KaYanMike，你nei5間gaan1屋uk1咁gam3細sai3呀aa3？Mike, your apartment is that small?
  2. Mike係hai6呀aa3，我ngo5間gaan1屋uk1好hou2細sai3。Yes, my apartment is tiny.
  3. KaYan但daan6係hai6好hou2靚leng3呀aa3。窗coeng1咁gam3大daai6！But it's lovely. And the window is so big!
  4. Mike你nei5覺gok3得dak1點dim2呀aa3？What do you think?
  5. KaYan唔m4錯co3呀aa3！Not bad!
  6. Mike好hou2唔m4好hou2睇tai2呀aa3？Does it look nice?
  7. KaYan好hou2睇tai2！但daan6係hai6床cong4有jau5啲di1矮ai2。Yes! But the bed is a bit low.
  8. Mike我ngo5唔m4高gou1嘛maa3！Well, I'm not tall, am I!

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舊，但係唔錯。— Old, but not bad.

  1. Mike黃wong4太taai2，你nei5間gaan1屋uk1好hou2大daai6！Mrs Wong, your apartment is big!
  2. WongTaai好hou2舊gau6喇laa3。It's very old now.
  3. Mike舊gau6，但daan6係hai6唔m4錯co3呀aa3。Old, but not bad.
  4. WongTaai麻maa4麻maa2哋dei2啦laa1。It's so-so.
  5. Mike唔m4係hai6麻maa4麻maa2哋dei2，好hou2好hou2呀aa3！Not so-so, it's very good!
  6. WongTaai你nei5噉gam2講gong2，我ngo5好hou2開hoi1心sam1。When you say that, it makes me very happy.
  7. Mike呢ni1度dou6好hou2舒syu1服fuk6。It's very comfortable here.
  8. WongTaai坐co5啦laa1，飲jam2杯bui1茶caa4。Sit down, have a cup of tea.

Vocabulary

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舊gau6

adjectiveold (not new)

高gou1

adjectivetall; high

矮ai2

adjectiveshort (height); low

咁gam3

adverbso, this (before an adjective: 咁細 "so small")

噉gam2

adverblike that, that way (你噉講 "when you say it like that")

好hou2睇tai2

adjectivegood-looking; nice to look at

唔m4錯co3

adjectivenot bad, pretty good

麻maa4麻maa2哋dei2

adjectiveso-so

嘛maa3

particlesentence-final particle: "after all, you know" (it is obvious)

New characters

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咁gam3

so (this much)

錯co3

wrong, mistaken (in 唔錯 "not bad")

矮ai2

short, low

高gou1

tall, high

嘛maa3

particle: "after all, you know"

舊gau6

old (not new)

麻maa4

hemp; in 麻麻哋 "so-so"

噉gam2

like that, that way

Grammar

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"So": 咁 + adjective

Explanation

咁 + an adjective means "this much, so": 你間屋咁細呀？ "your apartment is that small?", 窗咁大！ "the window is so big!". 好 + an adjective just says "very": 我間屋好細 "my apartment is very small". 咁 gam3 is not 噉 gam2. 噉 means "like that", as in 你噉講 "when you say it like that".

Examples

  • 你nei5咁gam3攰gui6呀aa3？You're that tired?
  • 今gam1日jat6咁gam3凍dung3！It's so cold today!
  • 呢ni1件gin6衫saam1咁gam3貴gwai3！This top is so expensive!

Grammar

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Very good, not bad, so-so: 好好, 唔錯, 麻麻哋

Explanation

To ask someone's opinion: 你覺得點呀？ "what do you think?". Answers, from best to ordinary: 好好 "very good", 唔錯 "not bad", 麻麻哋 "so-so". 唔錯 means "not wrong", and it is praise. 麻麻哋 is ordinary, not quite good. 麻麻哋 is read maa4 maa2 dei2: the second 麻 changes its tone.

Examples

  • 你nei5覺gok3得dak1呢ni1碗wun2麵min6點dim2呀aa3？好hou2好hou2！What do you think of this bowl of noodles? Very good!
  • 呢ni1間gaan1茶caa4餐caan1廳teng1唔m4錯co3。This cha chaan teng is not bad.
  • 呢ni1個go3地dei6方fong1麻maa4麻maa2哋dei2。This place is so-so.

Culture

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香港人住喺邊度？Where do Hong Kong people live?

Hong Kong has a lot of public housing. Many people live in a 公屋 or a 居屋.

公屋 and 居屋

Public rental housing is called 公屋 gung1 uk1 for short. The subsidized flats for sale, under the Home Ownership Scheme, are called 居屋 geoi1 uk1.

Public housing is built mainly by the Hong Kong Housing Authority and the Hong Kong Housing Society.

How many people live in them?

In the first quarter of 2025, about 2.13 million people lived in public rental housing, roughly 30% of the population.

Counting the subsidized flats for sale as well, the 2006 census found 48.8% of the population living in public housing.

In July 2021, the average wait for a public rental flat was 5.8 years.

The Shek Kip Mei fire

Public housing began after a fire at Shek Kip Mei on 25 December 1953, which left more than 50,000 people homeless.

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