Bookverse
English
Bookverse - Get started

Cantonese Chinese · Cantonese Band 1 (A1) · Chapter 35

恭喜！Congratulations!

gung1 hei2

Congratulations, welcome, inviting and treating (恭喜, 歡迎, 請); getting married, husband and wife, Mr and Mrs; "if …, then …" (如果 … 就 …). Culture: lai see at Lunar New Year.

Help improve this content. If something looks off,let us know →

Dialogue

i

Study this section in the Bookverse app

  • Spaced repetition schedules your reviews
  • Practice tasks with pass tracking
  • A teacher on every study screen
  • Progress saved across chapters and devices — laptop and phone
  • Audio playback for dialogues and words
  • Speaking practice with feedback
  • Search dictionaries and chat with AI, all inside the app

You will be asked to register first.

Study

恭喜！— Congratulations!

  1. KaYanMike，我ngo5哥go4哥go1星sing1期kei4日jat6結git3婚fan1！Mike, my older brother is getting married on Sunday!
  2. Mike恭gung1喜hei2！佢keoi5老lou5婆po4係hai6邊bin1個go3呀aa3？Congratulations! Who's he marrying?
  3. KaYan佢keoi5係hai6我ngo5哥go4哥go1嘅ge3同tung4學hok6。佢keoi5哋dei6請ceng2你nei5食sik6飯faan6！She was my brother's classmate. They're inviting you to the meal!
  4. Mike請ceng2我ngo5？多do1謝ze6！喺hai2邊bin1度dou6食sik6呀aa3？Me? Thank you! Where are we eating?
  5. KaYan喺hai2一jat1間gaan1餐caan1廳teng1，喺hai2出ceot1面min6食sik6。At a restaurant. We'll eat outside.
  6. Mike如jyu4果gwo2落lok6雨jyu5呢ne1？What if it rains?
  7. KaYan如jyu4果gwo2落lok6雨jyu5，我ngo5哋dei6就zau6喺hai2入jap6面min6食sik6。If it rains, we'll eat inside.
  8. Mike好hou2呀aa3！我ngo5嚟lai4！Great! I'll be there!

Dialogue

i

Study this section in the Bookverse app

  • Spaced repetition schedules your reviews
  • Practice tasks with pass tracking
  • A teacher on every study screen
  • Progress saved across chapters and devices — laptop and phone
  • Audio playback for dialogues and words
  • Speaking practice with feedback
  • Search dictionaries and chat with AI, all inside the app

You will be asked to register first.

Study

歡迎！歡迎！— Welcome, welcome!

  1. KaYanMike！阿aa3明ming4！歡fun1迎jing4！歡fun1迎jing4！Mike! Ah Ming! Welcome, welcome!
  2. Mike恭gung1喜hei2陳can4先sin1生saang1、陳can4太taai3太taai2！Congratulations, Mr and Mrs Chan!
  3. AhMingMike，你nei5好hou2似ci5何ho4老lou5師si1呀aa3！Mike, you sound like Ms Ho!
  4. KaYan落lok6雨jyu5喇laa3！It's raining!
  5. Mike我ngo5哋dei6喺hai2入jap6面min6食sik6，係hai6唔m4係hai6？We eat inside, right?
  6. KaYan係hai6呀aa3。入jap6面min6都dou1好hou2靚leng3。Yes. It's lovely inside too.
  7. AhMing今gam1日jat6邊bin1個go3請ceng2呀aa3？Who's paying today?
  8. KaYan我ngo5哥go4哥go1同tung4佢keoi5老lou5婆po4請ceng2！My brother and his wife are treating us!
  9. AhMing如jyu4果gwo2佢keoi5哋dei6請ceng2，我ngo5就zau6食sik6兩loeng5碗wun2飯faan6！If they're paying, I'll have two bowls of rice!
  10. Mike阿aa3明ming4！Ah Ming!

Vocabulary

i

Study this section in the Bookverse app

  • Spaced repetition schedules your reviews
  • Practice tasks with pass tracking
  • A teacher on every study screen
  • Progress saved across chapters and devices — laptop and phone
  • Audio playback for dialogues and words
  • Speaking practice with feedback
  • Search dictionaries and chat with AI, all inside the app

You will be asked to register first.

Study
恭gung1喜hei2

phr.congratulations

歡fun1迎jing4

phr.welcome

結git3婚fan1

verbto marry, to get married; married

老lou5公gung1

nounhusband (informal)

老lou5婆po4

nounwife (informal)

先sin1生saang1

nounMr (after a surname); husband; sir

太taai3太taai2

nounMrs (after a surname); wife

請ceng2

verbto invite; to treat (pay for); please

如jyu4果gwo2

conjunctionif

就zau6

adverbthen; right away

New characters

i

Study this section in the Bookverse app

  • Spaced repetition schedules your reviews
  • Practice tasks with pass tracking
  • A teacher on every study screen
  • Progress saved across chapters and devices — laptop and phone
  • Audio playback for dialogues and words
  • Speaking practice with feedback
  • Search dictionaries and chat with AI, all inside the app

You will be asked to register first.

Study
結git3

to tie; to form (in 結婚 "to marry")

婚fan1

marriage

恭gung1

respectful (in 恭喜)

喜hei2

joy, happiness

婆po4

old woman; wife (in 老婆)

請ceng2

to invite; please

如jyu4

if; like, as

就zau6

then; right away

歡fun1

joyful (in 歡迎)

迎jing4

to welcome, to meet

Grammar

i

Study this section in the Bookverse app

  • Spaced repetition schedules your reviews
  • Practice tasks with pass tracking
  • A teacher on every study screen
  • Progress saved across chapters and devices — laptop and phone
  • Audio playback for dialogues and words
  • Speaking practice with feedback
  • Search dictionaries and chat with AI, all inside the app

You will be asked to register first.

Study

If …, then …: 如果 … 就 …

Explanation

如果 "if" goes before the condition, and 就 "then" goes before the result. 就 comes after the person and before the verb: 如果落雨，我哋就喺入面食 "if it rains, we'll eat inside". Ah Ming uses the same pattern: 如果佢哋請，我就食兩碗飯！ Mike says only the 如果 half and adds 呢: 如果落雨呢？ "what if it rains?"

Examples

  • 如jyu4果gwo2落lok6雨jyu5，我ngo5就zau6唔m4去heoi3。If it rains, I won't go.
  • 如jyu4果gwo2你nei5得dak1閒haan4，我ngo5哋dei6就zau6去heoi3飲jam2茶caa4。If you're free, we'll go for yum cha.
  • 如jyu4果gwo2太taai3貴gwai3，我ngo5就zau6唔m4買maai5。If it's too expensive, I won't buy it.

Grammar

i

Study this section in the Bookverse app

  • Spaced repetition schedules your reviews
  • Practice tasks with pass tracking
  • A teacher on every study screen
  • Progress saved across chapters and devices — laptop and phone
  • Audio playback for dialogues and words
  • Speaking practice with feedback
  • Search dictionaries and chat with AI, all inside the app

You will be asked to register first.

Study

Inviting and greeting: 請, 恭喜, 歡迎

Explanation

請 has three uses. 請 + person + activity is "invite someone to …": 佢哋請你食飯 "they're inviting you to the meal". Who 請 is who pays, "treat": 今日邊個請呀？ "who's paying today?", 我哥哥同佢老婆請 "my brother and his wife are treating". Before a verb, 請 is a polite "please": 請坐 "please sit down". 恭喜 is "congratulations". Say it on its own, or put the person after it: 恭喜陳先生、陳太太！ 歡迎 "welcome" is for someone arriving: Ka-yan greets Mike and Ah Ming with 歡迎！歡迎！

Examples

  • 我ngo5請ceng2你nei5飲jam2咖gaa3啡fe1。I'll treat you to a coffee.
  • 請ceng2坐co5，陳can4太taai3太taai2。Please sit down, Mrs Chan.
  • 歡fun1迎jing4你nei5嚟lai4香hoeng1港gong2！Welcome to Hong Kong!

Culture

i

Study this section in the Bookverse app

  • Spaced repetition schedules your reviews
  • Practice tasks with pass tracking
  • A teacher on every study screen
  • Progress saved across chapters and devices — laptop and phone
  • Audio playback for dialogues and words
  • Speaking practice with feedback
  • Search dictionaries and chat with AI, all inside the app

You will be asked to register first.

Study

新年點樣派利是？How does lai see work at Lunar New Year?

At Lunar New Year, the Cantonese greeting is 恭喜發財, and red envelopes called 利是 hold money.

Lunar New Year

The first day of the Lunar New Year falls on a new moon, between 21 January and 20 February.

In Hong Kong, the first three days of the New Year are public holidays.

The greeting: 恭喜發財

恭喜發財 gung1 hei2 faat3 coi4 is the Cantonese New Year greeting. Word for word it is "congratulations and be prosperous". Its 恭喜 is the word from this chapter.

Lai see (利是)

Lai see (利是 lai6 si6) are red envelopes with money inside. In southern China they are usually given by married people to unmarried people, mostly children.

New banknotes are preferred, so before the New Year there are long queues at the banks for them. Amounts avoid the number four, because 四 "four" sounds like 死 "death".

In Hong Kong, lai see are traditionally opened on or after the 7th day of the New Year.

Want to actually learn this — with audio, spaced repetition and progress tracking?

Study in the app →

Report an issue

Spotted an error or have a suggestion? Every report helps us improve this content.