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Cantonese Chinese · Cantonese Band 1 (A1) · Chapter 39

呢個係我嫲嫲。This is my grandma.

ni1 go3 hai6 ngo5 maa4 maa4

Grandparents on the father's and the mother's side (爺爺, 嫲嫲, 公公, 婆婆); child, boy, girl, people; fat and thin; studying; "oneself" (自己).

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Dialogue

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呢個係我嫲嫲。— This is my grandma.

  1. KaYanMike，你nei5睇tai2吓haa5！呢ni1個go3係hai6我ngo5嫲maa4嫲maa4。Mike, look! This is my grandma, my dad's mom.
  2. Mike你nei5嫲maa4嫲maa4好hou2後hau6生saang1呀aa3！Your grandma looks so young!
  3. KaYan佢keoi5七cat1十sap6五ng5歲seoi3喇laa3。佢keoi5隔gaak3籬lei4係hai6我ngo5爺je4爺je2。She's seventy-five. Next to her is my grandpa.
  4. Mike你nei5爺je4爺je2好hou2高gou1呀aa3。Your grandpa is very tall.
  5. KaYan係hai6呀aa3。爺je4爺je2嫲maa4嫲maa4係hai6我ngo5爸baa4爸baa1嘅ge3爸baa4爸baa1媽maa4媽maa1。Yes. My 爺爺 and 嫲嫲 are my dad's parents.
  6. Mike你nei5媽maa4媽maa1嘅ge3爸baa4爸baa1媽maa4媽maa1呢ne1？And your mom's parents?
  7. KaYan佢keoi5哋dei6係hai6我ngo5公gung4公gung1同tung4婆po4婆po2。佢keoi5哋dei6住zyu6喺hai2澳ou3門mun2。They're my 公公 and 婆婆. They live in Macau.
  8. Mike爺je4爺je2、嫲maa4嫲maa4、公gung4公gung1、婆po4婆po2……好hou2多do1人jan4！爺爺, 嫲嫲, 公公, 婆婆… so many people!
  9. KaYan你nei5自zi6己gei2有jau5冇mou5爺je4爺je2嫲maa4嫲maa4呀aa3？Do you have grandparents yourself?
  10. Mike有jau5呀aa3，但daan6係hai6佢keoi5哋dei6喺hai2好hou2遠jyun5嘅ge3地dei6方fong1。Yes, but they live somewhere far away.

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呢個細路係邊個？— Who's this child?

  1. AhMing家gaa1欣jan1，呢ni1個go3細sai3路lou6係hai6邊bin1個go3呀aa3？Ka-yan, who's this child?
  2. KaYan係hai6我ngo5呀aa3！It's me!
  3. AhMing你nei5？咁gam3細sai3，好hou2肥fei4呀aa3！You? So small, and so chubby!
  4. KaYan阿aa3明ming4！我ngo5三saam1歲seoi3呀aa3！Ah Ming! I was three!
  5. Mike呢ni1兩loeng5個go3男naam4仔zai2呢ne1？And these two boys?
  6. KaYan大daai6嗰go2個go3係hai6我ngo5哥go4哥go1，細sai3嗰go2個go3係hai6我ngo5細sai3佬lou2。The big one is my older brother, the small one is my younger brother.
  7. AhMing兩loeng5個go3男naam4仔zai2，一jat1個go3女neoi5仔zai2。Two boys and one girl.
  8. Mike你nei5細sai3佬lou2好hou2瘦sau3！Your younger brother is so thin!
  9. KaYan佢keoi5而ji4家gaa1好hou2高gou1㗎gaa3，喺hai2大daai6學hok6讀duk6書syu1。He's tall now, you know. He studies at university.
  10. AhMing我ngo5可ho2唔m4可ho2以ji5自zi6己gei2睇tai2吓haa5？Can I have a look myself?
  11. KaYan唔m4好hou2！你nei5自zi6己gei2有jau5手sau2機gei1㗎gaa3！No! You've got your own phone!

Vocabulary

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爺je4爺je2

noungrandpa (father's father)

嫲maa4嫲maa4

noungrandma (father's mother)

公gung4公gung1

noungrandpa (mother's father)

婆po4婆po2

noungrandma (mother's mother)

細sai3路lou6

nounchild

男naam4仔zai2

nounboy; young man

女neoi5仔zai2

noungirl; young woman

人jan4

nounperson; people

自zi6己gei2

pronounoneself (myself, yourself…); own

肥fei4

adjectivefat

瘦sau3

adjectivethin

讀duk6書syu1

verbto study (at school)

New characters

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嫲maa4

grandma (father's mother, in 嫲嫲)

爺je4

grandpa (father's father, in 爺爺)

自zi6

self; from

己gei2

self (in 自己)

肥fei4

fat

男naam4

male; man

瘦sau3

thin

Grammar

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Grandparents: 爺爺, 嫲嫲, 公公, 婆婆

Explanation

Grandparents have a word for each side of the family. Your father's parents are 爺爺 "grandpa" and 嫲嫲 "grandma"; your mother's parents are 公公 and 婆婆. Ka-yan says it herself: 爺爺嫲嫲係我爸爸嘅爸爸媽媽 "爺爺 and 嫲嫲 are my dad's parents". Mind the tones: in 爺爺 je4 je2 and 婆婆 po4 po2 the second syllable rises; 公公 is gung4 gung1, low first; 嫲嫲 is maa4 maa4.

Examples

  • 呢ni1個go3係hai6我ngo5嫲maa4嫲maa4。This is my grandma (my dad's mom).
  • 我ngo5公gung4公gung1住zyu6喺hai2澳ou3門mun2。My grandpa (my mom's dad) lives in Macau.
  • 爺je4爺je2七cat1十sap6八baat3歲seoi3。Grandpa (dad's dad) is seventy-eight.

Grammar

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"Oneself": 自己

Explanation

自己 is "oneself". Before a verb it means doing it yourself: 我可唔可以自己睇吓？ "can I have a look myself?" After a person it stresses that person, or what is theirs: 你自己有手機 "you have your own phone", 你自己有冇爺爺嫲嫲呀？ "do you yourself have grandparents?"

Examples

  • 我ngo5自zi6己gei2去heoi3。I'll go by myself.
  • 嫲maa4嫲maa4自zi6己gei2行haang4路lou6去heoi3街gaai1市si5。Grandma walks to the market by herself.
  • 你nei5自zi6己gei2有jau5冇mou5手sau2機gei1呀aa3？Do you have your own phone?

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