Free Cantonese Chinese Lessons
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Free Cantonese Chinese LessonsMain Menu | Mandarin Lessons | Chinese Tutoring | Bookmark & Share | Link to Us |
These Cantonese Chinese lessons have been designed to provide practical travel vocabulary and a foundation for basic conversational skills. You may also download a complete audio transcript for listening in your car. |
| English: | Really | |
| Chinese: | tzun hie |
| The word for really can be changed into the question really? simply by using standard English tones for asking a question |
| English: | Really? | |
| Chinese: | tzun hie |
| English: | Really! | |
| Chinese: | tzun hie |
| English: | I'm really going to China | |
| Chinese: | ngoh tzun hie houe johng-gwohk | |
| Literally: | I really going to china |
| English: | To have | |
| Chinese: | yau |
| English: | I have a car | |
| Chinese: | ngoh yau gah tchay | |
| Literally: | (same) |
| Whereas most verbs can simply be negated with the word not, Cantonese has a special verb that means not have: |
| English: | To not have | |
| Chinese: | moh |
| English: | I don't have a car | |
| Chinese: | ngoh moh tchay | |
| Literally: | I not have car |
| English: | I have a car | |
| Chinese: | ngoh yau gah tchay | |
| Literally: | (same) |
| English: | I don't have a car | |
| Chinese: | ngoh moh tchay | |
| Literally: | (same) |
| With this verb and a some others that have exact opposites, you ask a question using the have-not-have construction by simply placing the two verbs back to back in the question: |
| English: | Do you have a car? | |
| Chinese: | nay yau moh tchay ah | |
| Literally: | you have-not-have a car +? |
| English: | Yes (affirmative response) | |
| Chinese: | yau | |
| Literally: | have |
| English: | No (negative response) | |
| Chinese: | moh | |
| Literally: | not have |
| English: | Yes, I have a car | |
| Chinese: | yau, ngoh yau gah tchay | |
| Literally: | have, I have a car |
| The measure word is included (above) when saying that you have a particular quantity of something, but not if quantity is unspecified, and not if you don't have any: |
| English: | No, I don't have a car | |
| Chinese: | moh, ngoh mo tchay | |
| Literally: | not have, I not have car |