Basic Patterns Flashcards
…by someone (passive)
俾 (béi) + someone + verb
Mostly negative connotation
A: 我俾細炒咗。
ngóh béi lóuh-sai cháau-jó.
B: 你都係？
léih dōu haih?
俾你激死我喇！
béi léih gīk-séi ngóh la!
彈 (tàahn) criticise
蝦 (hā) bully
鬧 (laauh) scold
Why not…!
Suggestion
不如 (bāt yùh) + suggestion
A: 好攰呀！唔想煮飯喇。
hóu guih a! m séung jyú faahn la.
B: 噉，不如出街食啦。
gám, bāt-yùh chēut gāai sihk lā.
Universal negation
Wh-question + 都 (dōu) + negation
A: 我哋去睇戲，好唔好？
ngóh-deih heui tái hei, hóu m hóu?
B: 我邊度都唔想去呀！
ngóh bīn-douh dōu m séung heui a!
呢個秘密邊個都唔知。
lī go bei-maht bīn-go dō m jī.
No one knows about this secret.
今朝我乜嘢都未食過。
gām-jīu ngóh māt-yéh dōu meih sihk-gwo
I haven’t eaten anything this morning.
Every time I do…
Verb + 親都 (chān dōu) + same result
A: 點解你唔食蟹呀？ dím-gáai léih m sihk háaih a? How come you don't eat crabs? B: 我食親蟹都敏感。 ngóh sihk-chān háaih dōu máhn-gám
媽咪出，親街都買好多嘢。
mā-mìh chēut-chān gāai dōu máaih hóu-dō yéh.
嗲哋講親笑話，我哋都會笑。
dē-dìh góng-chān siu-wá, ngóh-deih dōu wúih siu.
你做親都錯。
léih jouh-chān dōu cho.
Unless…
除非 (chèuih-fēi) + condition, [(如果 yùh-gwó)] 唔係
A:仲未攪掂？
juhng meih gáau-dihm?
Still not finished?
B: chèuih-fēi léih bōng ngóh, yùh-gwó m haih jauh gáau-m-dihm
Unless you give me a hand, I don’t think I can finish.
除非你減價，唔係我唔買。
chèuih-fēi léih gáam-ga, m haih ngóh m máaih.
…give a discount…
除非有人話呢齣戲好睇, 唔係我唔睇.
chèuih-fēi yáuh yàhn wah lī chēut hei hóu-tái, m-haih ngóh m tái.
…this film…
加人工，唔係我唔做。
chèuih-fēi gā yàhn-gūng, m haih ngóh m jouh
Give me a payrise, or I will quit.
Apart from…
除咗 (chèuih-jó) + current information, additional information
A: 除咗我哋，仲有邊個去呀？
chèuih-jó ngóh-deih, juhng yáuh bīn-go heui a?
B:陳生囉！
chàhn sāang lō!
除咗你，我冇鍾意過第二個女人。
chèuih-jó léih, ngóh móuh jūng-yi gwo daih-yih go léuih-yán.
除咗俾現金，你都可以轆咭。
chèuih-jó béi yihn-gām, léih dōu hó-yíh lūk-kāat.
… cash … use credit card …
除咗學歷好，亦都要有經驗。
chèuih-jó hohk-lihk hóu, yihk-dōu yiu yáuh gīng-yihm.
Apart from good educational background, being experienced is also important.
Never ever do…
千祈唔好 (chīn-kèih m-hóu) + verb
A:佢話買呢隻股票好喎！ kéuih wah máaih lī jek gú-piu hóu wo! ...this stock... B:你千祈唔好信佢呀。 léih chīn-kèih m-hóu seun kéuih a. Never ever trust him.
你叫佢千祈唔好噉做呀！
léih giu kéuih chīn-kèih m-hóu gám jouh a!
Tell him never to do such a thing!
千祈唔好怪我呀，我冇心㗎！
chīn-kèih m-hóu gwaai ngóh a, ngóh móuh sām ga!
Don’t blame me. I didn’t mean it.
I’d rather…
情願 (chìhng-yún) + preferred action
A:咁熱！去游水啦。
heui yàuh-séui lā!
B:唔去喇，我情願喺屋企嘆冷氣。
m heui la, ngóh chìhng-yún hái ū-kéi taam láahng-hei.
I won’t go. I’d rather enjoy the air conditioning at home.
你情願煮飯定洗碗呀？
léih chìhng-yún jyú-faahn dihng sái wún a?
我寧願餓死都唔問佢借錢。
ngóh lìhng-yún ngoh séi dōu m mahn kéuih je chín.
I’d rather starve to death than borrow money from him.
我情願請工人湊仔，自己去做嘢。
ngóh chìhng-yún chéng gūng-yàhn chau-jái, jih-géi heui jouh-yéh.
I’d rather employ a domestic helper to look after the kids and go out to work myself.
Do verb [such a manner] …
verb + object + verb + 得 (dāk) + manner
A: 佢講嘢講得咁快嘅？
kéuih góng-dāk gam faai gé?
B: 係呀，我都唔知佢講乜。
haih a, ngóh dōu m jī kéuih góng māt
我喺呢度做嘢做得好辛苦
ngóh hái lī-douh jouh-yéh jouh-dāk hóu sān-fú.
It’s taxing for me to work here.
你家姐唱得幾好聽吖！
léih gā-jē cheung-dāk géi hóu-tēng ā
Your older sister dings quite well!
It doesn’t matter either way
A-not-A question + 都冇所謂 (dōu móuh-só-waih)
A: 係咪要著西裝去呀？
haih maih yiu jeuk sāi-jōng heui a?
B: 著唔著都冇所謂嘅。
jeuk m jeuk dōu móuh-só-waih gé.
隨便睇o下啦，買唔買都冇所謂㗎！
chèuih-bín tái háh lā, máaih m máaih dōu móuh-só-waih ga!
我日日都得閒，幾時去都冇所謂啦。
ngóh yaht yaht dōu dāk-hàahn, géi-sìh heui dōu móuh-só-waih lā.
Either A or B
choice A + 定 (dihng) + choice B
A: 你鍾意飲茶定咖啡呀？
léih jūng-yi yám chàh dihng ga-fē a?
B: 咖啡吖，唔該。
ga-fē ā, m-gōi.
To do in advance
preparatory action + 定 (dihng) + 先 (sīn)
How could it possibly happen?
點會 (dím wúih) + event/situation
Let me…
等我 (dáng ngóh) + action
Hurry up and do something
快啲 (faai-dī) + action
I’d rather avoid…
費事 (fai-sih) + unwanted event
Do this first, and then…
Event 1, 跟住 (gān-jyuh) + event 2
How… / What a… !
咁 (gam) + adj + 嘅 (gé)
Of course
梗 (gáng-haih) + choice + 啦 (lā)
Do as you please
question word + 就 (jauh) + question word
Despite every effort, I fail to…
action + 極都 (gihk dōu) + 唔 + result
When I…
action/event + 嗰陣時 (gó-jahn-sí) …
Absolutely/so…(adj)
咁鬼 (gam gwái) + adj
Let someone know…
講/話 + 俾 (béi) + someone + 知 (jī)
Who told / It is … to blame!
鬼叫 (gwái giu) + someone + action + 咩 (mē)
Show comparison of 2 objects
[adj-er than]
adj + 過 (gwo) + compared object
As I was doing something, …
duplicated verbs + o下 (há), …
to persist in …
係要 (haih-yiu) + action
