In this series geared toward the absolute beginner, you will learn how to greet people, ask questions, talk about the present, past, and future, count, and much more. You'll hear Cantonese spoken in many different situations, which means you will pick up a wide variety of Cantonese phrases.
| Lesson |
Title |
Topic |
Function |
Target Phrases |
Key Vocab |
| #1 |
What's in a Cantonese Name? |
self introduction |
初見 |
你好。
你好。
我叫偉仔，你呢？
我叫嘉玲。 |
你好 hello
好 very
我 I
叫 to call
你 you
你呢 And you?
偉仔 Tony Leung
嘉玲 Carina Lau |
| #2 |
Shooting the Breeze in Cantonese |
greetings |
初見
| 你最近點啊？
幾好，你呢？
幾好。 |
你 you
最近 recently
點 how
幾好 okay/alright
啊 ahhh
好好 very good
燒賣 pork and mushroom dumpling |
| #3 |
The Cantonese Identity Mix UP |
apology |
初見 |
唔該，你係唔係偉仔？
唔係。
唔好意思。
唔緊要。 |
唔該 excuse me
係 to be
唔係 not to be
唔好意思 sorry/excuse me
唔緊要 it doesn't matter
做 to do
食 to eat
學 to study
廣東話 Cantonese language |
| #4 |
A Beer to Quench your Cantonese Thirst |
place order |
食飯 |
小姐，唔該。
嗯？
我要一支啤酒。
冇問題。 |
小姐 miss
先生mister
靚女 pretty girl
靚仔 pretty boy
要 to want/ to need
一 one
兩 two
支 (measure word for bottle)
個 (measure word)
啤酒 beer
水 water
果汁 juice
冇問題 no problem |
| #5 |
Logging on in Hong Kong |
going-online |
返工 |
呢度有冇wifi啊？
有。
點上？
我嚟幫你 。 |
呢度 here
有冇 do you have
點 how to
上 to get on
嚟 come
幫 help
廁所 toilet
餐廳 restaurant
房 room
網 internet |
| #6 |
A Lesson in Cantonese Civility |
thankful |
初見 |
你好。
你好。
你嘅啤酒。
唔該。
唔使客氣。 |
嘅 possessive particle
你嘅 your/yours
佢 he/she/it
我哋 we
你哋 you
佢哋 they
啤酒 beer
唔該 thank you
唔該晒 thank you
唔使客氣 you're welcome |
| #7 |
Out for a Cantonese Dinner |
inviting |
食飯 |
我肚餓。
我都係。
一齊食嘢？
好啊。 |
肚餓 hungry
口渴 thirsty
攰 tired
都 also
係 to be
一齊 together
食 to eat
飲 to drink
嘢 thing/things
好 alright |
| #8 |
Help From the Cantonese Staff |
offering help |
食飯 |
小姐！
有咩可以幫到你?
埋單，唔該。
好。 |
咩 what
可以 can
幫 to help
有咩 Is there anything...
睇 to watch/see
做 to do
埋單 to get the bill |
| #9 |
Delicious Cantonese Roast Goose |
referring to an object |
食飯 |
呢個係咩？
呢個係深井燒鵝。
好好食喎！
我都好鍾意食。 |
呢 this
呢個 this one
嗰 that
嗰個 that one
燒鵝 roast goose
好食 delicious
鍾意 to like
出名 famous |
| #10 |
Ways to Get Around Hong Kong |
getting around |
出行 |
我地點去啊？
搭巴士。
不如搭地鐵？
都得。 |
搭 to take (a transport)
的士 taxi
車 car
巴士 bus
地鐵 subway
飛機 airplane
不如 how about
都得 they're both okay |
| #11 |
No Free Cantonese Lunch |
borrowing money from friends |
出行 |
弊！
咩事？
我冇晒cash！
唔使驚，我大把。 |
弊 shoot!
咩事 what (thing happened)
冇晒 to run out of/ to have no... left at all
唔使 no need to
驚 to be scared of; to be afraid of
擔心 to worry
唔使驚 don't worry
大把 to have plenty (of) |
| #12 |
Time for Cantonese |
making plans |
邀請 |
你幾時得閒啊？
下個禮拜丫。
禮拜六？
禮拜日。 |
幾時 when
得閒 to have time/ to be available
下個 next (one)
上個 last (one)
禮拜 week
星期 week
禮拜六 Saturday
禮拜日 Sunday
一 one
二 two
三 three
四 four
五 five
六 six |
| #13 |
Crashing and Burning |
flirting |
交際 |
嗨，靚女！
咩事啊？
你電話幾多號啊？
我冇電話。 |
打 to dial; to hit
電話 telephone
手機 cellphone
號碼 number
屋企 home
幾多 how many
七 seven
八 eight
九 nine
十 ten
打俾我。Call me. |
| #14 |
Out for a Cantonese Movie |
going out |
邀請 |
一齊睇戲啊？
咩戲號？
2012。
好啊。 |
想 to want
睇戲 to watch a movie
行街 lit. to walk in the street; to go shopping
食飯 to have a meal
飲茶 to drink tea; to have Cantonese brunch
飲嘢 to have a drink
買嘢 to go shopping
兜風 to have a joy ride |
| #15 |
Crashing and Burning: Part 2 |
rejection |
交際 |
嗨，靚女!
咩事？
得唔得閒，飲杯嘢？
sorry，我趕時間。 |
得閒 to have time; to be available
趕時間 to be in a rush
食餐飯 to have a dinner
飲杯嘢 to have a drink
睇部戲 to watch a movie
忙 busy
有時間 to have time
冇時間 not to have time |
| #16 |
How About a Cup of Coffee? |
making moves |
交際 |
嗨，靚女！
點啊，靚仔 。
得唔得閒，飲杯咖啡？
好啊。 |
咖啡 coffee
男朋友 boyfriend
女朋友 girlfriend
茶 tea
紅酒 red wine
白酒 white wine
去 to go
嚟 to come |
| #17 |
Bargaining in the Cantonese Market |
Bargain |
購物 |
呢個幾錢？
一百蚊。
太貴喇。
五十。 |
幾錢 how much
蚊 the Hong Kong currency
講價 to bargain
貴 expensive
平 cheap
買 to buy
賣 to sell
太 too |
| #18 |
It's Quitting Time in Hong Kong! |
time expression |
返工 |
而家幾點？
五點半。
夠鐘收工。
走啦。 |
而家 now
幾點 what time
半 half
夠鐘 it's time
收工 to leave work
開工 to start work
走 to leave
十一 11
十二 12 |
| #19 |
Lightning Fast Cantonese Language Proficiency |
compliment |
學習 |
你廣東話講得好好哦!
邊度係啊!
你學咗幾耐?
兩個鐘頭。 |
廣東話 Cantonese language
咗 -ed (past tense suffix)
邊度 where
呢度 here
嗰度 there
邊度係啊 not at all (a modest negation)
幾耐 how long (how much time)
鐘頭 hour |
| #20 |
Effortless Cantonese |
language learning |
學習 |
我學緊廣東話呀。
係咩？
你可唔可以同我講廣東話？
冇問題。 |
學 to learn; to study
溫書 to study
緊 -ing (continuous tense suffix)
係咩? Really?
廣東話 Cantonese language
英文 English
國語 Mandarin
講 to speak
傾 to talk |
| #21 |
Slowing Down the Cantonese |
misunderstanding |
學習 |
唔好意思。
咩事？
我聽唔明啊。
咁...
你可唔可以講慢啲啊？
冇問題。 |
聽唔明 not to understand
咁 so...
慢 slow
講 to speak
快 fast
勤力 diligent
啲 －er (more) |
| #22 |
It Runs in the Cantonese Family |
resembling |
閒聊 |
佢係邊個嚟咖？
我大佬。
佢好似劉德華啵！
就係佢啊。 |
似 to look like
邊個 who
邊個黎駕 who?
媽媽 mother
爸爸 father
大佬 older brother
細佬 younger brother
家姐 older sister
細妹 younger sister
老婆 wife
老公husband |
| #23 |
Compliments to the Cantonese Chef |
asking for comments |
閒聊 |
我個餸點啊？
正！
我個人點啊？
仲正！ |
粥 porrige
餸 dish
湯 soup
甜品 dessert
糖水 Cantonese dessert
人 person
正 awesome
靚 beautiful／good
仲 even more |
| #24 |
Being Told You're Really Ugly in Cantonese |
how do you say |
學習 |
廣東話點講"ugly"啊？
"樣衰"。
哦，"你好樣衰"！
...
啱唔啱啊？
啱。 |
點講 how to say
樣衰 ugly
啱 correct
瘦 thin
肥 fat
熱 hot
凍 cold
高 tall
矮 short |
| #25 |
Drinks on Me in Cantonese |
inviting |
邀請 |
今晚去酒吧飲酒？
呃...
我請。
一定到。 |
夜晚 night
日頭 day
今晚 tonight
聽晚 tomorrow night
尋晚 last night
今日 today
聽日 tomorrow
尋日 yesterday
酒吧 bar
我請 my treat
一定 definitely
到 to arrive |
