Learn two incredibly useful words to navigate what can be a delicate social situation
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| INTRODUCTION |
| David: Welcome to CantoneseClass101.com. I’m David. |
| Nicole: 大家好, 我係 (daai6 gaa1 hou2 , ngo5 hai6) Nicole. |
| David: And we’re here today with Absolute Beginner, Season 2, Lesson 19. |
| Nicole: “No smoking.” |
| David: Right. And regardless what you smoke or not, this is an important lesson. |
| Nicole: Yeah. You’ll learn important useful phrases. |
| David: Yeah like how to tell people you do want a smoking seat or not smoking seat. |
| Nicole: That’s right. |
| David: Right. So, we’ve got a dialogue that’s between a smoker and serving staff at a restaurant. |
| Nicole: And they’re speaking casual Cantonese. |
| David: As always. Now, we’re going to take you to the dialogue, before we do we want to remind you we got premium PDFs up on the site for you to download. |
| Nicole: Sign up for premium subscription. |
| David: And you’ll get access to all of these. The transcripts, the vocab, the grammar point. Everything else, it’s really going to help you learn Cantonese. |
| Nicole: That’s right. |
| David: It’s better than a textbook. Okay. With that though, let’s get to the dialogue. |
| DIALOGUE |
| A: 呢度可唔可以食煙？ (ni1 dou6 ho2 m4 ho2 ji5 sik6 jin1?) |
| B: 唔好意思，唔可以。 (m4 hou2 ji3 si1, m4 ho2 ji5.) |
| A: 邊度可以？ (bin1 dou6 ho2 ji5?) |
| B: 出便。(ceot1 bin6.) |
| A: Is smoking allowed here? |
| B: Sorry, it isn't. |
| A: Where can I smoke? |
| B: Outside. |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| David: So Nicole, you’re not a smoker. |
| Nicole: No. |
| David: Yeah and Hong Kong has banned public smoking. |
| Nicole: Yeah, that’s a good thing. |
| David: Yeah. It’s a really fit society, but regardless if you smoke or you don’t smoke, you need to know this vocab, so let’s get to it. |
| VOCAB LIST |
| Nicole: 煙。(jin1.) |
| David: “Cigarette”. |
| Nicole: 煙, 煙, 食煙。(jin1, jin1, sik6 jin1.) |
| David: “To smoke”. |
| Nicole: 食煙, 食煙, 邊度。(sik6 jin1, sik6 jin1, bin1 dou6.) |
| David: “Where”. |
| Nicole: 邊度, 邊度, 出便。(bin1 dou6, bin1 dou6, ceot1 bin6.) |
| David: “Outside”. |
| Nicole: 出便, 出便, 入便。(ceot1 bin6, ceot1 bin6, jap6 bin6.) |
| David: “Inside”. |
| Nicole: 入便, 入便, 打火機。(jap6 bin6, jap6 bin6, daa2 fo2 gei1.) |
| David: “Lighter”. |
| Nicole: 打火機, 打火機, 煙灰缸。(daa2 fo2 gei1, daa2 fo2 gei1, jin1 fui1 gong1.) |
| David: “Ashtray”. |
| Nicole: 煙灰缸 , 煙灰缸 , 雪茄。(jin1 fui1 gong1, jin1 fui1 gong1, syut3 gaa1.) |
| David: “Cigar”. |
| Nicole: 雪茄, 雪茄。(syut3 gaa1, syut3 gaa1.) |
| VOCAB AND PHRASE USAGE |
| David: Let’s take a closer look at some of these words and phrases. Our first word is “smoke” or “cigarette”. |
| Nicole: 煙。(jin1.) |
| David: “Cigarette”. |
| Nicole: 煙。(jin1.) |
| David: And that literally means “smoke”. |
| Nicole: That’s right. |
| David: And so the word “to smoke” is literally “to eat smoke”. |
| Nicole: Yeah. 食煙。(sik6 jin1.) |
| David: “To eat smoke”. |
| Nicole: 食煙。(sik6 jin1.) |
| David: If you are a smoker, you can ask “Can I smoke?” |
| Nicole: 可唔可以食煙? (ho2 m4 ho2 ji5 sik6 jin1?) |
| David: Or even maybe “Please, can I smoke?” |
| Nicole: 唔該, 我可唔可以食煙? (m4 goi1 , ngo5 ho2 m4 ho2 ji5 sik6 jin1?) |
| David: They’re probably going to tell you “Smoke outside.” |
| Nicole: 出便食煙。(ceot1 bin6 sik6 jin1.) |
| David: “Smoke outside.” |
| Nicole: 出便食煙。(ceot1 bin6 sik6 jin1.) |
| David: Although in some places they have ventilated rooms. |
| Nicole: Yeah. |
| David: And they’ll say “smoke inside”. |
| Nicole: 入便食煙。(jap6 bin6 sik6 jin1.) |
| David: “Smoke inside”. |
| Nicole: 入便食煙。(jap6 bin6 sik6 jin1.) |
| David: And that introduces two opposite words for us which are new. |
| Nicole: 出便 (ceot1 bin6) and 入便. (jap6 bin6.) |
| David: “Outside”. |
| Nicole: 出便。(ceot1 bin6.) |
| David: “Inside”. |
| Nicole: 入便 (jap6 bin6), and you sometimes hear people say 出面 (ceot1 min6) and 入面. (jap6 min6.)They’re almost the same. |
| David: Let’s hear those again. The two ways of saying “outside”. |
| Nicole: 出便, 出面。(ceot1 bin6 , ceot1 min6.) |
| David: And the two ways of saying “inside”. |
| Nicole: 入便, 入面。(jap6 bin6 , jap6 min6.) |
| David: Which one is more colloquial? |
| Nicole: I’d say 出便。(ceot1 bin6.) |
| David: Okay, with the “b” sound. |
| Nicole: Yes. Exactly. |
| David: Okay. Our next three words are all words that you’re going to use if you smoke. That’s a “lighter”. |
| Nicole: 打火機。(daa2 fo2 gei1.) |
| David: “Lighter”. |
| Nicole: 打火機。(daa2 fo2 gei1.) |
| David: “Do you have a lighter?” |
| Nicole: 有冇打火機？(jau5 mou5 daa2 fo2 gei1?) |
| David: “Do you have a lighter?” |
| Nicole: 有冇打火機？(jau5 mou5 daa2 fo2 gei1?) |
| David: And you can get away with this in many restaurants, but you might find a place where you need to ask for an “ashtray”. |
| Nicole: 煙灰缸。(jin1 fui1 gong1.) |
| David: “Ashtray”. |
| Nicole: 煙灰缸。(jin1 fui1 gong1.) |
| David: That’s literally a “smoke ash container”. |
| Nicole: Exactly. 煙灰缸。(jin1 fui1 gong1.) |
| David: “Do you have an ashtray?” |
| Nicole: 有冇煙灰缸？(jau5 mou5 jin1 fui1 gong1?) |
| David: And even though smoking is outlawed in many public places, there are still occasions where people will celebrate with a cigar. |
| Nicole: 雪茄。(syut3 gaa1.) |
| David: “A cigar”. |
| Nicole: 雪茄。(syut3 gaa1.) |
| David: “Do you want a cigar?” |
| Nicole: 要唔要雪茄？(jiu3 m4 jiu3 syut3 gaa1?) |
| David: “Do you want a cigar?” |
| Nicole: 要唔要雪茄？(jiu3 m4 jiu3 syut3 gaa1?) |
| David: So that’s our key smoking vocab. First, we have the word “cigarette” or “smoke”. |
| Nicole: 煙。(jin1.) |
| David: Then the verb “to eat smoke”. |
| Nicole: 食煙 (sik6 jin1) and you can also say 食雪茄. (sik6 syut3 gaa1.) |
| David: “To smoke a cigar”. |
| Nicole: 食雪茄。(sik6 syut3 gaa1.) |
| David: We have the words “outside”. |
| Nicole: 出便 (ceot1 bin6) or 出面 (ceot1 min6). |
| David: And the words “inside”. |
| Nicole: 入便 (jap6 bin6) or 入面 (jap6 min6). |
| David: And finally we have “lighter”. |
| Nicole: 打火機。(daa2 fo2 gei1.) |
| David: “Ashtray”. |
| Nicole: 煙灰缸。(jin1 fui1 gong1.) |
| David: And “cigar”. |
| Nicole: 雪茄。(syut3 gaa1.) |
| David: And with that, let’s get to our grammar section. |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| David: It’s grammar time! Our grammar focus this lesson is the difference between two really easy questions concerning where can you do something. In the dialogue, we heard this line. |
| Nicole: 邊度可以？ (bin1 dou6 ho2 ji5?) |
| David: That’s literally “where can”. |
| Nicole: 邊度 可以？ (bin1 dou6 ho2 ji5?) |
| David: And here it means “Where can I smoke?” |
| Nicole: 邊度可以食煙？ (bin1 dou6 ho2 ji5 sik6 jin1?) |
| David: But you don’t need to say. |
| Nicole: 邊度? (bin1 dou6?) |
| David: You could also say. |
| Nicole: 邊? (bin1?) |
| David: For example, “where can?” |
| Nicole: 邊可以? (bin1 ho2 ji5?) |
| David: “Where can I smoke?” |
| Nicole: 邊可以食煙？ (bin1 ho2 ji5 sik6 jin1?) |
| David: So we’ve got two ways of saying “where”. |
| Nicole: 邊度 (bin1 dou6) and 邊 (bin1)? |
| David: Nicole, what’s the difference? |
| Nicole: In most of cases they’re interchangeable, but 邊度 (bin1 dou6) is more formal than 邊 (bin1). |
| David: Okay. So, if you’re walking around Hong Kong, you should usually say. |
| Nicole: 邊 (bin1)? |
| David: It’s shorter, it’s easier. |
| Nicole: That’s right. |
| David: And that’s what people are used to. |
| Nicole: Yeah. |
| David: But, when you’re on the subway when you’re listening to public announcements, you’re going to hear. |
| Nicole: 邊度? (bin1 dou6?) |
| David: Because it’s a bit more formal and maybe even a bit more polite. |
| Nicole: That’s right. |
| David: Okay. Let’s practice this by going over some very simple sentences. “Where to go?” |
| Nicole: 去邊？ (heoi3 bin1?) |
| David: Or. |
| Nicole: 去邊度？ (heoi3 bin1 dou6?) |
| David: “Where do you live?” |
| Nicole: 你住邊？ (nei5 zyu6 bin1?) |
| David: Or. |
| Nicole: 你住邊度？ (nei5 zyu6 bin1 dou6?) |
| David: “Where are you?” |
| Nicole: 你哋喺邊？(nei5 dei6 hai2 bin1?) |
| David: Or. |
| Nicole: 你哋喺邊度？(nei5 dei6 hai2 bin1 dou6?) |
| David: Although if you’re walking lost around Hong Kong, you’re going to wonder reverse that. And make it “Where am I”? |
| Nicole: Yeah. 我喺邊？(ngo5 hai2 bin1?) or 我喺邊度？(ngo5 hai2 bin1 dou6?) |
| David: So, to review. There are two ways of saying “where”. The first is more colloquial. |
| Nicole: 邊？(bin1?) |
| David: The second is a bit politer and a bit more formal. |
| Nicole: 邊度？(bin1 dou6?) |
Outro |
| David: And that just about does it for today. Now Nicole, there’s something you want to remind people about leaving comments. |
| Nicole: Yeah. If you have a comment or have a question about Cantonese or about our lesson, please come to our website CantoneseClass101.com and leave us a comment. |
| David: Right. Nicole is reading them every day and she also takes suggestions. |
| Nicole: Yeah. |
| David: So if you have something that you’d like to learn and we haven’t covered, just say “Nicole, I want to learn this.” Okay, so that’s it for today. Thanks for listening. I’m David. |
| Nicole: 我係 (ngo5 hai6) Nicole. |
| David: And we look forward to seeing you on the site. |
| Nicole: See you! |
| David: Bye-bye. |
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Comments
HideHello listeners! What do you think about today's lesson?
It's almost a Survival Phrases lesson to our smoking listeners, don't you think?
Hi 明贤,
On behalf of Ms. Nicole and Mr. David, I am sending our gratitude to you. 😄
Keep working on your Cantonese. 加油！
Arnold
Team CantoneseClass101.com
Dear Ms Nicole and Mr David!
All I want to say is I love both of you so much.
Your lessons are so interesting, simple and understandable.
Sending love from Ha Noi, Viet Nam.
明贤!
Hi Tj R,
Thanks for your comment.
Yes, it's common to say both 食煙 (sik6 jin1) and 吸煙 (kap1 jin1). 😉
Ada
Team CantoneseClass101.com
Now while I know that it may be able to be used inappropriately in another context, my girlfriend (HK Native) told me it is common to also say "吸煙" for smoke although both are acceptable
Hello Vincent,
禁止食煙。
gam3 zi2 sik6 jin1。
No smoking.
禁止(gam3 zi2) - stop, prohibit
禁(gam3) - prohibited
止(zi2) - stop, halt
Siuling
Team CantoneseClass101.com
What is the literal translation and meaning of "gam3" and "zi2" individually and together, in the vocabulary sentence for "to smoke?" ("gam3 zi2 sik6 jin1. No smoking.") Thank you, again!
Hi Thierry,
Sounds good! :smile::thumbsup:
Let us know if you have any other questions!
Olivia
Team CantoneseClass101.com
Hello Olivia,
Thanks alot! i will watch all of them then;) cause i like humor and drama.
And regarding the survival phrases, i will just see them as extra rehersal then.
Kind regards,
Thierry
Hi Thierry,
Thank you for your comments!
That's right, watching Cantonese movies can help you improve your listening skills!
For some funny movies, we suggest Stephen Chow's movies (available on Netflix); or if you prefer drama, 無間道 Infernal Affairs (2002) and 寒戰 Cold War (2012) are quite remarkable :wink:
And you are right, the survival phrases was designed for learners who want quick language tips/lessons. The other lessons would give you more in-depth explanation and build up your foundation immensely. :smile:
Olivia
Team CantoneseClass101.com
Hello,
I was also wondering,
is it even necessary to learn the survival phrases if you are going to seriously deal with the other lessons?
I did that and it kind of feels like double work.
gr
Thierry
Hello Cantonese Teachers =D,
I once read in a comment that it is good to watch cantonese movies to improve listening comprehension.
I was wondering if you had some sort of list of movies to watch??
Hope hearing from you.
Kind regards,
Thierry
Hi Wendy,
Thank you for your comment!
You can ask someone not to smoke in that certain location politely by saying 唔好意思，可唔可以唔好喺度吸煙？ (m4 hou2 ji3 si1, ho2 m4 ho2 ji3 m4 hou2 hai2 dou6 kap1 jin1?) "Excuse me, could you please not smoke here?"
Yes, "indoors" is 入便/入面, and "outdoors" is 出便/出面, or 戶外 (wu6 ngoi6)
Olivia
Team CantoneseClass101.com
Hi ,
If someone is smoking, how can I persuade him not to smoke in a polite way?:wink:
Oh by the the way, is "indoors" and "outdoors" the same meaning as 入便/入面 and 出便/出面？:smile:
Thanks a lot!:heart:
Wendy
Hi Grace,
喺 (hai2) actually means "to be (somewhere)", it's used in sentences related to locations.
Therefore 喺 is different than 緊, which often means present progressive tense of the action.
你坐喺呢度。 "you sit (be) here."
你坐緊呢度。 "you sitting here."
For more details about 喺 (hai2), check out our video lesson on this topic (link: www.cantoneseclass101.com/2012/12/07/learn-cantonese-in-three-minutes-12-where-are-you) :wink:
Olivia
Team CantoneseClass101.com
Hello,
In the vocabulary expansion part, "佢坐喺入便。" He is sitting inside. So "喺" means the present tense? Is it the same as "緊", i.e 佢坐緊入便？
Thank you.
Grace
Hi Alexander,
Thanks for your continuing support!!:mrgreen:
We are having two new series for 2012 January! We believe either one or even both of them will be suitable for you! So please stay tuned!!:razz:
Meanwhile, why not challenge yourself with our Advanced Audio Blog? The Line-to-Line Audio Transcript function might give you an exciting practice.:wink:
Hey,
Love your lessons, guys! Keep doing them!
However, I had a question. As I find this lessons a bit on the easy side, do you have plans to do intermediate level lessons? Or at least maybe make the dialogues a bit longer to really get a good practice?
Thanks
Alex