Learn how to apologize
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| Nei5 ho2, ngo5 hai6 Olivia. Hi everybody! I’m Olivia. |
| Welcome to CantoneseClass101.com’s “saam1 fan1 zung1 gwong2 dung1 waa2”. The fastest, easiest, and most fun way to learn Cantonese. |
| In the last lesson, we learned the phrase M4 ho2 ji3 si1, nei5 sik1 m4 sik1 gong2 jing1 man2? "Excuse me, do you speak English?" We mentioned the word m4 ho2 ji3 si1 which means "excuse me" in Cantonese. |
| In this lesson, we’re going to learn how to use m4 ho2 ji3 si1 and other words when apologizing in Cantonese. |
| We should use m4 ho2 ji3 si1 in formal situations, such as when we are talking to, or asking a stranger for help. For example: |
| m4 ho2 ji3 si1, jap6 hau2 hai2 bin1? "Excuse me, where is the entrance?" |
| m4 ho2 ji3 si1, nei5 caai2 zyu6 ngo5 go3 doi2. |
| "Excuse me, you’re stepping on my bag." |
| Sometimes we also hear people say m4 goi1. As mentioned in lesson 2, m4 goi1 means “thank you”, but it also means “excuse me” as used to draw somebody's attention. It is commonly used when ordering food, or pushing your way through a crowd. We can use this phrase in both formal and informal speech. |
| m4 goi1, jat1 bui1 jit6 naai5 caa4. |
| “Excuse me, a cup of hot milk tea please.” |
| m4 goi1 ze3 ze3. |
| “Excuse me, please let me through.” |
| But unlike m4 ho2 ji3 si1, we cannot use m4 goi1 when apologizing. So when you do something bad, remember to put on that sorry face and use m4 ho2 ji3 si1. |
| m4 hou2 ji3 si1, ngo5 jau6 ci4 dou3. |
| “sorry, I’m late again.” |
| m4 ho2 ji3 si1 can be used for either “excuse me” or “I’m sorry.” But if you really want to apologize for something, it might be better to use a different phrase. |
| That phrase is deoi3 m4 zyu6. It means “I am sorry.” |
| [slowly] deoi3 m4 zyu6 |
| For example: |
| deoi3 m4 zyu6, ngo5 daa2 laan6 zo2 nei5 bou6 din6 nou5. |
| “Sorry, I broke your computer.” |
| Now it’s time for Olivia’s Insights. |
| If you accidentally bump into someone in Hong Kong, you can say m4 ho2 ji3 si1, "excuse me" or deoi3 m4 zyu6 “I’m sorry”, but never m4 goi1. |
| Are you able to count in Cantonese? In the next lesson we will learn the numbers in Cantonese from one to ten! |
| I'll be waiting for you in the next lesson of saam1 fan1 zung1 gwong2 dung1 waa2. haa6 ci3 gin3! |
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