The Focus of this Lesson is Reviewing Interrogative Words
幾時去呀？
gei2 si4 heoi3 aa3?
"When are you going?"

In our Absolute Beginner series, we covered the main interrogative words. Let's review them once again because we'll be seeing them more and more in future lessons.

Examples from this dialog:

1. 暑假去邊度玩？
   syu2 gaa3 heoi3 bin1 dou6 waan2?
   "Where are you going for summer holiday?"
2. 幾時去呀？
   gei2 si4 heoi3 aa3?
   "When are you going?"

乜 (mat1) is the interrogative word used to ask a "what" question. The word order of a Cantonese "what" question is very different from English. In English, the word "what" always comes at the beginning of the question, but in Cantonese the word order of the question will be the same as the answer. For example, the question "What do you want to eat?" is 你想食乜 (nei5 soeng2 sik6 mat1), and has the same word order as the answer: 我想食菜 (ngo5 soeng2 sik6 coi3) "I want to eat vegetables." Note how in the answer 乜 (mat1) is replaced by the new information.

Formation:

(subject) + (verb) + 乜 ?

For example:

1. 你想食乜？
   nei5 soeng2 sik6 mat1?
   "What do you want to eat?"
2. 我想食菜。
   ngo5 soeng2 sik6 coi3.
   "I want to eat vegetables."

點 (dim2) is the interrogative word used to ask a "how" question. It is usually followed by a verb to imply "how to," for example 點食 (dim2 sik6) "how to eat."

Formation:

(subject) + 點 + (verb phrase)?

For example:

1. 呢個點食呀？
   ni1 go3 dim2 sik6 aa3?
   "How do you eat this?"

點解 (dim2 gaai2) is the interrogative word used to ask a "why" question. Its position in the sentence is flexible: it can occur either before or after the subject. As we mentioned above, 點 (dim2) means "how." When put together with the verb 解 (gaai2) "to interpret," its literal meaning is "how to interpret," hence "why."

Formation:

點解 + sentence ?

(subject) + 點解+ (verb phrase) ?

For example:

1. 點解學廣東話？
   dim2 gaai2 hok6 gwong2 dung1 waa2?
   "Why (do you) learn Cantonese?"
2. 你點解喊呀？
   nei5 dim2 gaai2 haam3 aa3?
   "Why do you cry?"/"Why are you crying?"

邊個 (bin1 go3) is the interrogative word used to ask a "who" question. Literally it is composed of 邊 (bin1) "which" and 個 (go3) "unit," therefore it also implies "which one." Regarding the word order, we put 邊個 (bin1 go3) in the same location as how the answer would appear.

For example:

1. 你想見邊個?
   nei5 soeng2 gin3 bin1 go3?
   "Who do you want to see?"
2. 我想見陳生。
   ngo5 soeng2 gin3 can4 saang1.
   "I want to see Mr. Chan."
3. 邊個喺入面？
   bin1 go3 hai2 jap6 min6?
   "Who is inside?"
4. Mary喺入面。
   Mary hai2 jap6 min6.
   "Mary is inside."

邊度 (bin1 dou6) is the interrogative word used to ask a "where" question. It is composed of two characters: 邊 (bin1) "which" and 度 (dou6) "place; location." and together they mean "where." In most cases, 邊度 (bin1 dou6) is placed at the end of the question sentence.

Formation:

(subject) + (verb) + 邊度 ?

For example:

1. 你去邊度?
   nei5 heoi3 bin1 dou6?
   "Where are you going?"
2. 廁所喺邊度?
   ci3 so2 hai2 bin1 dou6?
   "Where is the toilet?"
3. 廁所喺後面。
   ci3 so2 hai2 hau6 min6.
   "The toilet is at the back."

幾時 (gei2 si4) is the interrogative word used to ask a "when" question. It is the combination of the words 幾 (gei2) "how much" and 時 (si4) "time."

Formation:

(subject) + 幾時 + (verb) ?

For example:

1. 你幾時去香港?
   gei2 si4 heoi3 hoeng1 gong2?
   "When are you going to Hong Kong?"
2. 我聽日去香港。
   ting1 jat6 heoi3 hoeng1 gong2.
   "I'll go to Hong Kong tomorrow."
3. 幾時食飯?
   gei2 si4 sik6 faan6?
   "When to eat?"

幾多 (gei2 do1) is the interrogative word used to ask a "how many" or "how much" question. It is the combination of the words 幾 (gei2) "how much" and 多 (do1) "many."

Formation:

幾多 + (noun) + sentence ?

(subject) + (verb) + 幾多 + (noun) ?

For example:

1. 幾多人去澳門?
   gei2 do1 jan4 heoi3 ou3 mun2?
   "How many people go to Macau?"
2. 你有幾多錢?
   nei5 jau5 gei2 do1 cin2?
   "How much money do you have?"

Cheat Sheet

Language Expansion

Remember that in Cantonese, we don't necessarily have to put the interrogative words at the beginning of the sentence like in English. It's common to put them behind the verb, For example:

去邊度 (heoi3 bin1 dou6) [literally "to go where"]  → "Where to go"

見邊個 (gin3 bin1 go3) [literally "to see who"] → "Whom to see"

暑假 (syu2 gaa3)

This is made up of two characters: 暑 (syu2) means "hot (temperature)" or "summer heat," and 假 (gaa3) means "holiday."

想 (soeng2)

想 literally means "to think." However, in most casual situations, it means "to want to" or "to desire." For example, 想去 (soeng2 heoi3) "to want to go," 想食 (soeng2 sik6) "to want to eat."

For example:

1. 我想食春卷
   ngo5 soeng2 sik6 ceon1 gyun2
   "I want to eat spring rolls."

Popular Hong Kong Getaway Destinations

Many Hong Kong people go on a short trip during the weekend to get away from the bustling city life. The most popular destinations are Macau, Sai Kung, and outlying islands like Lantau Island and Lamma Island.

Macau is renowned for its casinos and rich culture. Although the tourism draw is largely based on gambling, we should not overlook the delicious fusioned Portuguese food and European architecture. A large section of Macau has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Sai Kung has always been a fishing harbor, where tourists can buy fresh seafood and ask nearby rstaurants to cook for you. Other than the famous seafood restaurants, Sai Kung town also offers laid-back coffee shops and small galleries.

Lantau Island is the largest island of Hong Kong. It is where the Tian Tan Buddha, Ngong Ping Cable Car, and Hong Kong International Airport are located.