Learn the most common way to say "Thank you"
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| 大家好(daai6 gaa1 hou2)! Hello and welcome to Cantonese Survival phrases brought to you by cantoneseclass101.com, my name is Nicole and I will be your language teacher and culture guide throughout this course. This course is designed to equip you with the language skills and knowledge to enable you to get the most out of your visit to Hong Kong or anywhere else in the Cantonese world. You will be surprised at how far a little Cantonese will go. Now before we jump in, remember to stop by cantoneseclass101.com and there you will find the accompanying PDF and additional info in this post. If you stop by, be sure to leave us a comment. |
| Whatever your destination maybe, manners are must and in this respect, Hong Kong is no different. So in our very first lesson, we will be teaching you a simple phrase that is bound to come in handy through our trip to Hong Kong or anywhere else in the Cantonese world. I can’t stress this enough. A little bit of language can go such a long way. In Cantonese, thank you is 唔該(m4 goi1), 唔該(m4 goi1) Let’s break it down by syllable. 唔 該(m4 goi1) Now let’s hear it one more time. 唔 該(m4 goi1) This is a very useful phrase. 唔該(m4 goi1) It can mean thank you or excuse me or please. You see this usage in the coming lessons. 唔該(m4 goi1) It sounds very easy to say 唔 (m4 ) is the lowest tone in Cantonese. When you say 唔 (m4 ) you can feel your throat vibrating 唔 (m4 ) and 該 (goi1) is the highest flat tone in Cantonese 該 (goi1) , 該 (goi1) It sounds like boy but with the “g” at the beginning 該 (goi1) instead of boy. 該 (goi1), 唔該(m4 goi1) It means thank you. It is the most common way to express your gratitude and you can emphasize 唔該(m4 goi1) by adding 晒 (saai3) to the end. 晒 (saai3) is an ending particle that means for something that has been accomplished or for everything 晒 (saai3) . So you can say 唔 該 晒 (m4 goi1 saai3) means thanks a lot or thank you very much but remember, this is a very colloquial way to say thank you. 唔 該 晒 (m4 goi1 saai3), 唔 該 晒 (m4 goi1 saai3) |
| Now let’s hear both of them once again. 唔 該(m4 goi1), 唔 該 晒 (m4 goi1 saai3) And there will be occasions where you will really want to show your appreciation or politeness and during occasions such as these, you can use 多 謝(do1 ze6), 多 謝(do1 ze6) . It literally means many thanks. 多 謝(do1 ze6) Now to say this word, please pay attention to the tones 多(do1 ) is the highest flat tone. 多 謝(do1 ze6) it’s slightly lower tone 謝( ze6) , 多 謝(do1 ze6) means many thanks or thank you. 多 謝(do1 ze6) is more formal than 唔 該(m4 goi1) and if you want to emphasize 多 謝(do1 ze6) you can put a 晒 (saai3) to the end. 多 謝 晒(do1 ze6 saai3), 多 謝 晒(do1 ze6 saai3) Now let’s hear all these four phrases again. 唔 該(m4 goi1), 唔 該 晒 (m4 goi1 saai3), 多 謝(do1 ze6), 多 謝 晒(do1 ze6 saai3) By far 唔 該(m4 goi1) is the most common way to say thank you. Remember when in doubt, keeping it simple is always the safest bet. You don’t have to be worried about far more informal situations although in some relatively formal occasions, you might want to say 多 謝(do1 ze6) which is many thanks 多 謝(do1 ze6) but normally when someone brings you food or drinks, you can say 唔 該(m4 goi1). When the clerk in the hotel takes your luggage to your room, you can say 唔 該(m4 goi1) or 唔 該 晒 (m4 goi1 saai3) whereas when someone welcomes you or congratulates you or gives you a present as it is not a casual service but a compliment and that sort of thing, you would say 多 謝(do1 ze6) in this case but in general, it doesn`t matter what his or her profession or age 唔 該(m4 goi1) or 唔 該 晒 (m4 goi1 saai3) will always be an appropriate response. |
| Okay to close our today’s lesson, we would like you to practice what you’ve just learned. I will provide you with the English equivalent of the phrase and you are responsible for shouting it out loud. You have a few seconds before I give you the answers. So 加 油(gaa1 jau2). let’s go for it, a good luck in Cantonese. 加 油(gaa1 jau2) The first one, the most common thank you or excuse me or please. 唔 該(m4 goi1) The next one, thanks a lot. 唔 該 晒 (m4 goi1 saai3) The third one, a formal thank you 多 謝(do1 ze6) or a formal, thank you very much 多 謝 晒(do1 ze6 saai3) 好喇(hou2 laa1),that’s about that’s it for today. Remember to stop by cantoneseclass101.com and pick up the accompanying PDF and if you stop by be sure to leave us a comment. Bye bye. |
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