A: Top 25 Cantonese Questions You Need to Know - Lesson 11: How old are you? in Cantonese. In each lesson of this 25 part series, you'll master a common question for Cantonese learners, and then learn how to answer it like a native. You'll learn how these key phrases work by breaking them down into each component. Then through repetition and new vocabulary, you'll expand your understanding of the question, its answers, and any variations. |
In this lesson, you'll learn how to respond to the common question “How old are you?” In Cantonese this is |
B: 你幾多歲? |
The first word in the question is |
B: 你 |
A: meaning “you” in English. |
B: (Slow, by syllable) 你 |
A: Listen again and repeat. |
B: 你 |
{Pause} |
A: This pattern of first introducing a word at natural speed, providing the translation, breaking it down, and then giving it again at natural speed will be repeated throughout the series. Try to speak aloud as often as possible. The next word in the question is |
B: 幾多 |
A: meaning “how many”, “how much.” |
B: (Slow, by syllable) 幾多 |
A: Now repeat. |
B: 幾多 |
{Pause} |
Listen to the the first 2 words of the question and repeat. |
B: 你幾多 |
{pause} |
Next is |
B: 歲 |
A: meaning “age”, “years-old.” |
B: (Slow, by syllable) 歲 |
A: Now repeat. |
B: 歲 |
{Pause} |
Listen to the entire question and repeat. |
B: 你幾多歲 |
{pause} |
A: It literally means “You, how many years-old?” |
A: You will hear this common question again and again throughout your studies. Master the following pattern and responses to the question “How old are you?” |
B: 我十八歲。 |
A: "I'm 18 years old.” Again, slowly. Repeat the phrase. |
B: (Slow) 我十八歲。 |
{pause} |
A: Let's break it down from the beginning. The first word: |
B: 我 |
A: meaning “I.” |
B: (Slow, by syllable) 我 |
A: Now repeat |
B: 我 |
{Pause} |
A: And after that |
B: 十八 |
meaning “eighteen (18).” |
B: (Slow, by syllable) 十八 |
A:Now repeat. |
B: 十八 |
{Pause} |
A: And next |
B: 歲 |
meaning “years-old, age.” |
B: (Slow, by syllable) 歲 |
A:Now repeat. |
B: 歲 |
{Pause} |
A: Listen to the speaker say, “I'm 18 years old.”, and then repeat. |
B: 我十八歲。 |
{pause} |
A: To make another phrase, replace 18 with 25. |
B: 廿五 |
A: twenty-five (25) |
B: (slow) 廿五 (regular) 廿五 |
A: Listen to the phrase again, this time with twenty-five (25) |
B: 我廿五歲。 |
A: It mostly stays the same. Replace 18 with 25.. Say I'm 25 years old. |
{pause} |
B: 我廿五歲。 |
A: To expand on the pattern, replace 25 with 30. |
B: 三十 |
A: thirty (30) |
B: (slow) 三十 (regular) 三十 |
A: Listen to the phrase again, this time with thirty (30) |
B: 我三十歲。 |
A: It mostly stays the same. Simply replace 25 with 30. Say I'm thirty (30) years old. |
{pause} |
B: 我三十歲。 |
A: To expand on the pattern, replace 30 with 52. |
B: 五十二 |
A: fifty-two (52) |
B: (slow) 五十二 (regular) 五十二 |
A: Listen to the phrase again, this time with fifty-two (52) |
B: 我五十二歲。 |
A: It mostly stays the same. Simply replace 30 with 52. Say I'm fifty-two (52) years old. |
{pause} |
B: 我五十二歲。 |
Now it's time for a quiz. Imagine you are visiting Hong Kong and someone asks you how old you are. You are 18. Respond to the question. |
B: 你幾多歲? (five seconds) 我十八歲。 |
A: Imagine you are twenty-five (25). Respond to the question. |
B: 你幾多歲? (five seconds) 我廿五歲。 |
A: Now imagine you are thirty (30). Answer the speaker's question. |
B: 你幾多歲? (five seconds) 我三十歲。 |
A: Imagine you're fifty-two (52). Respond to the question. |
B: 你幾多歲? (five seconds) 我五十二歲。 |
A: You want to ask someone how old they are. Ask the question. |
(5 seconds) |
B: 你幾多歲? |
{pause} |
A: Now it's time to answer the question with actual information about yourself. |
B: 你幾多歲? |
{pause} |
A: This is the end of Lesson 11 |
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