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Cantonese is ananalytic language in which the arrangement of words in a sentence is important to its meaning. A basic sentence is in the form ofSVO, i.e. asubject is followed by averb then by anobject, though this order is often violated because Cantonese is atopic-prominent language. Unlikesynthetic languages, seldom do words indicatetime,gender andnumber by inflection. Instead, these concepts are expressed through adverbs, aspect markers, and particles, or are deduced from the context. Different particles are added to asentence to further specify its status orintonation.

A verb itself indicates notense. The time can be explicitly shown with time-indicating adverbs. Certain exceptions exist, however, according to the pragmatic interpretation of a verb's meaning. Additionally, an optionalaspect particle can be appended to a verb to indicate the state of an event. Appending interrogative or exclamative particles to a sentence turns a sentence into a question or shows the attitudes of the speaker.

In contrast to many European languages, Cantonese verbs are marked for aspect rather than tense—that is, whether an event has begun, is ongoing, or has been completed. Tense—where an event occurs within time, i.e. past, present, future—is specified through the use of time adverbs. In addition, verbal complements may convey aspectual distinctions, indicating whether an event is just beginning, is continuing, or at completion, and also the effect of the verb on its object(s).

Aspect particles are usually treated as suffixes bound to the verb. Aspect particles can also be added to an adjective and function as a verb "be (adjective)".

Cantonese uses the following pronouns, which like in many other Sinitic languages, function as both nominative (English: I, he, we) and accusative (me, him, us):

States and qualities are generally expressed usingstative verbs that do not require the verb "to be". For example, to say "I am hungry", one would say 我肚餓ngo5 tou5 ngo6 (literally: I stomach hungry).

With noun complements, the verb 係hai6 serves as the verb "to be".

Another use of 係 is in cleft constructions for emphasis, much like the English construction "It's ... that ...". The sentence particle 嘅ge3 is often found along with it.

To indicate location, the words 喺hai2 (a "lazy" variation is 响hoeng2) which are collectively known as the locatives or sometimes coverbs in Chinese linguistics, are used to express "to be at":

(Here 而家ji4 gaa1 means "now".)

Many negation words start with the sound m- in Cantonese; for example, 唔m4 "not", 冇mou5 "to not have (done sth)", 未mei6 "not yet". Verbs are negated by adding the character 唔m4 in front of it. For example:

我 ngo5 1SG 食 sik6 to eat 得 dak1 can 花生 faa1 sang1 peanut 我 食 得 花生 ngo5 sik6 dak1 {faa1 sang1} 1SG {to eat} can peanut "I can eat peanuts"

${\displaystyle ⟶}$

我 ngo5 1SG 唔 m4 NEG 食 sik6 to eat 得 dak1 can 花生 faa1 sang1 peanut 我唔 食 得 花生 ngo5m4 sik6 dak1 {faa1 sang1} 1SGNEG {to eat} can peanut "I can't eat peanuts"

The exception is the word 有jau5 'to have', which turns into 冇mou5 'to not have' without the use of 唔m4.

The negative imperative is formed by prefixing 唔好m4 hou2 (also pronouncedmou2) or 咪mai5 in front of the verb:

In contrast to the examples of sentential negation above where the entire sentence is negated, 唔m4 can be used lexically to negate a single word. The negated word often differs slightly in meaning from the original word; that is, this lexical negation is a kind of derivation. Evidence for this is that they can be used with the perfective aspect particle 咗zo2, which is not possible with sententially negated verbs.

is perfectly acceptable, but

is ungrammatical. (The correct expression should be 我冇食嘢ngo5 mou5 sik6 je5: 我(I)冇(did not)食(eat)嘢(something/anything), but actually with an emphasis on not doing an action, as it is the negation of 我有食嘢ngo5 yau5 sik6 je5: 我(I)有(did)食(eat)嘢(something/anything).)

Questions are not formed by changing the word order as in English. Sentence final particles and certain interrogative constructions are used instead.

There are two ways to form a yes–no questions. One way is by the use of final particle and/or intonation alone. The question particle 呀aa4 indicates surprise or disapproval. It tends to presuppose a positive answer.

The particle 咩me1 is exclusively interrogative, indicating surprise and used to check the truth of an unexpected state of affairs.

A question may be indicated by a high rising intonation alone at the end of a question. (This intonation can be considered a nonsyllabic final particle indicating a question.) This intonation pattern usually modifies or exaggerates the basic tone of the last syllable. This type of question is used especially for echo, where the questioner repeats a statement out of surprise.

The other way to form yes–no questions uses a special construction in which the head of the predicate, sayX, is replaced byX-not-X. Final particles may be used in addition.

• For example

你 nei5 you 識 sik1 know 講 gong2 speak 廣東話 Gwong2 dung1 waa2 Cantonese 你 識 講 廣東話 nei5 sik1 gong2 {Gwong2 dung1 waa2} you know speak Cantonese You know how to speak Cantonese.

${\displaystyle ⟶}$

你 nei5 you 識唔識 sik1 m4 sik1 know not know 講 gong2 speak 廣東話? Gwong2 dung1 waa2 Cantonese 你 識唔識 講 廣東話? nei5 {sik1 m4 sik1} gong2 {Gwong2 dung1 waa2} you {know not know} speak Cantonese Do you know how speak Cantonese?

• As the negative form of 有 is 冇, the corresponding yes–no question uses the form 有冇:

有 jau5 have 紅綠燈. hung4 luk6 dang1 red-green-light 有 紅綠燈. jau5 {hung4 luk6 dang1} have red-green-light There is a traffic light.

${\displaystyle ⟶}$

有冇 jau5 mou5 have not have 紅綠燈? hung4 luk6 dang1 red-green-light 有冇 紅綠燈? {jau5 mou5} {hung4 luk6 dang1} {have not have} red-green-light Is there a traffic light?

• As for 係hai6 ("to be"), the yes–no question often uses the contraction 係咪hai6 mai6 (note that 咪mai6 is not the prohibitive 咪mai2) instead of 係唔係hai6 m4 hai6.

佢 keoi5 (s)he 係 hai6 is 加拿大人. gaa1 naa4 daai6 jan4*2 Canada-person 佢 係 加拿大人. keoi5 hai6 {gaa1 naa4 daai6 jan4*2} (s)he is Canada-person (S)he is a Canadian

${\displaystyle ⟶}$

佢 keoi5 (s)he 係咪 hai6 mai6 is isn't 加拿大人? gaa1 naa4 daai6 jan4*2 Canada-person 佢 係咪 加拿大人? keoi5 {hai6 mai6} {gaa1 naa4 daai6 jan4*2} (s)he {is isn't} Canada-person Is (s)he a Canadian?

• With multisyllable verbs, only the first syllable is repeated:

你 nei5 you 鍾意 zung1 ji3 like 年糕. nin4 gou1 year-cake 你 鍾意 年糕. nei5 {zung1 ji3} {nin4 gou1} you like year-cake You like new-year cakes

${\displaystyle ⟶}$

你 nei5 you 鍾唔鍾意 zung1 m4 zung1 ji3 like not like 年糕? nin4 gou1 year-cake 你 鍾唔鍾意 年糕? nei5 {zung1 m4 zung1 ji3} {nin4 gou1} you {like not like} year-cake Do you like new-year cakes?

• A special case is when a question asking whether something has occurred is formed. In a negative sentence, the adverb 未mei6 should precede the verb to indicate that the event has not yet occurred. In yes–no questions, however, 未 appears at the end of the question (but before the final particle, if exists):

你 nei5 you 去過 heoi3 gwo3 go-EXP 德國. Dak1 gwok3 Germany 你 去過 德國. nei5 {heoi3 gwo3} {Dak1 gwok3} you go-EXP Germany You have been to Germany

${\displaystyle ⟶}$

你 nei5 you 去過 heoi3 gwo3 go-EXP 德國 Dak1 gwok3 Germany 未? mei6*2 not-yet (the word 去過 after 未 is omitted to avoid repetition.) (tone changes to indicate a question.)   你 去過 德國 未? nei5 {heoi3 gwo3} {Dak1 gwok3} mei6*2 you go-EXP Germany not-yet Have you ever been to Germany?

This form of yes–no questions looks less similar to the "X-not-X" type, but it is still considered in this type, because the "X" after "not" is omitted. For example, the example question above can be expanded as 你去過德國未去過?nei5 heoi3 gwo3 Dak1 gwok3 mei6 heoi3 gwo3.

A syntax of yes–no question in the form "X-not-X" is actually a contraction of a combination of syntax of an affirmative sentence and the syntax of a negative sentence.

• The interrogative words are as follows:

Questions use exactly the same word order as in statements. For example: 你係邊個?nei5 hai6 bin1 go3 "who are you?" (literally "you are who"), 你幾時去邊度見邊個呀?nei5 gei2 si4 heoi3 bin1 dou6 gin3 bin1 go aa3 "When will you go? Where will you go and who will you meet?" (literally "you when go where meet who"). Note that more than one interrogative words can be put in a single sentence at a same time.

The proximal demonstrative ("this"), is 呢ni1 /nei1, or more frequently in fast speech, 依ji1 (+ measure word). For example:

呢本書ni1/nei1 bun2 syu1 "this book"

依本書ji1 bun2 syu1 "this book"

The distal demonstrative ("that") is 嗰go2. For example:

嗰本書go2 bun2 syu1 "that book"

Between the demonstrative and its noun, a certain word to link them must be used, whether a corresponding classifier for the noun for singular count nouns or 啲di1 for plural count nouns and mass nouns:

呢架車ni1/nei1 gaa3 ce1 "this car"

呢啲車ni1/nei1 di1 ce1 "these cars"

嗰啲水go2 di1 seoi2 "that water"

• For singular nouns, the word 嘅ge3 is roughly equivalent to English " 's":

• Plural nouns take 啲di1:

N.B.: 啲di1 is a very versatile word in Cantonese, besides pluralizing certain phrases, it can also mean "a little/few", e.g. 一啲jat1 di1 "a little", or 早啲zou2 di1 "earlier" (literally: early + (intensifier)).

• Possessive pronouns (i.e. "mine", "his", "hers") are formed by adding 嘅ge3 after the pronoun.

However, in the case where there's an implied plural noun, one does not say:

For example:

嘅呀ge3 aa3 is usually shortened in speech into one syllable, 㗎/嘎gaa3.

• One could also say:

Both of these are generic possessives.

The "part of speech" (POS) in Cantonese is different from English. Usually, a word can be used in different POS, without any changes. Example: 跑步 (Meaning: running), can be either verb or noun.

你可以喺公園跑步 (You can run at the park) [跑步 act as a verb]

跑步係我嘅興趣 (Running is my hobby) [跑步 act as a noun]

Moreover, particles may also change the POS.

E.g. 碗湯係熱嘅 OR 碗湯熱嘅 means: the bowl of soup is hot

But 碗湯係熱 means: the bowl of soup == (the concept of) hot, which does not make sense. (Since with 係, the word after it is understood as a noun but not adjective. 熱嘅 should be used, as the POS of 熱嘅 would only be adjective.)

This concept is similar in Mandarin Chinese, replacing 係 with 是, and replacing 嘅 with 的.

To alter the mood or lead other focuses, other final particles can also be used to substitute the particle 嘅, like 㗎.

The following Cantonese grammatical points are not found inMandarin Chinese.

Thedirect object precedes theindirect object when using the verb 畀bei2 "to give". In Mandarin verbs of giving, an indirect object precedes a direct object.

compared to Mandarin

The suffix used for the plural of pronouns, 哋dei6, cannot associate with human nouns, unlike its similar Mandarin counterpart 們-men. Mandarin 學生們xuéshengmen "the students" would be rendered in Cantonese as:

While thevocative use of 學生們xuéshengmen "students" would be rendered in Cantonese as:

There are words in Mandarin which often require the suffixes 子-zi or 頭-tou, but they are normally optional in Cantonese, e.g. Mandarin 鞋子xiézi "shoe" and 石頭shítou "rock" can be 鞋haai4 and 石sek6 in Cantonese.

Classifiers can be used instead of the possessive 嘅ge3 to indicate possession of a single object. Classifiers cannot be used this way in Mandarin.

Classifiers in both Cantonese and Mandarin can serve to individualize a noun, giving it a singular meaning (or plural in the case 啲di1). However, such a construction in Mandarin will be of indefinite reference, unless a demonstrative (e.g. 這zhè "this") or the universalquantifier (每měi "every") is present. Furthermore, there are great limitations on using this construction in subject position in Mandarin. In Cantonese, these restrictions do not exist.

Adjective comparison in Cantonese is formed by adding the marker 過gwo3 after an adjective. The adjective-marker construction serves as a transitive verb which takes the standard of comparison as an object.

In Standard Mandarin, comparison is marked by adding 比bǐ, which serves in an adverbial phrase, leaving the adjective itself unchanged. The sentence above is translated into Mandarin as:

Alternatively the plural marker 啲di1 alone (without the numeral 一jat1) can be used use as the sole complement of the verbal adjective.

Cantonese has a dedicatedhabitual aspect marker, 開hoi1, with no similar counterpart in Mandarin.

In Cantonese, there must always be an agent in a passive, while in Mandarin this isn't the case. If there's no known or specific agent, Cantonese must at least use 人jan4 "someone" as a dummy agent.

It is possible to stack various of such particles one after the other, while Mandarin is restricted to sentence-final 了 and one particle.

There is no gender distinction between the third person singulars of he, she and it in spoken or written Cantonese (佢); however in written Cantonese of formal register, which is similar to Mandarin, male and female may be distinguished with two different characters, 他 for male and 她 for female,^[1] as well as 它 for inanimate objects (including plants), 牠 for (non-human) animals, and 祂 for god(s), which all have the same pronunciation.

• Chinese grammar

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