How to ask 'Yes or no' questions in Cantonese (Part 1)

When they say the Cantonese language is not for the faint of heart, they mean it. I mean... We don't have a word for 'yes', nor do we have one for 'no'. But don't crawl into bed and have existential crisis yet, I will explain it and once you master the pattern, it will become second nature to you.

Step 1:

First we need to know how to express things in the negative form.

Let's take a look at some examples.

Verb

1. 我係女仔 (ngo5 hai6 neoi5 zai2) - I am a girl.
2. 我唔係男仔 (ngo5 m4 hai6 naam4 zai2) - I am not a boy.

Adjective

1. 開心(hoi1 sam1) - happy
2. 唔開心 (m4 hoi1 sam1) - unhappy

Step 2:

One-word verb examples:

Let’s take a look at this question:

係 (hai6) - to be

Question

你係唔係Rachel? (nei5 hai6 m4 hai6 Rachel) - Are you Rachel?

Notice how the phrase 係唔係 (hai m4 hai6) can be broken down into two parts.

1. 係 (hai6) - to be

2. 唔係 (m4 hai6) - to not be

In a way, these two parts are CHOICES with which you can answer the question.

Answer

1. 我係Rachel. (ngo5 hai6 Rachel) - I am Rachel
2. 我唔係Rachel. (ngo5 m4 hai6 Rachel) - I am not Rachel

Let’s look at another example.

想 (soeng2) - to want

Question

你想唔想食蘋果？(nei5 soeng2 m4 soeng2 sik6 ping4 gwo2) - Do you want to eat apples?

Answer

1. 我想食蘋果。(ngo5 soeng2 sik6 ping4 gwo2) - I want to eat apples
2. 我唔想食蘋果。 (ngo5 m4 soeng2 sik6 ping4 gwo2) - I don't want to eat apples

One-word adjective examples:

靚 (leng3) - beautiful/pretty

Question

香港靚唔靚？ (hoeng1 gong2 leng3 m4 leng3) - Is Hong Kong beautiful?

Answer

1. 香港好靚。 (hoeng1 gong2 hou2 leng3) - Hong Kong is beautiful.
2. 香港唔靚。 (hoeng1 gong2 m4 leng3) - Hong Kong is not beautiful.

貴 (gwai3) - expensive

Question

菠蘿包貴唔貴？ (bo1 lo4 baau1 gwai3 m4 gwai3) - Are pineapple buns expensive?

Answer

1. 菠蘿包唔貴。 (bo1 lo4 baau1 m4 gwai3) - Pineapple buns are not expensive.
2. 菠蘿包好貴。 (bo1 lo4 baau1 hou2 gwai3) - Pineapple buns are expensive.

two-word verb examples:

行山 (hang4 saan1) - hiking

Question

你聽日行唔行山？ (nei5 ting1 jat6 hang4 m4 hang4 saan1) - Are you going hiking tomorrow?

Answer

我聽日行山。 (ngo5 ting1 jat6 hang4 saan1) - I am going hiking tomorrow.

我聽日唔行山。 (ngo5 ting1 jat6 m4 hang4 saan1) - I am not going hiking tomorrow.

煮飯 (zyu2 faan6) - to cook

Question

你今晚煮唔煮飯？ (nei5 gam1 maan5 zyu2 m4 zyu2 faan6) - Are you cooking tonight?

Answer

我今晚煮飯。 (ngo5 gam1 maan5 zyu2 faan6) - I am cooking tonight.

我今晚唔煮飯。 (ngo5 gam1 maan5 m4 zyu2 faan6) - I am not cooking tonight.

Two-word adjective examples:

好食 (hou2 sik6) - delicious

Question

菠蘿包好唔好食？ (bo1 lo4 baau1 hou2 m4 hou2 sik6) - Are pineapple buns delicious?

Answer

菠蘿包好好食。 (bo1 lo4 baau1 hou2 hou2 sik6) - Pineapple buns are delicious.

菠蘿包唔好食。 (bo1 lo4 baau1 m4 hou2 sik6) - Pineapple buns are not delicious.

舒服 (syu1 fuk6) - comfortable

Question

張梳化舒唔舒服？ (zoeng1 so1 faa3 syu1 m4 syu1 fuk6) - Is the sofa comfortable?

Answer

張梳化好舒服。 (zoeng1 so1 faa3 hou2 syu1 fuk6) - The sofa is comfortable.

張梳化唔舒服。 (zoeng1 so1 faa3 m4 syu1 fuk6) - The sofa is not comfortable.

Your turn!

Form the questions below with the key words provided.

1. Are you tired today?

今日 (gam1 jat6) - Today

攰 (gui6) - Tired

2. Is the sun big?

太陽 (taai3 joeng4) - Sun

大 (daai6) - Big

3. Do you like dogs?

鍾意 (zung1 ji3) - Like/Love

狗 (gau2) - Dog

4. Is your little brother handsome?

細佬 (sai3 lou2) - Younger brother

靚仔 (leng3 zai2) - Handsome

Answers

1. 你今日攰唔攰？(nei5 gam1 jat6 gui6 m4 gui6?)
2. 太陽大唔大？(taai3 joeng4 daai6 m4 daai6?)
3. 你鐘唔鐘意狗？(nei5 zung1 m4 zung1 ji3 gau2?)
4. 你細佬靚唔靚仔？(nei5 sai3 lou2 leng3 m4 leng3 zai2?)

In the next post, we will explore how to ask yes no questions in the past tense.

Stay tuned!