Verbs

Cantonese Lesson 12 (Verbs and Time)

Duration: 30 mins

This is the 12th lesson about Cantonese verbs, as well as time expressions such as hours, days, and months. Finally some simple common phrases. I will try to give examples using both vocabulary and grammar. That way it will be easy for you to see the words when they are separate and when they are in a sentence. Going through the whole page should take about 30 min. Make sure to read the pronunciation and hear the audio as well. If you have any question about this course, please email me directly at Cantonese Classes.

Verbs

Before we move on to lessons about the present, past, and future, we need to discuss verbs in general. The verb is the second most used part of speech after the noun. That means we need to pay more attention to its different forms and tenses.

Below is a list of 16 verbs that you might come across or use very often. They are in their raw format (not conjugated yet). The table contains 3 columns (English, Cantonese, and Audio). Make sure you repeat each word after hearing it by either clicking on the audio button or by reading the pronunciation. That should help with memorization as well as improving your pronunciation.

Verbs List in Cantonese

Verbs Cantonese Audio
To drive揸車
zaa1 ce1 
To find揸車
zaa1 ce1 
To give
bei2 
To have
jau5 
To know知道
zi1 dou6 
To learn
hok6 
To love愛/鍾意
ngoi3 / zung1 ji3 
To play
waan2 
To read
duk6 
To see
tai2 
To smile
siu3 
To speak
gong2 
To think
lam2 
To understand明白/理解
ming4 baak6 / lei5 gaai2 
To work做野
zou6 je5 
To write
se2 

Here is an example of the verb "to understand" conjugated into the past, present, and future.

Verb "to understand" in a Sentence

He understands me佢明白我
keoi5 ming4 baak6 ngo5 
He understood me佢(以前)明白我
keoi5 (ji5 cin4 )ming4 baak6 ngo5 
He will understand me佢會明白我
keoi5 wui2 ming4 baak6 ngo5 

Questions?

If you have any questions, please contact me using the Cantonese contact form on the header above.

Vocabulary List about Time

Below is a list of 30 words related to time such as hours, days and months. If you can memorize them by heart, you will be able to discuss time related topics more easily.

Time in Cantonese

Time Cantonese Audio
Days日子
jat6 zi2 
Monday星期一
sing1 kei4 jat1 
Tuesday星期二
sing1 kei4 ji6 
Wednesday星期三
sing1 kei4 saam1 
Thursday星期四
sing1 kei4 sei3 
Friday星期五
sing1 kei4 ng5 
Saturday星期六
sing1 kei4 luk6 
Sunday星期日
sing1 kei4 jat6 
January一月
jat1 jyut6 
February二月
ji6 jyut6 
March三月
saam1 jyut6 
April四月
sei3 jyut6 
May五月
ng5 jyut6 
June六月
luk6 jyut6 
July七月
cat1 jyut6 
August八月
baat3 jyut6 
September九月
gau2 jyut6 
October十月
sap6 jyut6 
November十一月
sap6 jat1 jyut6 
December十二月
sap6 ji6 jyut6 
Autumn秋天
cau1 tin1 
Winter冬天
dung1 tin1 
Spring春天
ceon1 tin1 
Summer夏天
haa6 tin1 
Seasons季節
gwai3 zit3 
Months月份
jyut6 fan6 
Time時間
si4 gaan1 
Hour鐘頭
zung1 tau4 
Minute分鐘
fan1 zung1 
Second第二
dai6 ji6 

Daily Conversation in Cantonese

Finally, here are some popular phrases you might need to use daily. For a complete list of commonly used sentences, please visit our Cantonese Phrases page. Enjoy!

Common Expressions in Cantonese

English Cantonese Audio
I was born in July我係七月出世
ngo5 hai6 cat1 jyut6 ceot1 sai3 
I will visit you in August我八月會嚟探你
ngo5 baat3 jyut6 wui2 lai4 taam3 nei5 
See you tomorrow!聽日見
ting3 jat6 gin3 
Today is Monday今日係星期一
gam1 jat6 hai6 sing1 kei4 jat1 
Winter is very cold here呢度冬天好凍
ne1 dou6 dung1 tin1 hou2 dung3 
Yesterday was Sunday噚日係星期日
cam4 jat6 hai6 sing1 kei4 jat6 
Are you married?你結咗婚未?
nei5 git3 zo2 fan1 mei6 ?
I'm single我係單身嘅
ngo5 hai6 daan1 san1 ge3 
Would you marry me?你可唔可以嫁俾我?
nei5 ho2 m4 ho2 ji5 gaa3 bei2 ngo5 ?
Can I have your phone number?你可唔可以俾你個電話號碼我?
nei5 ho2 m4 ho2 ji5 bei2 nei5 go3 din6 waa6 hou6 maa5 ngo5 ?
Can I have your email?你可唔可以俾你個電郵地址我?
nei5 ho2 m4 ho2 ji5 bei2 nei5 go3 din6 jau4 dei6 zi2 ngo5 ?

Fun Facts

Language Quote: ❝Learn everything you can, anytime you can, from anyone you can; there will always come a time when you will be grateful you did.❞ ‒Sarah Caldwell

Congratulations! You finished your 12th lesson in Cantonese about verbs, and time. Are you ready for the next lesson? We recommend Cantonese Lesson 13. You can also simply click on one of the links below or go back to our Learn Cantonese homepage.