The 3rd lesson is about the plural in Cantonese and how to create it from the singular form. In addition, I will include a list of vocabulary about languages, nationalities, and countries. Finally, you will find some common everyday sentences. 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.
Plural
Knowing how to create the plural from the singular word can double the vocabulary you already know. It can make it easy to have a conversation about different topics by simply knowing some grammatical rules. For example how to change the word "book" to "books" or "woman" to "women".
Below is a list of singular words and their plural equivalent. I included examples about nature as well as about humans. 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.
Singular vs. Plural in Cantonese
English
Cantonese
Audio
Country
國家 gwok3 gaa1
Countries
國家 gwok3 gaa1
Lake
湖 wu4
Lakes
湖 wu4
Language
語言 jyu5 jin4
Languages
語言 jyu5 jin4
Woman
女人 neoi5 jan4
Women
女士們 neoi5 si6 mun4
Man
男人 naam4 jan4
Men
男士們 naam4 si6 mun4
Boy
男仔 naam4 zai2
Boys
男仔 naam4 zai2
Girl
女仔 neoi5 zai2
Girls
女仔 neoi5 zai2
Now we will try to implement some of the words above into full Cantonese sentences. That way you will be able to see how both forms are used when embedded in a structure.
If you have any questions, please contact me using the Cantonese contact form on the header above.
Vocabulary List about Languages, Nationalities, and Countries
Below is a list of 50 words related to languages, nationalities, and countries. If you can memorize them by heart, you will be able to have a good conversation about how many languages you speak or where you came from.
Languages Nationalities and Countries List in Cantonese
English
Cantonese
Audio
Arabic (language)
阿拉伯話 aa3 laai1 baak3 waa6
Moroccan (nationality)
摩洛哥人 mo1 lok6 go1 jan4
Morocco (country)
摩洛哥 mo1 lok6 go1
Brazilian (language)
巴西話 baa1 sai1 waa6
Brazilian (nationality)
巴西人 baa1 sai1 jan4
Brazil (country)
巴西 baa1 sai1
Chinese (language)
中文 zung1 man4
Chinese (nationality)
中國人 zung1 gwok3 jan4
China (country)
中國 zung1 gwok3
English (language)
Cantonese Cantonese
British (nationality)
英國人 jing1 gwok3 jan4
Britain (country)
英國 jing1 gwok3
American (nationality)
美國人 mei5 gwok3 jan4
America (country)
美國 mei5 gwok3
French (language)
法文 faat3 man4
French (nationality)
法國人 faat3 gwok3 jan4
France (country)
法國 faat3 gwok3
German (language)
徳文 dak1 man4
German (nationality)
德國人 dak1 gwok3 jan4
Germany (country)
徳國 dak1 gwok3
Greek (language)
希臘話 hei1 laap6 waa6
Greek (nationality)
希臘人 hei1 laap6 jan4
Greece (country)
希臘 hei1 laap6
Hindi (language)
印度話 jan3 dou6 waa6
Indian (nationality)
印度人 jan3 dou6 jan4
India (country)
印度 jan3 dou6
Irish (language)
愛爾蘭文 ngoi3 ji5 laan4 man4
Irish (nationality)
愛爾蘭人 ngoi3 ji5 laan4 jan4
Ireland (country)
愛爾蘭 ngoi3 ji5 laan4
Italian (language)
意大利文 ji3 daai6 lei6 man4
Italian (nationality)
意大利人 ji3 daai6 lei6 jan4
Italy (country)
意大利 ji3 daai6 lei6
Japanese (language)
日文 jat6 man4
Japanese (nationality)
日本人 jat6 bun2 jan4
Japan (country)
日本 jat6 bun2
Korean (language)
韓文 hon4 man4
Korean (nationality)
韓國人 hon4 gwok3 jan4
Korea (country)
韓國 hon4 gwok3
Persian (language)
波斯話 bo1 si1 waa6
Iranian (nationality)
伊朗人 ji1 long5 jan4
Iran (country)
伊朗 ji1 long5
Portuguese (language)
葡萄牙文 pou4 tou4 ngaa4 man4
Portuguese (nationality)
葡萄牙人 pou4 tou4 ngaa4 jan4
Portugal (country)
葡萄牙 pou4 tou4 ngaa4
Russian (language)
俄文 ngo4 man4
Russian (nationality)
俄羅斯人 ngo4 lo4 si1 jan4
Russia (country)
俄國 ngo4 gwok3
Spanish (language)
西班牙文 sai1 baan1 ngaa4 man4
Spanish (nationality)
西班牙人 sai1 baan1 ngaa4 jan4
Spain (country)
西班牙 sai1 baan1 ngaa4
Daily Conversation in Cantonese
Finally, a list of sentences about languages, nationalities, and countries plus some bonus phrases. For a complete list of commonly used sentences, please visit our Cantonese Phrases page. Enjoy!
Language Quote that by simply knowing how to form the plural, you can double the number of nouns in your vocabulary, without having to memorize all the plural form.
Congratulations! You finished your third lesson in Cantonese about singular, plural, languages, nationalities, and countries. Are you ready for the next lesson? We recommend Cantonese Lesson 4. You can also simply click on one of the links below or go back to our Learn Cantonese homepage.
