Language/Yue-chinese/Grammar/Verb-Tense
As a Yue Chinese language teacher with over 20 years of experience, I know the importance of understanding verb tenses in any language. It allows us to express when an action happened, when it is happening, and when it will happen. In this lesson, we will learn how to express past, present, and future time in Yue Chinese.
Tenses
In Yue Chinese, there are three main verb tenses: past, present, and future.
- Past tense - Expresses an action or state that occurred in the past.
- Present tense - Expresses an action or state that is happening now.
- Future tense - Expresses an action or state that will happen in the future.
Let's take a look at some examples:
| Yue Chinese | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| 食早餐 | sik6 zou2 caan1 | Eat breakfast (present tense) |
| 食咗早餐 | sik6 zo2 zou2 caan1 | Ate breakfast (past tense) |
| 會食早餐 | wui5 sik6 zou2 caan1 | Will eat breakfast (future tense) |
As you can see, each example uses a different verb tense to express the time of the action.
Past Tense
To express the past tense in Yue Chinese, we add "咗 (zo2)" after the verb. For example:
- 食 (sik6) - to eat
- 食咗 (sik6 zo2) - ate
Examples:
- 我咗食晏 (ngo5 zo2 sik6 ngan4) - I ate lunch
- 佢咗打電話 (keoi5 zo2 daa2 din6 waa2) - He called on the phone
- 你咗去邊度？ (nei5 zo2 heoi3 bin1 dou2?) - Where did you go?
Present Tense
The present tense in Yue Chinese is formed by placing the verb in its base form. For example:
- 食 (sik6) - to eat
Examples:
- 我食晏 (ngo5 sik6 ngan4) - I am eating lunch
- 佢打電話 (keoi5 daa2 din6 waa2) - He is calling on the phone
- 你去邊度？ (nei5 heoi3 bin1 dou2?) - Where are you going?
Future Tense
To express the future tense in Yue Chinese, we use the auxiliary verb "會 (wui5)" before the base form of the verb. For example:
- 食 (sik6) - to eat
- 會食 (wui5 sik6) - will eat
Examples:
- 我會食晏 (ngo5 wui5 sik6 ngan4) - I will eat lunch
- 佢會打電話 (keoi5 wui5 daa2 din6 waa2) - He will call on the phone
- 你會去邊度？ (nei5 wui5 heoi3 bin1 dou2?) - Where will you go?
Question Words
When asking a question in Yue Chinese, we use question words to clarify the context. Here are some common question words:
- 乜嘢 (mat1 je5) - what
- 點解 (dim2 gaai2) - why
- 點樣 (dim2 joeng6) - how
- 幾時 (gei2 si4) - when
Here are some examples:
- 你食咩？ (nei5 sik6 me1?) - What are you eating?
- 點解唔係咁？ (dim2 gaai2 m4 hai6 gam2?) - Why is it not like that?
- 你點樣去嗰度？ (nei5 dim2 joeng6 heoi3 go2 dou6?) - How are you going there?
- 你幾時返黎？ (nei5 gei2 si4 faan1 lei4?) - When will you come back?
Expressing Duration
To express the duration of an action in Yue Chinese, we use the following structure:
Subject + verb + object + duration + measure word
Examples:
- 我鍾意行街行咗兩個鐘頭 (ngo5 zung1 ji3 hang4 gaai1 hang4 zo2 loeng5 go3 zung1 tau4) - I like to walk around for two hours
- 佢打機打咗三個鐘 (keoi5 daa2 gei1 daa2 zo2 saam1 go3 zung1) - He played video games for three hours
Slang and Informal Language
It's important to note that slang and informal language may be used in casual conversations, especially between friends. Here are a few examples:
- 穿咗底褲 (cyun1 zo2 dai2 fu3) - wearing underwear (to express that someone is embarrassed)
- 食咗豬肉 (sik6 zo2 zyu1 juk6) - ate pork (to express that someone made a mistake)
- 冇嘢好食 (mou5 je5 hou2 sik6) - nothing good to eat (to express dissatisfaction)
Cultural Information
In Cantonese culture, the future is considered "in front" of us and the past is "behind" us. This is why people often say "落後 (lok6 hau6)" to mean "behind the times" and "前途 (cin4 tou4)" to mean "future prospects." It's also common to use the phrase "長夜漫漫 (zoeng2 je6 maan6 maan6)" to describe a difficult situation, which translates to "the long night is endlessly long."
Another aspect of Cantonese culture is the use of puns and wordplay. This is especially apparent in the way people name dishes, with names like "貴妃雞 (gwai3 fei1 gai1)" for "Empress chicken," which sounds similar to "貴妃醉酒 (gwai3 fei1 zeoi3 zau2)" for "The drunken Empress."
Conclusion
In this lesson, we have learned how to express past, present, and future time in Yue Chinese. Remember to use the correct verb tense to accurately convey the time of the action. By mastering these grammar concepts, you will be able to express yourself more clearly in Yue Chinese.
Sources
Related Lessons
- Conditional Mood
- Particles
- 0 to A1 Course
- Adjectives
- Nouns
- Possibility and Certainty
- Future Tense
- Basic Sentence Structure
- Negation
- Adverbs