Language/Min-nan-chinese/Grammar/Plurals
Hi Min Nan Chinese learners!😊
Learning Min Nan Chinese Grammar can be a daunting task, but with the right approach and dedication, you can master it in no time! In this lesson, we will focus on plurals in Min Nan Chinese.
Pluralizing Nouns
In Min Nan Chinese, nouns are usually pluralized by adding the suffix -hō͘ (等). For example, the word for "book" (書) becomes "books" (書等). However, there are some exceptions to this rule.
Exceptions
Some nouns have irregular plural forms. For example, the word for "person" (人) becomes "people" (人員). Other nouns do not change at all in the plural form, such as the word for "cat" (貓), which remains the same in both singular and plural forms.
It is important to note that some nouns can take either the regular or the irregular plural form. For example, the word for "child" (兒) can be pluralized as either "children" (兒童) or "children" (兒等).
Pluralizing Verbs
Verbs in Min Nan Chinese are usually pluralized by adding the suffix -lâi (來). For example, the verb for "to eat" (食) becomes "to eat" (食來). However, there are some exceptions to this rule.
Exceptions
Some verbs have irregular plural forms. For example, the verb for "to go" (行) becomes "to go" (行去). Other verbs do not change at all in the plural form, such as the verb for "to see" (見), which remains the same in both singular and plural forms.
It is important to note that some verbs can take either the regular or the irregular plural form. For example, the verb for "to speak" (講) can be pluralized as either "to speak" (講來) or "to speak" (講去).
Conclusion
Plurals in Min Nan Chinese can be tricky, but with practice and patience, you can master them in no time! To improve your Min Nan Chinese Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!
If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below.
Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎