Language/Yue-chinese/Grammar/Possessive-Pronouns
Learning how to express possession is an essential part of any language. In Yue Chinese, there are several ways to express possession, but the most common is by using possessive pronouns. These pronouns are used to indicate the person or thing that possesses or owns something. In this lesson, we will learn how to use possessive pronouns in Yue Chinese.
What Are Possessive Pronouns?
Possessive pronouns are replacing nouns that show ownership. In English, possessive pronouns include words like "mine," "yours," "his," "hers," "ours," and "theirs." Just like in English, possessive pronouns in Yue Chinese are used to show ownership. They take the place of nouns and help clarify who owns what.
Here is an overview of the personal pronouns and possessive pronouns in Yue Chinese:
| Personal Pronouns | Pronouns Translation | Possessive Pronouns | Possessive Pronouns Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 我 | Wó | 我嘅 | Wó ge |
| 你 | Néih | 你嘅 | Néih ge |
| 佢 | Kéui | 佢嘅 | Kéui ge |
| 佢（女） | Kéui (néoih) | 佢嘅 | Kéui ge |
| 我哋 | Wó dĕi | 我哋嘅 | Wó dĕi ge |
| 佢哋 | Kéui dĕi | 佢哋嘅 | Kéui dĕi ge |
You might have noticed that the form of the possessive pronoun in Yue Chinese is created by adding 嘅 ge to the end of the appropriate personal pronoun. This is crucial to remember as it is an essential part of creating possessive pronouns in Yue Chinese.
Let's dive into each possessive pronoun one by one:
My
To express "my" in Yue Chinese, we use the possessive pronoun "我嘅," which is "wó ge" in Cantonese. We add "ge" (嘅) to the end of "wó" (我) to indicate possession. For example:
- 我嘅錢 (wó ge chin) - my money
- 我嘅車 (wó ge chē) - my car
Your
To express "your" in Yue Chinese, we use the possessive pronoun "你嘅," which is "néih ge" in Cantonese. We add "ge" (嘅) to the end of "néih" (你) to indicate possession. For example:
- 你嘅書 (néih ge syū) - your book
- 你嘅房子 (néih ge fòhng jī) - your house
His / Her
To express "his" or "her" in Yue Chinese, we use the possessive pronoun "佢嘅," which is "kéui ge" in Cantonese. We add "ge" (嘅) to the end of "kéui" (佢) to indicate possession. For example:
- 佢嘅狗 (kéui ge gáu) - his/her dog
- 佢嘅手機 (kéui ge sáu gei) - his/her cellphone
Our
To express "our" in Yue Chinese, we use the possessive pronoun "我哋嘅," which is "wó dĕi ge" in Cantonese. We add "dĕi" (哋) after "wó" (我), and then "ge" (嘅) to indicate possession. For example:
- 我哋嘅家 (wó dĕi ge gāa) - our home
- 我哋嘅小孩 (wó dĕi ge síu hái) - our child
Their
To express "their" in Yue Chinese, we use the possessive pronoun "佢哋嘅," which is "kéui dĕi ge" in Cantonese. We add "dĕi" (哋) after "kéui" (佢), and then "ge" (嘅) to indicate possession. For example:
- 佢哋嘅電影 (kéui dĕi ge dín yíng) - their movie
- 佢哋嘅照片 (kéui dĕi ge jíu fōn) - their photo
Conclusion
In this lesson, we learned how to use possessive pronouns in Yue Chinese to indicate possession. Possessive pronouns are an essential part of the language and can help make sentences more concise and clear. Remember to add "ge" (嘅) to the end of personal pronouns to create the corresponding possessive pronouns. So go ahead and give it a try! Use them in your daily conversations and impress your friends and family by showing off your newly acquired Yue Chinese skills.