Free Cantonese Chinese Lessons
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Free Cantonese Chinese LessonsMain Menu | Mandarin Lessons | Chinese Tutoring | Discussion Forum |
These Cantonese Chinese lessons have been designed to provide practical travel vocabulary and a foundation for basic conversational skills. You may also download a complete audio transcript for listening in your car. |
| In Cantonese, there are a few ways to say Please. The following is quite common: |
| English: | Please | |
| Chinese: | tchayng |
| English: | To ask | |
| Chinese: | mun |
| In Cantonese, when approaching someone to ask a question, it's polite to first say Excuse me, may I ask before asking the question. We'll learn how to say excuse me in a later section. For now, we'll use May I ask |
| English: | May I ask? | |
| Chinese: | tchayng mun | |
| Literally: | please to ask |
| English: | Miss / young woman | |
| Chinese: | sew-dzay |
| English: | Miss, may I ask? | |
| Chinese: | tchayng mun sew-tday | |
| Literally: | may I ask miss |
| English: | May I ask miss, do you know how to speak English | |
| Chinese: | tchayng mun sew-dzay, nay sik-hm-sik gahng yeeng mun ah | |
| Literally: | may I ask miss, you know-not-know how to speak English? +? |
| English: | Mister / sir | |
| Chinese: | seen-sahn |
| English: | May I ask sir | |
| Chinese: | tchayng mun, seen-sahn | |
| Literally: | (same) |
| English: | May I ask sir, do you know how to speak English | |
| Chinese: | tchayng mun seen-sahn, nay sik-hm-sik gahng yeeng mun ah | |
| Literally: | may I ask sir, you know-not-know how to speak English? +? |
| English: | Some / a little | |
| Chinese: | yut-dee |
| English: | Some people | |
| Chinese: | yut-dee yan | |
| Literally: | (same) |
| English: | I can speak a little Cantonese | |
| Chinese: | ngoh sik gahng yut-dee gwahng-dohng wah | |
| Literally: | I know how to speak a little Cantonese |
| English: | Much | |
| Chinese: | doh |
| English: | Very much | |
| Chinese: | hoh doh | |
| Literally: | (same) |
| English: | You can speak a lot of Cantonese | |
| Chinese: | nay sik gahng hoh doh gwahng-dohng wah | |
| Literally: | you know how to speak very much Cantonese |
| English: | You understand a lot of English | |
| Chinese: | nay sik tayng hoh doh yeeng mun | |
| Literally: | you understand very much English |
| English: | I don't speak well | |
| Chinese: | ngoh gahng duk hm hoh | |
| Literally: | I speak not good |
| The unfamiliar word in that sentence does not have a direct translation into English, but it's something like saying The way I speak English is not good or, word for word, I speak in a way not good: |
| English: | To go | |
| Chinese: | houe |
| English: | I'm going to China | |
| Chinese: | ngoh houe johng-gwohk | |
| Literally: | I going to China |
| English: | You're going to America | |
| Chinese: | nay houe may-gwohk | |
| Literally: | you going to America |