Absolute Beginner Season 1
In this series geared toward the absolute beginner, you will learn how to greet people, ask questions, talk about the present, past, and future, count, and much more. You'll hear Cantonese spoken in many different situations, which means you will pick up a wide variety of Cantonese phrases.
| Lesson | Title | Topic | Function | Target Phrases | Key Vocab |
| #1 | What's in a Cantonese Name? | self introduction | 初見 | 你好。 你好。 我叫偉仔，你呢？ 我叫嘉玲。 |
你好 hello 好 very 我 I 叫 to call 你 you 你呢 And you? 偉仔 Tony Leung 嘉玲 Carina Lau |
| #2 | Shooting the Breeze in Cantonese | greetings | 初見 | 你最近點啊？ 幾好，你呢？ 幾好。 |
你 you 最近 recently 點 how 幾好 okay/alright 啊 ahhh 好好 very good 燒賣 pork and mushroom dumpling |
| #3 | The Cantonese Identity Mix UP | apology | 初見 | 唔該，你係唔係偉仔？ 唔係。 唔好意思。 唔緊要。 |
唔該 excuse me 係 to be 唔係 not to be 唔好意思 sorry/excuse me 唔緊要 it doesn't matter 做 to do 食 to eat 學 to study 廣東話 Cantonese language |
| #4 | A Beer to Quench your Cantonese Thirst | place order | 食飯 | 小姐，唔該。 嗯？ 我要一支啤酒。 冇問題。 |
小姐 miss 先生mister 靚女 pretty girl 靚仔 pretty boy 要 to want/ to need 一 one 兩 two 支 (measure word for bottle) 個 (measure word) 啤酒 beer 水 water 果汁 juice 冇問題 no problem |
| #5 | Logging on in Hong Kong | going-online | 返工 | 呢度有冇wifi啊？ 有。 點上？ 我嚟幫你 。 |
呢度 here 有冇 do you have 點 how to 上 to get on 嚟 come 幫 help 廁所 toilet 餐廳 restaurant 房 room 網 internet |
| #6 | A Lesson in Cantonese Civility | thankful | 初見 | 你好。 你好。 你嘅啤酒。 唔該。 唔使客氣。 |
嘅 possessive particle 你嘅 your/yours 佢 he/she/it 我哋 we 你哋 you 佢哋 they 啤酒 beer 唔該 thank you 唔該晒 thank you 唔使客氣 you're welcome |
| #7 | Out for a Cantonese Dinner | inviting | 食飯 | 我肚餓。 我都係。 一齊食嘢？ 好啊。 |
肚餓 hungry 口渴 thirsty 攰 tired 都 also 係 to be 一齊 together 食 to eat 飲 to drink 嘢 thing/things 好 alright |
| #8 | Help From the Cantonese Staff | offering help | 食飯 | 小姐！ 有咩可以幫到你? 埋單，唔該。 好。 |
咩 what 可以 can 幫 to help 有咩 Is there anything... 睇 to watch/see 做 to do 埋單 to get the bill |
| #9 | Delicious Cantonese Roast Goose | referring to an object | 食飯 | 呢個係咩？ 呢個係深井燒鵝。 好好食喎！ 我都好鍾意食。 |
呢 this 呢個 this one 嗰 that 嗰個 that one 燒鵝 roast goose 好食 delicious 鍾意 to like 出名 famous |
| #10 | Ways to Get Around Hong Kong | getting around | 出行 | 我地點去啊？ 搭巴士。 不如搭地鐵？ 都得。 |
搭 to take (a transport) 的士 taxi 車 car 巴士 bus 地鐵 subway 飛機 airplane 不如 how about 都得 they're both okay |
| #11 | No Free Cantonese Lunch | borrowing money from friends | 出行 | 弊！ 咩事？ 我冇晒cash！ 唔使驚，我大把。 |
弊 shoot! 咩事 what (thing happened) 冇晒 to run out of/ to have no... left at all 唔使 no need to 驚 to be scared of; to be afraid of 擔心 to worry 唔使驚 don't worry 大把 to have plenty (of) |
| #12 | Time for Cantonese | making plans | 邀請 | 你幾時得閒啊？ 下個禮拜丫。 禮拜六？ 禮拜日。 |
幾時 when 得閒 to have time/ to be available 下個 next (one) 上個 last (one) 禮拜 week 星期 week 禮拜六 Saturday 禮拜日 Sunday 一 one 二 two 三 three 四 four 五 five 六 six |
| #13 | Crashing and Burning | flirting | 交際 | 嗨，靚女！ 咩事啊？ 你電話幾多號啊？ 我冇電話。 |
打 to dial; to hit 電話 telephone 手機 cellphone 號碼 number 屋企 home 幾多 how many 七 seven 八 eight 九 nine 十 ten 打俾我。Call me. |
| #14 | Out for a Cantonese Movie | going out | 邀請 | 一齊睇戲啊？ 咩戲號？ 2012。 好啊。 |
想 to want 睇戲 to watch a movie 行街 lit. to walk in the street; to go shopping 食飯 to have a meal 飲茶 to drink tea; to have Cantonese brunch 飲嘢 to have a drink 買嘢 to go shopping 兜風 to have a joy ride |
| #15 | Crashing and Burning: Part 2 | rejection | 交際 | 嗨，靚女! 咩事？ 得唔得閒，飲杯嘢？ sorry，我趕時間。 |
得閒 to have time; to be available 趕時間 to be in a rush 食餐飯 to have a dinner 飲杯嘢 to have a drink 睇部戲 to watch a movie 忙 busy 有時間 to have time 冇時間 not to have time |
| #16 | How About a Cup of Coffee? | making moves | 交際 | 嗨，靚女！ 點啊，靚仔 。 得唔得閒，飲杯咖啡？ 好啊。 |
咖啡 coffee 男朋友 boyfriend 女朋友 girlfriend 茶 tea 紅酒 red wine 白酒 white wine 去 to go 嚟 to come |
| #17 | Bargaining in the Cantonese Market | Bargain | 購物 | 呢個幾錢？ 一百蚊。 太貴喇。 五十。 |
幾錢 how much 蚊 the Hong Kong currency 講價 to bargain 貴 expensive 平 cheap 買 to buy 賣 to sell 太 too |
| #18 | It's Quitting Time in Hong Kong! | time expression | 返工 | 而家幾點？ 五點半。 夠鐘收工。 走啦。 |
而家 now 幾點 what time 半 half 夠鐘 it's time 收工 to leave work 開工 to start work 走 to leave 十一 11 十二 12 |
| #19 | Lightning Fast Cantonese Language Proficiency | compliment | 學習 | 你廣東話講得好好哦! 邊度係啊! 你學咗幾耐? 兩個鐘頭。 |
廣東話 Cantonese language 咗 -ed (past tense suffix) 邊度 where 呢度 here 嗰度 there 邊度係啊 not at all (a modest negation) 幾耐 how long (how much time) 鐘頭 hour |
| #20 | Effortless Cantonese | language learning | 學習 | 我學緊廣東話呀。 係咩？ 你可唔可以同我講廣東話？ 冇問題。 |
學 to learn; to study 溫書 to study 緊 -ing (continuous tense suffix) 係咩? Really? 廣東話 Cantonese language 英文 English 國語 Mandarin 講 to speak 傾 to talk |
| #21 | Slowing Down the Cantonese | misunderstanding | 學習 | 唔好意思。 咩事？ 我聽唔明啊。 咁... 你可唔可以講慢啲啊？ 冇問題。 |
聽唔明 not to understand 咁 so... 慢 slow 講 to speak 快 fast 勤力 diligent 啲 －er (more) |
| #22 | It Runs in the Cantonese Family | resembling | 閒聊 | 佢係邊個嚟咖？ 我大佬。 佢好似劉德華啵！ 就係佢啊。 |
似 to look like 邊個 who 邊個黎駕 who? 媽媽 mother 爸爸 father 大佬 older brother 細佬 younger brother 家姐 older sister 細妹 younger sister 老婆 wife 老公husband |
| #23 | Compliments to the Cantonese Chef | asking for comments | 閒聊 | 我個餸點啊？ 正！ 我個人點啊？ 仲正！ |
粥 porrige 餸 dish 湯 soup 甜品 dessert 糖水 Cantonese dessert 人 person 正 awesome 靚 beautiful／good 仲 even more |
| #24 | Being Told You're Really Ugly in Cantonese | how do you say | 學習 | 廣東話點講"ugly"啊？ "樣衰"。 哦，"你好樣衰"！ ... 啱唔啱啊？ 啱。 |
點講 how to say 樣衰 ugly 啱 correct 瘦 thin 肥 fat 熱 hot 凍 cold 高 tall 矮 short |
| #25 | Drinks on Me in Cantonese | inviting | 邀請 | 今晚去酒吧飲酒？ 呃... 我請。 一定到。 |
夜晚 night 日頭 day 今晚 tonight 聽晚 tomorrow night 尋晚 last night 今日 today 聽日 tomorrow 尋日 yesterday 酒吧 bar 我請 my treat 一定 definitely 到 to arrive |
