Learn 20 travel phrases you should know
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| Hi, everyone! Welcome to Cantonese Top Words. Today, we are going to talk about 20 travel phrases you should know. Are you travelling to Hong Kong any time soon or Macau? Let us know in the comment section. So here we go! |
| 1. 我可唔可以要張地圖？ (ngo5 ho2 m4 ho2 ji3 jiu3 zoeng1 dei6 tou4?) "Could I get a map?" |
| So you can always find a travel information center near most attractions and get a map or just download it online. |
| 2. 你識講英文嗎？ (nei5 sik1 gong2 jing1 man2 maa3?) "Do you speak English?" |
| 你識講 (nei5 sik1 gong2) is like “you know how to speak”, 英文 (jing1 man2) is “English”, 嗎 (maa3) is the question particle. So you can substitute any other languages in this question. |
| For example - 你識講法文嗎？(nei5 sik1 gong2 faat3 man2 maa3?) "Do you speak French?" |
| 法文 (faat3 man2) is “French”. |
| 你識講日文嗎？(nei5 sik1 gong2 jat6 man2 maa3?) "Do you speak Japanese?" |
| 你識講國語嗎？ (nei5 sik1 gong2 gwok3 jyu5 maa3?) "Do you speak Mandarin?" |
| 3. 呢度有冇巴士由機場去市區？ (ni1 dou6 jau5 mou5 baa1 si2 jau4 gei1 coeng4 heoi3 si5 keoi1?) "Is there a bus from the airport to the city?" |
| 巴士 (baa1 si2) is “bus”. It sounds very similar. It’s actually a loanword so 巴士 (baa1 si2) “bus”, bus, bus. 機場 (gei1 coeng4) is “airport”, 市區 (si5 keoi1) is “city”. It’s like city center or downtown so there are a lot of airport bus that brings you to different parts of the city. It’s very convenient. |
| 4. Wi-Fi係咪免費？ (Wi-Fi hai6 mai6 min5 fai3?) "Is the Wi-Fi free?" |
| 免費 (min5 fai3) is “free” so most places have free Wi-Fi like cafes or restaurants. They will provide free Wi-Fi all around Hong Kong. |
| 5. 今晚有冇房？ (gam1 maan1 jau5 mou5 fong2?) "Do you have any vacancies tonight?" |
| 今晚有冇房？ (gam1 maan1 jau5 mou5 fong2?) "Is there any vacancy tonight?" |
| This is a question you ask at the hotel or hostel so 今晚 (gam1 maan1) is “tonight”. It could be 今晚 (gaam1 maan5) or 今晚 (gaam1 maan1), it’s the same. 有冇 (jau5 mou5) is like “is there any”, 房 (fong2) is “room” so “Is there any room available for tonight?” or “Do you have any vacancies for tonight?”. |
| 6. 我可唔可以轉房？ (ngo5 ho2 m4 ho2 ji3 zyun3 fong2?) "Could I move to a different room?" |
| 我可唔可以 (ngo5 ho2 m4 ho2 ji3) “can I”, 轉房 (zyun3 fong2), 轉 (zyun3) is like “to change / to turn”, 房 (fong2) is “room” so “Can I change to another room?”. |
| 7. 我訂咗房。 (ngo5 deng6 zo2 fong2.) "I have a reservation (for a room)." |
| 我訂咗房。 (ngo5 deng6 zo2 fong2.) "I have a reservation." |
| So this is a sentence you use at the hotel or hostel. 房 (fong2) is “room” so 訂房 (deng6 fong2) is “to make a reservation for a room”. 訂咗房 (deng6 zo2 fong2) is the past tense so 我訂咗房。 (ngo5 deng6 zo2 fong2.) is like “I have made a reservation for a room.”. |
| Before you go to the hotel, you book a room and then when you arrive, you just tell them - 我訂咗房。 (ngo5 deng6 zo2 fong2.) and then they will ask you for your last name and they will find your booking. |
| 8. 唔該，可唔可以要個MENU？ (m4 goi1, ho2 m4 ho2 ji3 jiu3 go3 MENU?) "Could we have the menu, please?" |
| 唔該 (m4 goi1) is “please / excuse me”, 可唔可以 (ho2 m4 ho2 ji3) “may we / can we / can I / may I”. So menu is the same as in English. We just say menu in Hong Kong. That’s the most common. So 唔該，可唔可以要個MENU？ (m4 goi1, ho2 m4 ho2 ji3 jiu3 go3 MENU?), this is the question you use in a restaurant. |
| 9. 你有冇咩推介？ (nei5 jau5 mou5 me1 teoi1 gaai3?) "Do you have any recommendations?" |
| So when I travel to a new city, trying new restaurant, I will always ask, “What’s your recommendation?” 你有冇咩推介？ (nei5 jau5 mou5 me1 teoi1 gaai3?). |
| 10. 唔該，埋單。 (m4 goi1, maai4 daan1.) "Check, please." |
| 唔該 (m4 goi1) is “please / excuse me” so in this case, it’s please. I want the check please so “Check, please.” 唔該，埋單。 (m4 goi1, maai4 daan1.). 埋單 (maai4 daan1) is “to wrap up the bill / to settle the bill” so 埋單 (maai4 daan1) “Check, please.” That’s the sentence you will hear a lot or you will use at the restaurant. |
| 11. 我對花生敏感。 (ngo5 deoi3 faa1 sang1 man5 gam2.) "I'm allergic to peanuts." |
| 12. 唔該，要啲水。 (m4 goi1, jiu3 di1 seoi2.) "Water, please." |
| 唔該 (m4 goi1) again is like “please / excuse me”, 要啲水 (jiu3 di1 seoi2) is like “I want some water” so “Water, please.”. |
| 13. 呢個幾錢？ (ni1 go3 gei2 cin2?) "How much is this?" |
| 呢個 (ni1 go3) is “this”, 幾錢 (gei2 cin2) is “how much” so “How much is this?” 呢個幾錢？ (ni1 go3 gei2 cin2?). This is a question you will use at shop or store. Whenever you go shopping, you can ask - 呢個幾錢？ (ni1 go3 gei2 cin2?). In Hong Kong, most of the shop already have the price tag listed so you might not have to ask that question that much. |
| 14. 我要十個呢個。 (ngo5 jiu3 sap6 go3 ni1 go3.) "I'd like ten of these." |
| 我要十個呢個。 (ngo5 jiu3 sap6 go3 ni1 go3.) "I want ten of these." |
| 我要十個呢個。 (ngo5 jiu3 sap6 go3 ni1 go3.), 我要 (ngo5 jiu3) is like “I want”, 十個 (sap6 go3) is “ten”, 呢個 (ni1 go3) is “these” so “I want ten of these.” |
| 15. 我買呢個。 (ngo5 maai5 ni1 go3.) "I'd like this." |
| “I’ll buy this.” literally so 我買 (ngo5 maai5) is “I buy”, 呢個 (ni1 go3) is “this” so I buy this so I like this. That’s what you say to the clerk when you are at the shop and you already chose something and you can’t tell him or her that “I want this one.”, 我要呢個。 (ngo5 jiu3 ni1 go3.). |
| 16. 可唔可以俾個折頭我呀？ (ho2 m4 ho2 ji3 bei2 go3 zit3 tau4 ngo5 aa3?) "Could you give me a discount?" |
| So this is how you ask for a discount. For example, if you’re buying 10 coin purse at the same time so you can ask for a discount. 我要十個呢個。可唔可以俾個折頭我呀？ (ngo5 jiu3 sap6 go3 ni1 go3. ho2 m4 ho2 ji3 bei2 go3 zit3 tau4 ngo5 aa3?). |
| 17. 收唔收信用卡？ (sau1 m4 sau1 seon3 jung6 kaat1?) "Do you take credit cards?" |
| 信用卡 (seon3 jung6 kaat1) is “credit card” so 收 (sau1) is “to receive / to accept” so 收唔收 (sau1 m4 sau1) is “do you accept” and then 信用卡 (seon3 jung6 kaat1) “credit card”, “Do you accept credit card?”, “Do you take credit card?”. It’s quite common for shops in Hong Kong to take credit card unless it’s like very small scale, family-run shop, but yeah, most shops take credit card. |
| 18. 車站喺邊？ (ce1 zaam6 hai2 bin1?) "Where is the train station?" |
| 車站 (ce1 zaam6) in this case can apply to “subway station / bus station”. If you want to specify, say a subway station, you can ask - 地鐵車站喺邊？(dei6 tit3 ce1 zaam6 hai2 bin1?). 地鐵 (dei6 tit3) is “subway” in Hong Kong so 地鐵車站喺邊？(dei6 tit3 ce1 zaam6 hai2 bin1?) "Where is the subway station?”. |
| “Where is the bus station?” would be 巴士站喺邊？ (baa1 si2 zaam6 hai2 bin1?). So 巴士站 (baa1 si2 zaam6) is “bus stop” so 站 (zaam6) is “station / stop”. So 車站喺邊？ (ce1 zaam6 hai2 bin1?) is mostly understood as “Where is the train station?”. |
| 19. 請問幾錢？ (cing2 man6 gei2 cin2?) "Excuse me, what's the fare?" |
| 請問 (cing2 man6) is like “may I ask / excuse me”, 幾錢 (gei2 cin2) is like “how much” so in this case, 請問幾錢？ (cing2 man6 gei2 cin2?) or just 幾錢 (gei2 cin2), we use it at a train station or a bus or minivan or taxi. It’s like asking about the fare, the fee you have to pay to take this transportation. So 請問幾錢？ (cing2 man6 gei2 cin2?) “How much is it?” like for the fare. |
| 20. 唔該你可唔可以幫我影張相？ (m4 goi1 nei5 ho2 m4 ho2 ji3 bong1 ngo5 jing2 zoeng1 soeng2?) "Could you take a picture of me, please?" |
| 唔該 (m4 goi1) is like “please / excuse me”, 可唔可以 (ho2 m4 ho2 ji3) is like “could you / can you please / can you”, 幫我 (bong1 ngo5) is “for me”, 影張相 (jing2 zoeng1 soeng2) is to take a picture so 唔該你可唔可以幫我影張相？ (m4 goi1 nei5 ho2 m4 ho2 ji3 bong1 ngo5 jing2 zoeng1 soeng2?) "Could you take a photo for me, please? / Could you take a picture for me, please?". |
| So that’s it for today. Today, we talked about 20 travel phrases. You can totally use it in Hong Kong or Macau or any other Cantonese-speaking regions. So that’s it for today. Thank you for watching. You can make your own flashcards and study on the plane on the way there. So I’ll see you next time. Thanks for watching. Bye! |
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