Learn some common noun prefixes in Cantonese
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Intro |
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| Michael: What are some prefixes in Cantonese? |
| Siuling: And why are they useful to know? |
| Michael: At CantoneseClass101.com, we hear these questions often. Imagine the following situation: Sasha Lee studies for her language exam together with her classmate, Lynn Lo. She sees an unknown word, and asks, "What does 'old location' mean?" |
| 李麗莎: 「老地方」係咩意思？ ("lou5 dei6 fong1" hai6 me1 ji3 si1?) |
| Dialogue |
| 李麗莎: 「老地方」係咩意思？ ("lou5 dei6 fong1" hai6 me1 ji3 si1?) |
| 盧曉玫: 即係成日去嘅地方。 (zik1 hai6 seng4 jat6 heoi3 ge3 dei6 fong1.) |
| Michael: Once more with the English translation. |
| 李麗莎: 「老地方」係咩意思？ ("lou5 dei6 fong1" hai6 me1 ji3 si1?) |
| Michael: "What does 'old location' mean?" |
| 盧曉玫: 即係成日去嘅地方。 (zik1 hai6 seng4 jat6 heoi3 ge3 dei6 fong1.) |
| Michael: "It means 'our usual spot.'" |
Lesson focus |
| Michael: A noun prefix is an affix that we place before the radical in a word, creating an elaborate meaning for that word, similar to how adjectives work in English. In Cantonese, the affix is usually one or two characters. |
| For instance, in the dialogue, we hear Sasha ask, "What does 'old location' mean?" |
| Siuling: 「老地方」係咩意思？ ("lou5 dei6 fong1" hai6 me1 ji3 si1?) |
| Michael: In this case, we can hear the prefix in the word: |
| Siuling: 老地方 (lou5 dei6 fong1), |
| Michael: meaning “old location”. The prefix |
| Siuling: 老 (lou5) |
| Michael: in a Cantonese noun has the meaning of “familiar” or “custom; habit”; which can be easily understood, as |
| Siuling: 老地方 (lou5 dei6 fong1) |
| Michael: is a place that someone visits a lot and is very familiar with. |
| That’s why when Lynn replies "It means 'our usual spot.'", |
| Siuling: 即係成日去嘅地方。 (zik1 hai6 sing4 jat6 heoi3 ge3 dei6 fong1.) |
| Michael: she elaborates how “old location” refers to a location that one visits frequently, hence, the usual spot. |
| Siuling: Ok, here are more examples of the 老 (lou5) prefix. |
| 老規矩 (lou5 kwai1 geoi2), |
| Michael: literally “old rules”, referring to conventional regulations and similar to its English counterpart. |
| Siuling: 老規矩 (lou5 kwai1 geoi2). |
| Another example is 老朋友 (lou5 pang4 jau5), |
| Michael: literally “old friend”, referring to someone you’ve known for a very long time. |
| Siuling: 老朋友 (lou5 pang4 jau5). |
| Michael: Alright, now let’s hear about more Cantonese noun prefixes. |
| Siuling: Ok, let’s talk about the prefix 初 (co1), |
| Michael: it means “first” or “beginning.” We see it in the word “first love” or “puppy love,” |
| Siuling: 初戀 (co1 lyun2). |
| Michael: In this case, the prefix |
| Siuling: 初 (co1) |
| Michael: “first”; is followed by |
| Siuling: 戀 (lyun2) |
| Michael: “love.” Here are more examples: |
| Siuling: 初版 (co1 baan2) |
| Michael: “first edition” |
| Siuling: 初時 (co1 si4) |
| Michael: “at first; at the beginning” |
| Siuling: 初賽 (co1 coi3) |
| Michael: “preliminary round” |
| Siuling: 初選 (co1 syun2) |
| Michael: “primary election” |
| Ok, now let’s move on to the next prefix. It’s a very useful prefix. |
| Siuling: 第 (dai6), |
| Michael: which is used before numbers to indicate ordinal or sequences. For instance, |
| Siuling: 第一 (dai6 jat1) |
| Michael: meaning “first” or “the first place.” Likewise, we can continue counting like this, |
| Siuling: 第二 (dai6 ji6), 第三 (dai6 saam1), 第四 (dai6 sei3) |
| Michael: “second,” “third,” “fourth.” |
| Siuling: 第七個禮拜 (dai6 cat1 go3 lai5 baai3) |
| Michael: “The seventh week.” Ok, let’s see one more prefix. |
| Siuling: 雙 (soeng1), |
| Michael: referring to things that are in pairs or doubled. For example, |
| Siuling: 雙人 (soeng1 jan4) |
| Michael: means “two people,” we see it in the word for “double match,” |
| Siuling: 雙人賽 (soeng1 jan4 coi3) |
| Michael: Or “double bed,” |
| Siuling: 雙人床 (soeng1 jan4 cong4) |
| Michael: We also see this prefix in “double-decker bus” |
| Siuling: 雙層巴士 (soeng1 cang4 baa1 si2) |
| Michael: And, something most of us don’t desire, a “double chin,” |
| Siuling: 雙下巴 (soeng1 haa6 paa4). |
| Practice Section |
| Michael: Let's review. Respond to the prompts by speaking aloud. Then, repeat after Siuling focusing on pronunciation. |
| Do you remember how Sasha says "What does 'old location' mean?" |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Siuling: 「老地方」係咩意思？ ("lou5 dei6 fong1" hai6 me1 ji3 si1?) |
| Michael: Listen again and repeat. |
| Siuling: 「老地方」係咩意思？ ("lou5 dei6 fong1" hai6 me1 ji3 si1?) |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Siuling: 「老地方」係咩意思？ ("lou5 dei6 fong1" hai6 me1 ji3 si1?) |
| Michael: And do you remember how Lynn says "It means 'our usual spot?'" |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Siuling: 即係成日去嘅地方。 (zik1 hai6 seng4 jat6 heoi3 ge3 dei6 fong1.) |
| Michael: Listen again and repeat. |
| Siuling: 即係成日去嘅地方。 (zik1 hai6 seng4 jat6 heoi3 ge3 dei6 fong1.) |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Siuling: 即係成日去嘅地方。 (zik1 hai6 seng4 jat6 heoi3 ge3 dei6 fong1.) |
Outro |
| Michael: Do you have any more questions? We’re here to answer them! |
| Siuling: 拜拜! (baai1 baai3!) |
| Michael: See you soon! |
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