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Lesson Transcript

INTRODUCTION
John: Expressions to Use When Something Unfortunate Happens
John: Hi everyone, and welcome back to CantoneseClass101.com. I'm John.
Siuling: And I'm Siuling!
John: This is Must-Know Cantonese Slang Words and Phrases, Season 1, Lesson 16. In this lesson, you'll learn expressions to use when something unfortunate happens.
John: These expressions are useful for describing a bad experience or a rough day to your friends.
SLANG EXPRESSIONS
John: The expressions you'll be learning in this lesson are:
Siuling: 穿煲 (cyun1 bou1)
Siuling: 長氣 (coeng4 hei3)
Siuling: 拗柴 (aau2 caai4)
Siuling: 回水 (wui4 seoi2)
John: Siuling, what's our first expression?
Siuling: 穿煲 (cyun1 bou1)
John: literally meaning "pierce through a pot." But when it's used as a slang expression, it means "to let a secret out; fail in covering up something."
Siuling: [SLOW] 穿煲 [NORMAL] 穿煲
John: Listeners, please repeat.
Siuling: 穿煲
[pause - 5 sec.]
John: Use this slang expression when a secret is revealed.
John: Now let's hear an example sentence.
Siuling: [NORMAL] 講咁多大話,遲早穿煲。 [SLOW] 講咁多大話,遲早穿煲。
John: "You're lying so much; the truth will come out sooner or later."
Siuling: [NORMAL] 講咁多大話,遲早穿煲。
John: Okay, what's the next expression?
Siuling: 長氣 (coeng4 hei3)
John: which literally means "long air." But when it's used as a slang expression, it means "talkative; mumbling."
Siuling: [SLOW] 長氣 [NORMAL] 長氣
John: Listeners, please repeat.
Siuling: 長氣
[pause - 5 sec.]
John: Use this slang expression when complaining that someone is too talkative and annoying, or someone who mumbles a lot.
John: Now let's hear an example sentence.
Siuling: [NORMAL] 佢好長氣,一開始就停唔到。 [SLOW] 佢好長氣,一開始就停唔到。
John: "She is very talkative; once she starts she can't stop."
Siuling: [NORMAL] 佢好長氣,一開始就停唔到。
John: Okay, what's our next expression?
Siuling: 拗柴 (aau2 caai4)
John: literally meaning "to bend firewood." As a slang expression, it means "to twist one's ankle."
Siuling: [SLOW] 拗柴 [NORMAL] 拗柴
John: Listeners, please repeat.
Siuling: 拗柴
[pause - 5 sec.]
John: Use this slang expression when someone twisted their ankle.
John: Let's hear an example sentence.
Siuling: [NORMAL] 佢喺比賽之前拗柴。 [SLOW] 佢喺比賽之前拗柴。
John: "He twisted his ankle before the match."
Siuling: [NORMAL] 佢喺比賽之前拗柴。
John: Okay, what's the last expression?
Siuling: 回水 (wui4 seoi2)
John: literally meaning "backwater." As a slang expression, it means "reimbursement, refund."
Siuling: [SLOW] 回水 [NORMAL] 回水
John: Listeners, please repeat.
Siuling: 回水
[pause - 5 sec.]
John: Use this slang expression when someone is upset about something they paid for and is bluntly asking for a refund or reimbursement as compensation.
John: Now let's hear an example sentence.
Siuling: [NORMAL] 個演唱會一啲都唔好睇,回水呀! [SLOW] 個演唱會一啲都唔好睇,回水呀!
John: "This concert sucks. I want my refund!"
Siuling: [NORMAL] 個演唱會一啲都唔好睇,回水呀!
QUIZ
John: Okay listeners, are you ready to be quizzed on the expressions you just learned? I’ll describe four situations, and you’ll choose the right expression to use in your reply. Are you ready?
John: Your mother keeps nagging you.
[pause - 5 sec.]
Siuling: 長氣
John: "talkative; mumbling"
John: You tried to keep a secret, but it was discovered and exposed.
[pause - 5 sec.]
Siuling: 穿煲
John: "to let a secret out; fail in covering up something"
John: You went to a show, but it was so terrible that everyone wants a refund.
[pause - 5 sec.]
Siuling: 回水
John: "reimbursement, refund"
John: You twisted your ankle while wearing high heels.
[pause - 5 sec.]
Siuling: 拗柴
John: "to twist one's ankle"

Outro

John: There you have it; you’ve mastered four Cantonese slang expressions! We have more vocab lists available at CantoneseClass101.com so be sure to check them out. Thanks, everyone, and see you next time!
Siuling: 拜拜.

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