Dialogue

Vocabulary

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Lesson Transcript

INTRODUCTION
David: Welcome to CantoneseClass101.com. I am David.
Melody: 大家好,我係Melody。(daai6 gaa1 hou2, ngo5 hai6 Melody.)
David: And we are here today with upper beginner season 1, Lesson 9. A Full House in Hong Kong.
Melody: 呢個對話呢,應該係朋友之間嘅,我諗。(ni1 go3 deoi3 waa6 ne1, jing3 goi1 hai6 pang4 jau5 zi1 gaan1 ge3, ngo5 lam2.)
David: Right. It’s between friends. Apparently, one of them is an animal lover.
Melody: 冇錯,佢住咁大間屋,係為咗啲動物。(mou5 co3, keoi5 zyu6 gam3 daai6 gaan1 uk1, hai6 wai6 zo2 di1 dung6 mat6.)
David: Yes. Either an animal lover or they are just very unfortunate. We are going to find out why in our dialogue. The important thing is that it’s casual Cantonese spoken between friends.
DIALOGUE
A:你屋企有幾多個人? (nei5 uk1 kei2 jau5 gei2 do1 go3 jan4? )
B:一共有三個人。 (jat1 gung6 jau5 saam1 go3 jan4. )
A:三個人住咁大間屋做咩? (saam1 go3 jan4 zyu6 gam3 daai6 gaan1 uk1 zou6 me1? )
B:我地仲養咗三隻狗,三隻貓。(ngo5 dei6 zung6 joeng5 zo2 saam1 zek3 gau2, saam1 zek3 maau1.)
A:吓?咁鬼多? (haa2 ? gam3 gwai2 do1? )
B:佢哋一人一間房,所以間屋都唔算大。(keoi5 dei6 jat1 jan4 jat1 gaan1 fong2, so2 ji3 gaan1 uk1 dou1 m4 syun3 daai6.)
David: Once more, a bit more slowly.
A:你屋企有幾多個人? (nei5 uk1 kei2 jau5 gei2 do1 go3 jan4? )
B:一共有三個人。 (jat1 gung6 jau5 saam1 go3 jan4. )
A:三個人住咁大間屋做咩? (saam1 go3 jan4 zyu6 gam3 daai6 gaan1 uk1 zou6 me1? )
B:我地仲養咗三隻狗,三隻貓。(ngo5 dei6 zung6 joeng5 zo2 saam1 zek3 gau2, saam1 zek3 maau1.)
A:吓?咁鬼多? (haa2 ? gam3 gwai2 do1? )
B:佢哋一人一間房,所以間屋都唔算大。(keoi5 dei6 jat1 jan4 jat1 gaan1 fong2, so2 ji3 gaan1 uk1 dou1 m4 syun3 daai6.)
David: And now, with the English translation.
A:你屋企有幾多個人? (nei5 uk1 kei2 jau5 gei2 do1 go3 jan4? )
A: How many people are in your family?
B:一共有三個人。 (jat1 gung6 jau5 saam1 go3 jan4. )
B: In total, three are three people.
A:三個人住咁大間屋做咩? (saam1 go3 jan4 zyu6 gam3 daai6 gaan1 uk1 zou6 me1? )
A: Do you need such a big house for just three people?
B:我地仲養咗三隻狗,三隻貓。(ngo5 dei6 zung6 joeng5 zo2 saam1 zek3 gau2, saam1 zek3 maau1.)
B: We have three dogs and three cats too.
A:吓?咁鬼多? (haa2 ? gam3 gwai2 do1? )
A: Wow, that many?
B:佢哋一人一間房,所以間屋都唔算大。(keoi5 dei6 jat1 jan4 jat1 gaan1 fong2, so2 ji3 gaan1 uk1 dou1 m4 syun3 daai6.)
B: And each of them have their own room so the house isn't that big.
POST CONVERSATION BANTER
Melody: 呢個應該係個有錢人喇,我諗。(ni1 go3 jing3 goi1 hai6 go3 jau5 cin2 jan4 laa3, ngo5 lam2.)
David: Definitely. A separate room for each animal. Right?
Melody: 尤其是喺香港,咁大間屋。(jau4 kei4 si6 hai2 hoeng1 gong2, gam3 daai6 gaan1 uk1.)
David: Yes it’s in Hong Kong where houses are among the most expensive in the world. So they are wealthy. That said, our vocab is for wealthy or not wealthy, anyone who’s got a pet. So let’s get to it.
VOCAB LIST
Melody: 養 (joeng5)
David: To raise.
Melody: 養 (joeng5) [slow] 養 (joeng5) [normal speed]。隻 (zek3)
David: Measure word for cats and dogs.
Melody: 隻 (zek3) [slow] 隻(zek3) [normal speed]。貓 (maau1)
David: Cat.
Melody: 貓 (maau1) [slow] 貓 (maau1) [normal speed]。狗 (gau2)
David: Dog.
Melody: 狗 (gau2) [slow] 狗 (gau2) [normal speed]。屋企人 (uk1 kei2 jan4)
David: Family member.
Melody: 屋企人 (uk1 kei2 jan4) [slow] 屋企人 (uk1 kei2 jan4) [normal speed]。返屋企 (faan1 uk1 kei2)
David: To go home.
Melody: 返屋企 (faan1 uk1 kei2) [slow] 返屋企 (faan1 uk1 kei2) [normal speed]。一共 (jat1 gung6)
David: Total.
Melody: 一共 (jat1 gung6) [slow] 一共 (jat1 gung6) [normal speed]。因為 (jan1 wai6)
David: Because.
Melody: 因為 (jan1 wai6) [slow] 因為 (jan1 wai6) [normal speed]。所以 (so2 ji3)
David: Therefore.
Melody: 所以 (so2 ji3) [slow] 所以 (so2 ji3) [normal speed]。
VOCAB AND PHRASE USAGE
David: Let’s take a closer look at some of these words and phrases. Our first word is the verb to raise.
Melody: 養 (joeng5)
David: To raise.
Melody: 養 (joeng5)
David: To raise a cat.
Melody: 養隻貓 (joeng5 zek3 maau1)
David: To raise a dog.
Melody: 養隻狗 (joeng5 zek3 gau2)
David: You can also raise kids too.
Melody: 養細路仔 (joeng5 sai3 lou6 zai2)
David: Right. So it’s a general verb. It means to provide for or to help someone grow up.
Melody: 冇錯。養。(mou5 co3. joeng5.)
David: Now our next word we actually just ran into in these examples, it’s a measure word.
Melody: 隻 (zek3)
David: We hear it used with cats
Melody: 隻貓 (zek3 maau1)
David: With dogs.
Melody: 隻狗 (zek3 gau2)
David: And we can use it with any animal in Cantonese right. So we could say an elephant.
Melody: 隻大笨象 (zek3 daai6 ban6 zoeng6)
David: Right or a horse.
Melody: 隻馬 (zek3 maa5)
David: Right but most of the time we are going to hear it of course with cats and dogs.
Melody: 因為最常用係貓同埋狗。(jan1 wai6 zeoi3 soeng4 jung6 hai6 maau1 tung4 maai4 gau2.)
David: Yeah. So I have a cat.
Melody: 我有隻貓。(ngo5 jau5 zek3 maau1.)
David: Or I want to have a dog.
Melody: 我想養隻狗。(ngo5 soeng2 joeng5 zek3 gau2.)
David: Right. Of course, by now, we’ve covered the words for cat.
Melody: 貓 (maau1 )
David: And dog.
Melody: 狗 (gau2)
David: And don’t forget, how do you take care of dogs, how do you take care of cats?
Melody: 養貓,養狗。(joeng5 maau1, joeng5 gau2.)
David: Right. I want to raise a cat.
Melody: 我想養隻貓。(ngo5 soeng2 joeng5 zek3 maau1.)
David: I already have three dogs.
Melody: 我養緊三隻狗。(ngo5 joeng5 gan2 saam1 zek3 gau2.)
David: Right. The next word we want to call to your attention is the word for a family member.
Melody: 屋企人 (uk1 kei5 jan4 )
David: Family member.
Melody: 屋企人 (uk1 kei5 jan4)
David: We’ve already run into the word for a family or home.
Melody: 屋企 (uk1 kei5)
David: And the word for person.
Melody: 人 (jan4)
David: Here, we are just combining them.
Melody: 屋企人 (uk1 kei5 jan4)
David: In the dialogue, we heard this question.
Melody: 你屋企有幾多個人? (nei5 uk1 kei5 jau5 gei2 do1 go3 jan4?)
David: How many people are in your family?
Melody: 你屋企有幾多個人? (nei5 uk1 kei5 jau5 gei2 do1 go3 jan4?)
David: We could also say
Melody: 你有幾多個屋企人? (nei5 jau5 gei2 do1 go3 uk1 kei5 jan4?)
David: How many family members do you have?
Melody: 你有幾多個屋企人? (nei5 jau5 gei2 do1 go3 uk1 kei5 jan4?)
David: And if you want to be really specific, you can say how many family members do you have altogether?
Melody: 你一共有幾多個屋企人? (nei5 jat1 gung6 jau5 gei2 do1 go3 uk1 kei5 jan4?)
David: How many pets do you have altogether?
Melody: 你一共有幾多隻寵物?(nei5 jat1 gung6 jau5 gei2 do1 zek3 cung2 mat6?)
David: Right. Altogether I have three cats.
Melody: 我一共有三隻貓。(ngo5 jat1 gung6 jau5 saam1 zek3 maau1.)
David: Altogether I have three dogs.
Melody: 我一共有三隻狗。(ngo5 jat1 gung6 jau5 saam1 zek3 maau1.)
David: Right. So super useful vocab if you have pets or if you want to get one.
Melody: 冇錯。(mou5 co3.)
David: For now though, we are going to go on to our grammar section where you want to talk about causal relationships.
Melody: 非常之有用,一齊嚟聽下。(fei1 soeng4 zi1 jau5 jung6, jat1 cai4 lei4 teng1 haa5.)

Lesson focus

David: Our grammar focus for today is talking about causal relationships in Cantonese.
Melody: 冇錯。(mou5 co3.)
David: We do this using the following conjunction.
Melody: 所以。(so2 ji3.)
David: Therefore.
Melody: 所以。(so2 ji3.)
David: In our dialogue, we hear this in the following line.
Melody: 佢哋一人一間房,所以間屋都唔算大。(keoi5 dei6 jat1 jan4 jat1 gaan1 fong2, so2 ji3 gaan1 uk1 dou1 m4 syun3 daai6.)
David: Each of them have their own room. Therefore, the host isn’t that big.
Melody: 佢哋一人一間房,所以間屋都唔算大。 (keoi5 dei6 jat1 jan4 jat1 gaan1 fong2, so2 ji3 gaan1 uk1 dou1 m4 syun3 daai6.)
David: That’s a really complex sentence.
Melody: 係呀。(hai6 aa3.)
David: Yeah. It’s probably one of the most difficult we’ve given you. The important thing is to notice that it falls into two pieces. First we have the reason and then therefore and then a second statement.
Melody: 佢哋一人一間房,所以間屋都唔算大。(keoi5 dei6 jat1 jan4 jat1 gaan1 fong2, so2 ji3 gaan1 uk1 dou1 m4 syun3 daai6.)
David: Let’s take a look at this structure using some simpler sentences. This is too expensive. Therefore I won’t buy it.
Melody: 呢個太貴,所以我唔會買。(ni1 go3 taai3 gwai3, so2 ji3 ngo5 m4 wui5 maai5.)
David: This is too expensive and so I won’t buy it.
Melody: 呢個太貴,所以我唔會買。(ni1 go3 taai3 gwai3, so2 ji3 ngo5 m4 wui5 maai5.)
David: I am not hungry, so let’s have drinks.
Melody: 我唔肚餓,所以飲啲嘢就算喇。(ngo5 m4 tou5 ngo6, so2 ji3 jam2 di1 je5 zau6 syun3 laa3.)
David: I lost my passport, therefore, here is my driver’s license.
Melody: 我唔見咗個護照,所以呢個係我嘅駕駛證。(ngo5 m4 gin3 zo2 go3 wu6 ziu3, so2 ji3 ni1 go3 hai6 ngo5 ge3 gaa3 sai2 zing3.)
David: Right, so it’s a really simple structure. First we have a statement that describes the situation.
Melody: 前面係原因。(cin4 min6 hai6 jyun4 jan1.)
David: Yes then we have
Melody: 所以 (so2 ji3)
David: And the result.
Melody: 最後係結果。(zeoi3 hau6 hai6 git3 gwo2.)
David: Yeah now the way we are teaching you this is the most colloquial way people will make these statements in Cantonese.
Melody: 冇錯。(mou5 co3.)
David: Right. There is another word you can add to the beginning of your sentence though.
Melody: 因為 (jan1 wai6)
David: Because
Melody: 因為 (jan1 wai6)
David: Now most of the time when people are speaking, they are not going to do this. It’s a bit more formal, it’s a bit less casual.
Melody: 係。(hai6.)
David: But you are going to hear it a lot. So let’s look at some sample sentences with both because and therefore. Because I am not hungry, therefore, I don’t want to eat.
Melody: 因為我唔肚餓,所以我唔想食嘢。(jan1 wai6 ngo5 m4 tou5 ngo6, so2 ji3 ngo5 m4 soeng2 sik6 je5.)
David: Or at the market. Because it’s too expensive, therefore I don’t want to buy it.
Melody: 因為太貴喇,所以我唔買。(jan1 wai6 taai3 gwai3 laa3, so2 ji3 ngo5 m4 maai5.)
David: Melody, you’ve got an example too.
Melody: 譬如話:因為想學廣東話,所以聽CantoneseClass101. (pei3 jyu4 waa6: jan1 wai6 soeng2 hok6 gwong2 dung1 waa2, so2 ji3 teng3 CantoneseClass101.)
David: Right, because you want to speak Cantonese, therefore listen to CantoneseClass101.
Melody: 冇錯。因為想學廣東話,所以聽CantoneseClass101. (mou5 co3. jan1 wai6 soeng2 hok6 gwong2 dung1 waa2, so2 ji3 teng3 CantoneseClass101 .)
David: Right. So this is a really easy structure. Remember, it’s a most colloquial form. Just takes the word therefore.
Melody: 所以 (so2 ji3)
David: Right. Cantonese is not like English. You don’t need because at the beginning of your sentence. If you do want to add it though, you can.
Melody: 唔一定要加,但係可以加。(m4 jat1 ding6 jiu3 gaa1, daan6 hai6 ho2 ji3 gaa1.)
David: Right. And the far more formal structure is
Melody: 因為...所以...。(jan1 wai6… so2 ji3...)

Outro

David: And that’s our lesson for today. Before we go Melody, there is something you wanted to mention.
Melody: 如果你哋有任何困難,可以隨時登錄我哋嘅網站。(jyu4 gwo2 nei5 dei6 jau5 jam6 ho4 kwan3 naan4, ho2 ji3 ceoi4 si4 dang1 luk6 ngo5 dei6 ge3 mong5 zaam6.)
David: Right and especially if you are having trouble listening to the dialogues because on the site, we’ve got them broken down line by line.
Melody: 冇錯。(mou5 co3.)
David: Yeah. So you can click on a button and you are going to hear the same sentence repeated over and over.
Melody: 非常之實用。(fei1 soeng4 zi1 sat6 jung6.)
David: Yeah it’s a really good way to really drive the stuff in as well.
Melody: 冇錯。(mou5 co3.)
David: So we wanted to remind you that if you have any questions of course, you are welcome as well totally free of charge to come to our website, leave a comment, ask a question.
Melody: 希望喺上面可以見到你哋。(hei1 mong6 hai2 soeng6 min6 ho2 ji3 gin3 dou2 nei5 dei6.)
David: Yeah and we look forward to seeing you. I am David.
Melody: 我係Melody。(ngo5 hai6 Melody.)
David: Thanks a lot for listening and we will see you on the site.
Melody: 下次再見 (haa6 ci3 zoi3 gin3),Bye bye.

Grammar

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