Grammar - Basic past/ present perfect/ "future past tense"

Now we have established how to form present tense and present continuous tense sentences, we will now move on to forming past tense and present perfect tense. There are several characters that can represent past tense and present perfect tense, in Cantonese the past and present perfect tense are not too distinct. It can sound pretty complicated, but bare with me. Everything will come together. 咗 (Dummy PY: Jaw), 完 (Dummy PY: Yuen) and 晒 (Dummy PY: Sai), 過 (Dummy PY: Gwoh).

First thing first, 咗 (Dummy PY: Jaw), 完 (Dummy PY: Yuen) and 晒 (Dummy PY: Sai), 過 (Dummy PY: Gwoh), all these words do not just indicate one particular tense, they actually show a change in the current status.

Basic past tense:

Let’s start with 咗 (Dummy PY: Jaw). When we need to speak of the past, you can add 咗 (Dummy PY: Jaw) to the sentence to indicate it’s past tense. Basically 咗 (Dummy PY: Jaw) functions as -ed in the Cantonese language. You might also hear a keyword 已經(Dummy PY: Yee Ging) meaning already to let you know that they are speaking of the past.

Formula: Pronoun + Verb + 咗 (Dummy PY: Jaw) + noun

For example:

我已經食咗飯。(Dummy PY: Ngo Yee Ging Sick Jor Farn)- I already eat -ed rice - I already ate.

我食咗飯。(Dummy PY: Ngo Sick Jor Farn) - I eat -ed rice - I ate.

我做咗運動。(Dummy PY: Ngo Joe Jor Won Dong) - I do -ed exercise - I did exercise.

I have been using the same examples as last episode, do you remember? 食 (Dummy PY: Sick) means to eat, the verb here, then 飯 (Dummy PY: Farn) literally means rice, but here it means a meal, the noun here.做 (Dummy PY: Joe) means do/ make, 運動 (Dummy PY: Won Dong) means exercise or workout, the noun. This is the most basic usage of the past tense 咗 (Dummy PY: Jaw) for past tense.

Let’s talk about another term that you can use that is very similar to 咗 (Dummy PY: Jaw) that can indicate something that is done - 完 (Dummy PY: Yuen). Same thing as 咗 (Dummy PY: Jaw), you can use 完 (Dummy PY: Yuen) to indicate something is done, finished or over in the past. 完 (Dummy PY: Yuen) means finished, again, can be understood as -ed in English. Again, you might also hear a keyword 已經(Dummy PY: Yee Ging) meaning already to let you know that they are speaking of the past.

Formula: Pronoun + Verb + 完 (Dummy PY: Yuen) + noun

For example:

我已經食完飯。(Dummy PY: Ngo Yee Ging Sick Yuen Farn) I already eat finish rice - I already ate.

我食完飯。(Dummy PY: Ngo Sick Yuen Farn) - I eat finish rice - I ate.

我做完運動。(Dummy PY: Ngo Joe Yuen Won Dong) - I do finish exercise - I did exercise.

So what’s the difference when you are using 完 (Dummy PY: Yuen) when compared to 咗 (Dummy PY: Jaw)? Other than the fact that in terms of wordings that you are using, one with 咗 (Dummy PY: Jaw) is just purely indicating the past tense, something that happened in the past. With the word 完 (Dummy PY: Yuen) it carries the meaning of finish doing something as well, as in entirely completed the action. Let me give you an example, if someone asked if you have read the book, if you respond, 我睇咗 (Dummy PY: Ngo Tie Jor), it means “I read”, but if you respond, 我睇完(Dummy PY: Ngo Tie Yuen) it means “I finished reading.” Although both are indicating it already happened in the past, 我睇咗 (Dummy PY: Ngo Tie Jor) can be understood as I read some, or I read all of it.

I want to introduce to you another word that is also very similar, the character 晒 (Dummy PY: Sigh). 晒 (Dummy PY: Sigh) this word, much like 咗 (Dummy PY: Jaw) and 完 (Dummy PY: Yuen), 晒 (Dummy PY: Sigh) also indicates a change in status. The difference though 晒 (Dummy PY: Sigh) also carries the meaning of finishing the remaining amount, or the remainder of the particular action or thing. Maybe it’s easier when I show you the examples so you can tell the differences. The formula has no change as well, you can keep it as simple as:

Formula: Pronoun + Verb + 晒 (Dummy PY: Sigh) + noun

For example:

我已經食晒飯。(Dummy PY: Ngo Yee Ging Sick Sigh Farn) I already eat the remaining rice - I already ate the rest of the meal.

我食晒飯。(Dummy PY: Ngo Sick Sigh Farn) - I eat the remaining rice - I ate the rest of the meal.

When someone is saying that, either previously when you spoke with them, they told you they were eating, and now they are saying 我已經食晒飯。(Dummy PY: Ngo Yee Ging Sick Sigh Farn) or 我食晒飯。(Dummy PY: Ngo Sick Sigh Farn) meaning they have already finished the remaining meal that they hadn’t finished before. Or for example, you are trying to get a child to finish up the rest of the meal, let’s say they didn’t want to eat vegetables and now they have pushed it through and finished all the veggies. That’s when you will usually hear people say 我食晒飯 (Dummy PY: Ngo Sick Sigh Farn) 。

On the other hand, if we are using the same example of doing exercises, if someone says:

我做晒運動。(Dummy PY: Ngo Joe Sigh Won Dong) - I do the remaining exercise - I did the rest of the exercises.

That means say they originally had a goal of doing let’s say 100 push ups, and they have finished all of the push ups finally, then you might hear people say that.

Is that making sense? 晒 (Dummy PY: Sigh) this character indicates a changing of status, from having something started to finishing the remaining amount of whatever it is, you can use 晒 (Dummy PY: Sigh). You can even use it to indicate the present as well, say if someone is asking you to 食哂啲飯 (Dummy PY: Sick Sigh Dee Farn), that is to say “finish the remaining meal” because maybe you are a picky eater or you don’t have an appetite. It can even be future tense, like I said 咗 (Dummy PY: Jaw), 完 (Dummy PY: Yuen) and 晒 (Dummy PY: Sai) are just word to indicate the changing of the status. If someone is saying 食哂啲飯 (Dummy PY: Sick Sigh Dee Farn), you can respond by saying, 我會食哂啲飯 (Dummy PY: Ngo Wui Sick Sigh Dee Farn), meaning I will eat the remaining of the rice.

Present perfect tense:

You can also use 咗 (Dummy PY: Jaw) as present perfect tense, such as I have eaten 3 meals. You will need to add extra info, like since 2018, since 2 years ago. In terms of the formula, nothing much is changed, you can put the information before the noun or after the noun the meaning won’t change.

For example:

我食咗三餐飯 (Dummy PY: Ngo Sick Jor Sarm Charn Farn) - I eat -ed 3 meals rice. > I have eaten 3 meals.

我做咗一年運動。(Dummy PY: Ngo Joe Jor Yat Neen Won Dong) - I have done exercises for 1 year.

Same thing for 完 (Dummy PY: Yuen) and 晒 (Dummy PY: Sigh), using 完 (Dummy PY: Yuen) you might hear:

我食完三餐飯 (Dummy PY: Ngo Sick Yuen Sarm Charn Farn) - I eat finish 3 meals rice. > I have finished eating 3 meals.

我做完 一年運動。(Dummy PY: Ngo Joe Yuen Yat Neen Won Dong)- I do finish 1 year exercise - I have finished doing exercises for 1 year.

完 (Dummy PY: Yuen) here again just to indicate that something is completed and finished. Whereas for 晒 (Dummy PY: Sigh):

我食晒三餐飯 (Dummy PY: Ngo Sick Sigh Sarm Charn Farn) - I eat -ed all 3 meals rice. > I have eaten all 3 meals.

我做晒一年運動。(Dummy PY: Ngo Joe Sigh Yat Neen Won Dong) - I have done all exercises for 1 year.

When you use 晒 (Dummy PY: Sigh) here, it just means that you were originally set to do something, and you have completed them all.

There is another term that can also indicate the past or present perfect tense, but it’s a little special. The word 過 (Dummy PY: Gwoh) can also be put after the verb to indicate that you have done something before.

For example:

我食過雞蛋仔 (Dummy PY: Ngo Sick Gwoh Guy Darn Jai) - I have eaten egg puffs before.

雞蛋仔 (Dummy PY: Guy Darn Jai) is egg puffs, they are very popular in Hong Kong. Pretty sure now in other ewestern countries the trend of 雞蛋仔 (Dummy PY: Guy Darn Jai) was beginning to rise, but they apparently serve 雞蛋仔 (Dummy PY: Guy Darn Jai) as if they are the ice cream cone, and they put ice cream in there. Whereas in Hong Kong, the traditional way of doing so is just eating it as is. Another example:

我做過運動, 不過都係減唔到肥。(Dummy PY:Ngo Joe Gwoh Won Dong, Butt Gwoh Doe High Garm Um Doe Fey) - I have exercised before, but still I cannot lose the weight.

不過 (Dummy PY: Butt Gwoh) means but. 減肥 (Dummy PY: Garm Fey) means losing weight. 到 (Dummy PY: Doe) indicates the ability to do something, can or cannot. 唔到 (Dummy PY: Um Doe) means cannot, so 減唔到肥 (Dummy PY: Garm Um Doe Fey) means cannot lose weight.

Can you tell the difference? When you use 過 (Dummy PY: Guo), it is indicating that you have done something before, at least have tried it. Very rarely you will hear Hong Kong people say 我食過飯 (Dummy PY: Ngo Sick Gwoh Farn) Because it is very formal, and it does sound like you usually eat noodles and pasta or something else but you have tried rice before, do you see the difference?

**Another thing to note is that in Cantonese, when you use 過 (Dummy PY: Gwoh) after a verb, its meaning can be that you have done it but you can do it again.

For example:

我哋下次再食過 (Dummy PY: Ngo Day Ha Chi Joy Sick Gwoh) - We next time again eat again. > We will eat it again next time.

我哋 (Dummy PY: Ngo Day) means we or us, 下 (Dummy PY: Ha) means down, or next and 次 (Dummy PY: Chi) means time, so 下次 (Dummy PY: Ha Chi) means next time. 再 (Dummy PY: Joy) means again. 食過 (Dummy PY: Sick Gwoh) here means eat again. But usually in written Chinese, it will not be expressed that way. (萬波教授, CUHK website)

Future past tense:

Different from English, on the other hand, 咗 (Dummy PY: Jaw) can also be used as future past tense. What does that mean? That means that it is a hypothetical situation in the future.

Formula: Pronoun + Verb + 咗 (Dummy PY: Jaw) -ed + noun + 就 (Dummy PY: Jow) then + another verb + noun

我食咗飯就做運動。(Dummy PY: Ngo Sick Jor Farn Jow Joe Won Dong) - I eat -ed rice then I do exercise.> Once I eat then I will do exercise.

你到咗就打電話比我。(Dummy PY: Neigh Doe Jor Jow Da Dean Wah Bay Ngo) - You arrive - ed then hit phone to me > Once you arrive then you give me a call.

到 (Dummy PY: Doe) here means arrive, 打 (Dummy PY: Da) means hit, and 電話 (Dummy PY: Dean Wah) means phone. 咗 (Dummy PY: Jaw) this word, essentially is a word to let you know there is a change in status in action, meaning up till a certain point the action is finished. It is similar for 完 (Dummy PY: Yuen) and 晒 (Dummy PY: Sai) not necessarily for 過 (Dummy PY: Guo).

For example:

我食完飯就做運動。(Dummy PY: Ngo Sick Yuen Farn Jow Joe Won Dong) - I eat finish rice then I do exercise.> Once I finish eating then I will do exercise.

我食晒飯就做運動。(Dummy PY: Ngo Sick Yuen Farn Jow Joe Won Dong) - I eat the remaining rice then I do exercise.> Once I finish eating the rest of the meal then I will do exercise.

But with the same example:

你到咗就打電話比我。(Dummy PY: Neigh Doe Jor Jow Da Dean Wah Bay Ngo) - You arrive - ed then hit phone to me > Once you arrive then you give me a call.

You cannot use 完 (Dummy PY: Yuen) and 晒 (Dummy PY: Sai) because the word 到 (Dummy PY: Doe) means arrive which is a short action, much like in English you won’t say finish arriving, or arriving the remaining amount so therefore 完 (Dummy PY: Yuen) and 晒 (Dummy PY: Sai) won’t apply here.

Resources:

粵語方言造成的語法錯誤 - (The Grammatical mistakes of Cantonese) -

https://www.fed.cuhk.edu.hk/youngwriter/members/resource/rsdb5/man_001.htm