Cantonese present tense & present Continous tense

After so many episodes of talking about mumble jumble, let’s get back to the technical. Let’s talk a little bit about grammar today. I don’t want to make it sound so complicated, like conjugation and what not. I would just like to present this grammar info to you as simple as possible, so you can have the basic conception of it, then later on if you feel the need, you can research a little more or that I might eventually put up more detailed info about it.

First let’s talk about present tense.

Basically if you want to speak about the present, or if you would like to know if someone is talking about the present, there is a keyword you might be able to pick out or use it to indicate the present. The word that means right now is 而家/ 宜家/ 依家(Dummy PY: Yee Ga). Grammatically speaking, you don’t have to add anything to the sentence when you are using present tense, you can keep it as

Formula: Pronoun + verb + noun.

You might hear something like:

我食飯。(Dummy PY: Ngo Sick Farn) - I eat.

我去食飯。(Dummy PY: Ngo Hui Sick Farn) - I go eat.

我而家去食飯。(Dummy PY: Ngo Yee Ga Hui Sick Farn) - I now go eat.

我依家食飯。(Dummy PY: Ngo Yee Ga Sick Farn) - I now eat.

去(Dummy PY: Hui) means to go, verb here. 食 (Dummy PY: Sick) means to eat, the second verb here, then 飯 (Dummy PY: Farn) literally means rice, but here it means a meal, the noun here.

Or when you are stating a fact, then you will use present tense.

我八點鐘返工。(Dummy: Ngo Bat Dim Jong Farn Gung) - I 8 o’clock work. > I work at 8.

八 (Dummy PY: Bat) is the number 8. 點鐘 (Dummy PY: Dim Jong) means o’clock, for short you can say 點 (Dummy PY: Dim). For example, 八點 (Dummy PY: Bat Dim) also eight o’clock. 返 (Dummy PY: Farn) means to return or to go back, the verb here. 工 (Dummy PY: Gung) means work, the noun here.

You might still hear or say 而家/ 宜家/ 依家(Dummy PY: Yee Ga) when presenting a fact as well.

我依家8點鐘返工。(Dummy: Ngo Bat Dim Jong Farn Gung) - I 8 o’clock work. I now work at 8.

If they are talking about routine, things they might do daily, then you will hear/ use the term 日日(Dummy PY: Yat Yat).

我日日都做運動。(Dummy PY: Ngo Yat Yat Doe Joe Won Dong) - I daily also do exercises. > I exercise daily.

Even when this is a statement about your routine, you might still hear or say 而家/ 宜家/ 依家(Dummy PY: Yee Ga) meaning now.

我依家日日都做運動。(Dummy PY: Ngo Yee Ga Yat Yat Doe Joe Won Dong) - I now daily also do exercises. > I now exercise daily.

做 (Dummy PY: Joe) means do/ make, 運動 (Dummy PY: Won Dong) means exercise or workout, the noun. 日日 (Dummy PY: Yat Yat) meaning every day, 日(Dummy PY: Yat) means day, so 日日 (Dummy PY: Yat Yat) means day day meaning daily. Or you might hear people say 每日(Dummy PY: Muay Yat) to mean each day. 每(Dummy PY: Muay) means each.

- To say each second, you will say 每一秒(Dummy PY: Muay Yat Mew) or 每秒(Dummy PY: Muay Mew)

我每一秒都做運動。(Dummy PY: Ngo Muay Yat Mew Doe Joe Won Dong)

I exercise every one second.

我每秒都做運動。(Dummy PY: Ngo Muay Mew Doe Joe Won Dong)

I exercise every second.

- To say each minute, you will say 每一分鐘 (Dummy PY: Muay Yat Fun Jong)

我每一分鐘都做運動。(Dummy PY: Ngo Muay Yat Fun Jong Doe Joe Won Dong)

I exercise every minute.

- To say each hour, you will say 每個鐘(Dummy PY: Muay Gor Jong) / 個個鐘 (Dummy PY: Gor Gor Jong)

我每個鐘都做運動。(Dummy PY: Ngo Muay Gor Jong Doe Joe Won Dong)

I exercise every hour.

我個個鐘都做運動。(Dummy PY: Ngo Gor Gor Jong Doe Joe Won Dong)

I exercise every hour.

- To say each week, you will say 每個星期(Dummy PY: Muay Gor Sing Kay)/ 每個禮拜(Dummy PY: Muay Gor Lie Bye)/ 個個星期 (Dummy PY: Gor Gor Sing Kay) / 個個禮拜(Dummy PY: Gor Gor Lie Bye). 星期 (Dummy PY: Sing Kay) and 禮拜(Dummy PY: Lie Bye) both mean week, same meaning.

我每個禮拜都做運動。(Dummy PY: Ngo Muay Gor Lie Bye Doe Joe Won Dong)

I exercise every week.

我個個星期都做運動。(Dummy PY: Ngo Gor Gor Sing Kay Doe Joe Won Dong)

I exercise every week.

- To say each month, you will say 每個月(Dummy PY: Muay Gor Yuet)/ 個個月(Dummy PY: Gor Gor Yuet).

我每個月都做運動。(Dummy PY: Ngo Muay Gor Yuet Doe Joe Won Dong)

I exercise every month.

我個個月都做運動。(Dummy PY: Ngo Gor Gor Yuet Doe Joe Won Dong)

I exercise every month.

- To say each year, you will say 每年(Dummy PY: Muay Neen)/ 每一年(Dummy PY: Muay Yat Neen)/ 年年(Dummy PY: Neen Neen)

我每年都做運動。(Dummy PY: Ngo Muay Neen Doe Joe Won Dong)

I exercise every year.

我年年都做運動。(Dummy PY: Ngo Neen Neen Doe Joe Won Dong)

I exercise every year.

To recap, for present tense, you might hear 而家/ 宜家/ 依家(Dummy PY: Yee Ga) meaning right now, and you can keep the sentence in very simple grammar, Pronoun + verb + noun.

Now getting to present continuous tense:

When we are speaking of what you are doing currently, in English, you will add the verb to be and -ing, such as I am eating. In Cantonese it’s similar, you will add the word 緊 (Dummy PY: Gun) to represent the -ing form after the verb, but you don’t have to add the verb to be. As well, you might hear keywords like 喺度 (Dummy PY: High Doe) meaning right here, or again 而家/ 宜家/ 依家(Dummy PY: Yee Ga) meaning now.

Formula: Pronoun + verb + 緊 (Dummy PY: Gun)+ noun

For example:

我依家食緊飯。(Dummy PY: Ngo Yee Ga Sick Gun Farn)

literally: I now eat -ing rice > I am now eating.

我喺度食緊飯。(Dummy PY: Ngo High Doe Sick Gun Farn)

literally: I right here eat -ing rice > I am now eating.

When you use 喺度 (Dummy PY: High Doe), you can sometimes omit 緊 (Dummy PY: Gun) the -ing form, because the meaning is implied.

For example:

我喺度食飯。(Dummy PY: Ngo High Doe Sick Farn)

literally: I right here eat rice > I am now eating.

Sometimes when 喺度 (Dummy PY: High Doe) meaning right here, or 而家/ 宜家/ 依家(Dummy PY: Yee Ga) meaning now is omitted, you will just hear:

我食緊飯。(Dummy PY: Ngo Sick Gun Farn)

literally: I eat -ing rice > I am eating.

我做緊運動。

I am doing exercise.

我返緊工。(Dummy: Ngo Farn Gun Gung) - I return -ing work > I am working.

Note that with 我返緊工。(Dummy: Ngo Farn Gun Gung) - I return -ing work, from the literal meaning it sounds like you are on the way to work. Yes. 我返緊工。(Dummy: Ngo Farn Gun Gung) can both mean you are at work or you are on the way to work. If you want to make clear that you are indeed on the way to work but not at work, you can say,

我去緊返工。(Dummy: Ngo Hui Gun Farn Gung).

- I go -ing return work. - > I am going to work.

去(Dummy PY: Hui) means to go. Here in this sentence 我去緊返工。(Dummy: Ngo Hui Gun Farn Gung), 緊 (Dummy PY: Gun) follows 去(Dummy PY: Hui) instead of 返 (Dummy PY: Farn) means to return or to go back. 返工 (Dummy PY: Farn Gung), going to work, now becomes a noun phrase, meaning work. To recap, for present continuous tense, you might hear 喺度 (Dummy PY: High Doe) meaning right here, or again 而家/ 宜家/ 依家(Dummy PY: Yee Ga) meaning now. When you use 喺度 (Dummy PY: High Doe), you can sometimes omit 緊 (Dummy PY: Gun) the -ing form, because the meaning is implied. Formula: Pronoun + verb + 緊 (Dummy PY: Gun)+ noun

Vocab:

Now - 而家/ 宜家/ 依家(Dummy PY: Yee Ga)

Right here - 喺度 (Dummy PY: High Doe)

To go - 去(Dummy PY: Hui)

To work - 返工 (Dummy PY: Farn Gung)

To eat - 食 (Dummy PY: Sick)

Rice - 飯 (Dummy PY: Farn)

Having a meal - 食飯 (Dummy PY: Sick Farn)

Do/ make - 做 (Dummy PY: Joe)

Exercise - 運動 (Dummy PY: Won Dong)

To do exercise - 做運動 (Dummy PY: Joe Won Dong)

8 o’clock - 8點鐘 (Dummy PY: Dim Jong) / 8點 (Dummy PY: Dim)

Each second - 每一秒(Dummy PY: Muay Yat Mew) or 每秒(Dummy PY: Muay Mew)

Each minute - 每一分鐘 (Dummy PY: Muay Yat Fun Jong)

Each hour - 每個鐘(Dummy PY: Muay Gor Jong) / 個個鐘 (Dummy PY: Gor Gor Jong)

Each day - 日日 (Dummy PY: Yat Yat)/ 每日(Dummy PY: Muay Yat)

Each week - 每個星期(Dummy PY: Muay Gor Sing Kay)/ 每個禮拜(Dummy PY: Muay Gor Lie Bye)/ 個個星期 (Dummy PY: Gor Gor Sing Kay) / 個個禮拜(Dummy PY: Gor Gor Lie Bye)

Each month - 每個月(Dummy PY: Muay Gor Yuet)/ 個個月(Dummy PY: Gor Gor Yuet)

Each year - 每年(Dummy PY: Muay Neen)/ 每一年(Dummy PY: MuayYat Neen)/ 年年(Dummy PY: Neen Neen)