Articles
Cantonese has no articles — no the, no a. But it has a trick Mandarin doesn't: a bare classifier + noun can mean "the noun", no this or that required.
Who does the job of the and a
| English | Cantonese tool | example |
|---|---|---|
| the (specific thing) | classifier + noun | 本書喺度 bun2 syu1 hai2 dou6 — "the book is here" |
| the (plural / mass) | 啲 di1 + noun | 啲書好貴 di1 syu1 hou2 gwai3 — "the books are expensive" |
| a (new thing) | 一 jat1 + classifier, after the verb | 我買咗一本書 ngo5 maai5 zo2 jat1 bun2 syu1 — "I bought a book" |
| generic (books are…) | bare noun | 書好貴 syu1 hou2 gwai3 — "books are expensive" |
Classifier + noun = the — the Cantonese special
This is the headline. In Mandarin, a classifier needs 这/那 or a number in front of it. In Cantonese the classifier stands alone and points, like the:
| Cantonese | Mandarin can't | |
|---|---|---|
| 本書喺枱上面 bun2 syu1 hai2 toi2 soeng6 min6 | "The book is on the table" | |
| 隻狗好嘈 zek3 gau2 hou2 cou4 | "The dog is noisy" | |
| 部電話壞咗 bou6 din6 waa2 waai6 zo2 | "The phone is broken" |
You need the right classifier for the noun (個/本/隻/條… — see the Nouns chapter), which is one more reason classifiers matter so much in Cantonese.
Word order still carries definiteness
As across Chinese, a noun before the verb reads as known/definite; after the verb, as new/indefinite:
| position | sentence | meaning |
|---|---|---|
| before verb | 客人嚟咗喇 haak3 jan4 lai4 zo2 laa3 | "The guests have arrived" |
| after verb | 嚟咗好多客人 lai4 zo2 hou2 do1 haak3 jan4 | "A lot of guests have arrived" |
"A man is at the door" avoids starting with an indefinite: 門口有個人 mun4 hau2 jau5 go3 jan4 — "at the door there-is a person".
A — and the vanishing 一
一 jat1 + classifier introduces new things, and in speech the 一 usually drops after a verb, leaving the classifier alone as a pure a:
我買咗本書 ngo5 maai5 zo2 bun2 syu1 — "I bought a book" 飲杯茶啦 jam2 bui1 caa4 laa1 — "have a cup of tea"
So classifier + noun is a after the verb, the before it — position decides.
呢 / 嗰 — this and that
When you really point, use 呢 ni1 (this) / 嗰 go2 (that) + classifier (Mandarin 这/那 don't exist in spoken Cantonese):
| 呢個人 ni1 go3 jan4 | "this person" |
| 嗰間餐廳 go2 gaan1 caan1 teng1 | "that restaurant" |
| 呢啲嘢 ni1 di1 je5 | "these things" — 啲 is the plural classifier |
What's easy, what's hard
- Easy: nothing to memorize — no gender, no agreement, no le/la/der/die/das.
- Hard: choosing the right classifier, because in Cantonese the classifier isn't decoration — it is your definite article.
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