Chapter 12 of 16 · Explore the Cantonese path
Verbs and stories · Chapter 12 of 16
Telling a story that already happened
A Cantonese verb has no past form. A small word after it says what stage the action has reached, and a time word at the front does the rest of the work.
≈ 3 min of reading · Practise at your own pace
What’s in this chapter
- Verbs have no past tense. A small word after the verb says what stage the action is at.
- 咗
zo2 after a verb means it is done — this is the one that carries a story. - 緊
gan2 means it is going on now; 過 gwo3 means it has been done at some point. - A time word at the front does most of the work; then the verbs stop marking it.
- A character at the end carries the tone of voice, not the meaning.
A Cantonese verb has no past form. Instead a small word sits straight after it saying what stage the action has reached — finished, under way, or done at least once. Translate the stage, not the tense.
Say whether an action is finished or going on
A stage word goes straight after the verb and says how far the action has got.
| Stage word | What it says | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 咗 | the action is complete | 佢走咗。 |
| 緊 | the action is going on now | 佢食緊嘢。 |
| 過 | it has happened at least once | 我去過。 |
All three go immediately after the verb, and none of them change it.
How a story opens and moves
Read each English phrase across to the Cantonese one that does its job.
Endings that carry a tone of voice
A Cantonese sentence can end in a character that is not part of what is said, only of how it is said. These three are the ones you will meet most.
| Ending | What it adds |
|---|---|
| 呀 | softens a question or a statement — the commonest |
| 啦 | a suggestion or a gentle nudge: “come on, then” |
| 㗎 | matter-of-fact: “that is just how it is” |
These are the hardest thing in Cantonese to translate and the easiest to read past. They add feeling, not meaning. Notice one, register that the speaker is being soft or firm, and move on.
Which stage?
- 佢跌咗。
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keoi5 dit3 zo2 — “It fell over.” - 我搵緊水。
Going on right now.
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ngo5 wan2 gan2 seoi2 — “I am looking for water.” - 有一日，佢去山上。
No stage word on the verb at all.
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jau5 jat1 jat6, keoi5 heoi3 saan1 soeng6 — “One day he went up the hill.” The time word already put the story in the past. - What does 啦 add to 嚟啦?
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Warmth and a nudge: 嚟啦lai4 laa1 “come on, then”.