I donโt think anyone on Tumblr is learning Cantonese, but Iโd thought Iโd just share a bunch of basic vocabulary for the heck of it :โD. Some of the transcriptions I put down arenโt official Jyutping pronunciations; I kind of adjusted it to the way I would read it as an English speaker~
Note: ME = Mandarin equivalent
ไฝข [koei] - he/she/it (ME: ไป/ๅฅน/ๅฎ)
ๆๅฐ [ngo day] - we (ME: ๆๅ)
ไฝ ๅฐ [nei/lei day] - you (pl) (ME:ย ไฝ ๅ)
ไฝขๅฐ [koei day] - they (ME:ย ไป/ๅฅนๅ)
้ฃ [sik] - to eat ย (ME: ๅ)
ไฝ [juu/jew] - to live (somewhere)
็ [fun] - to sleep (ME: ็ก่ฆบ)
้ฃฒ [yum] - to drink (ME: ๅ)ย
{Side note:ย ้ฃฒ่ถ [yum cha] (lit. to drink tea) - to eat dim sum }ย
ๆ [yau] - to have/to exist (equivalent to ์๋ค or ใใ)
ๅ [moe/moh] - to not have/to not exist (sort of like ์๋ค) (ME: ๆฒๆ)
่ญ [sik] - to know (ME: ่ช่ญ or ๆ) - similar to connaรฎtre/conocer
็ฅ [jee/zee] - to know (ME: ็ฅ้) - similar to savoir/saber
่กย [haang] - to walk (ME:ย ่ก / ่ตฐ)
ๅ [lei] - to come (ME: ไพ)
่ฉฑ [wa] - to say, to tell (ME: ่ชช)
่ฌ [gong] - to speak (ME: ่ชช/่ฌ)
ไฟ [hai] - to be (ME: ๆฏ)
้ๅง [hoi chee] - to start
็ [tai] - to watch (ME: ็)
้พๆ [jung yee] - to like (ME: ๅๆญก)
ๅฅฝ [ho] - so (adv.); as in โso loudโ or โso dirtyโ (ME: this word can function the same way in Mandarin, but can also be expressed as ๅพ)
ๅ [gum] - so (adv); exact same usage asย ๅฅฝ, exceptย ๅ is usually used in questions. (ME: ้ฃ้บผ)
ex: Why is it so difficult?ย ้ป่งฃๅ้ฃๅ
?ย
It is so difficult. ๅฅฝ้ฃๅใ ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
้ป่งฃ - why, ้ฃ -ย difficult, ๅ
- question particle,ย ๅ - statement particle
้ [leng] - pretty, beautiful (ME: ๆผไบฎ)
็ดฐ [sai] - small (ME: ๅฐ)
้ฃ [laan] - difficult, hardย
(ๅฎน)ๆ [yung yee] - easy, simple (ME:ย ๅฎนๆ)
ไธ้ฝ [yut chai] - together (ME: ไธ่ตท)
adjective +ย ๅฐๅฐ or adjective + ๅฒ [siu siu or dee] - a little bit + adjective (in comparative form) (ME: ไธ้ป)
ex: ไฝ ๅฏๅๅฏไปฅ่กๅฟซๅฐๅฐๅข? [lei haw m haw yee haang faai siu siu leh?] ย ย ย ย
or ไฝ ๅฏๅๅฏไปฅ่กๅฟซๅฒๅข? [lei haw m haw yee haang faai dee leh?] ย
Can you walk a little bit faster??? (said with extreme frustration)
ๅฏๅๅฏไปฅ (lit. can cannot) = question form of can,ย ่ก = to walk,ย ๅฟซ = fast
ๅ [tung] - and, with (ME: ่ท, ๅ)
ไฝไฟ [daan hai] - but (ME: ไฝๆฏ)
ๆไปฅย [saw yee]ย - so, thatโs why
้็ถย [seoi yeen] - although, even though
ไธ้ [but gaw] - but, however
ๅ [gum] - soโฆ, wellโฆ, thenโฆ
ๅทฆ [jor/jaw] - expresses past tense/perfect tense (goes after a verb) (ME: ไบ)
ๆ [wui] - will + verb; goes before a verb (future tense)ย
็ท [gun] - V + ing; goes after a verb (present progressive) (ME: ๅจ+verb)
ๅ [m] - not (negates a verb) (ME: ไธ)
้ป่งฃ [deem gai] - why (ME: ็บไป้บผ)
้ๅบฆ [been doe] - where (ME: (ๅจ) ๅช่ฃก)
้ปๆจฃ [deem yeung] - how (ME: ๆ้บผ/ๆๆจฃ)
้ๅ [been gaw] - who (ME: ่ชฐ)
้ย + quantifier [been] - which (ME: ๅช)
ๅนพๆ [gay see] - when (ME: ไป้บผๆๅ)
ๅนพๅค [gay dor/daw] - how many/how much (ME: ๅคๅฐ)
ไน [mut] - what (ME: ไป้บผ)
ไปๆฅ [gum yut] - today (ME: ไปๅคฉ)
่ฝๆฅ [ting yut] - tomorrow (ME: ๆๅคฉ)
ๅฐๆฅ [chum/kum yut] - yesterday (ME: ๆจๅคฉ)
ๆๆฅ [sing yut] - always (ME: ็ธฝๆฏ)
่ๅฎถ [yee gah] - now (ME: ็พๅจ)
ๅฑๅฑ [ngaam ngaam] - just now (ME:ย ๅๅ)
่ [noi/loi] - a long time, a while (ME: ไน
)
ๅฅฝ่ๅ่ฆ [ho noi/loi mo geen] - lit. long time no see (ME: ๅฅฝไน
ไธ่ฆ) ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
Phew, this turned out to be quite a long postโฆ Iโll probably record myself saying all these vocabulary words so that you guys have something to refer to with regards to tones, since I didnโt mark down any tones in this list.ย