What are common mistakes with 否定：唔同冇?

EN speakers: English uses 'not'/'don't' for everything — Cantonese splits negation by tense/type. Mandarin speakers: 唔=不, 冇=没/没有 — direct mapping. CS speakers: Czech 'ne-' prefix is simpler — must learn which negator to use.

否定：唔同冇: rules, examples & exercises | Cantonese Grammar A1

否定：唔同冇

A1 — 句法

Two negation words: 唔 (m4) for general negation and 冇 (mou5) for 有-negation and past

I can negate sentences correctly using 唔 and 冇.

Two negation words: 唔 (m4) for general negation and 冇 (mou5) for 有-negation and past

Examples

我唔鍾意食辣嘢。 — I don't like eating spicy food.
我冇去過日本。 — I haven't been to Japan.
今日唔凍。 — It's not cold today.

句法A1

Negation: 唔 and 冇

Two negation words in Cantonese

Learning Goal

I can negate sentences correctly.

Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?

我唔鍾意食辣嘢。

I don't like eating spicy food.

我冇去過日本。

I haven't been to Japan.

今日唔凍。

It's not cold today.

Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?

Two Negation Words

Negator	Use	Example
唔 m4	General negation (before verbs/adjectives)	我唔去。(I'm not going.)
唔 m4	Before 係	佢唔係醫生。(He's not a doctor.)
冇 mou5	Negation of 有	我冇錢。(I don't have money.)
冇 mou5	Negation of completed actions (冇 + verb)	我冇食飯。(I didn't eat.)

Rule: 唔 negates PRESENT/FUTURE; 冇 negates 有 and PAST completed actions.

Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises

Practice Exercises

Using 唔 for past actions. Using 唔有 instead of 冇.

我唔鍾意食辣嘢。

I don't like eating spicy food.

唔 before the verb 鍾意 (like). General present-tense negation.

我冇去過日本。

I haven't been to Japan.

冇 negates the completed experience (去過). NOT 唔去過.

今日唔凍。

It's not cold today.

唔 before adjective 凍 (cold). Adjective negation uses 唔, not 冇.

Practice in course

Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises

A1 Course

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Put it into practice

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Frequently asked questions

When is 否定：唔同冇 used?: Rule: 唔 negates PRESENT/FUTURE; 冇 negates 有 and PAST completed actions.
What are common mistakes with 否定：唔同冇?: EN speakers: English uses 'not'/'don't' for everything — Cantonese splits negation by tense/type. Mandarin speakers: 唔=不, 冇=没/没有 — direct mapping. CS speakers: Czech 'ne-' prefix is simpler — must learn which negator to use.