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.
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