A-not-A questions and 呀 particle
I can ask and answer yes/no questions.
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
你食唔食飯？
Do you eat rice? / Are you eating?
你係唔係香港人？
Are you from Hong Kong?
你有冇帶遮？
Did you bring an umbrella?
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
The most natural way to ask yes/no questions in Cantonese is the A-not-A pattern — repeat the verb in positive and negative form:
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| V + 唔 + V | 你去唔去？(Are you going?) |
| 有冇 + V | 你有冇食飯？(Have you eaten?) |
| 係唔係 | 你係唔係學生？(Are you a student?) |
Adding 呀 aa3 at the end also works (less common but simpler):
你去呀？(You're going?) — rising intonation + 呀.
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises
Practice ExercisesInverting word order like English. Forgetting A-not-A pattern.
你食唔食飯？
Do you eat rice? / Are you eating?
食唔食 — A-not-A pattern with verb 食. Answer: 食 (yes) or 唔食 (no).
你係唔係香港人？
Are you from Hong Kong?
係唔係 — A-not-A with copula 係. Very common for identity questions.
你有冇帶遮？
Did you bring an umbrella?
有冇 — special A-not-A form for 有. Used for past completed actions too.
Practice in course
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises