First stop: Hong Kong, where Cantonese and English are the official languages. Considering English is only spoken daily by less than 5% of the population, though, I figured we should probably learn some Cantonese. Here are the top 25 phrases* that I'm going to have us memorize (...as my traveling companion goes, "Yay!"):
- Hello. 你好 (néih hóu)
- I’m fine thanks. and you? 我幾好,你呢? (ngóh géi hóu, néih nē?)
- What's your name? 你叫乜野名呀? (néih giu mātyéh méng a)
- My name is... 我叫... (ngóh giu...)
- Where are you from? 你係邊度人呀? (néih haih bīndouh yàhn a?)
- I'm from... 我係...人 (ngóh haih ... yàhn)
- Pleased to meet you. 好開心見到你 (hóu hòisàm gindóu néih)
- Good morning. 早晨 (jóusàhn)
- Goodbye. 再見 (joigin); 拜拜 (bāaibaai)
- Excuse me. 請問 (chéngmahn) - to get attention; 唔該 (m̀hgòi) - to get past
- How much is this? 呢個幾多錢呀? (Nīgo géidō chín a?)
- Sorry. 對唔住 (deuim̀hjyuh)
- Thank you. 多謝 (dòjeh) - for a gift; 唔該 (m̀hgòi) - for a service
- You're welcome. 唔駛 (m̀hsái)
- Where's the toilet? 洗手間喺邊度呀? (sáisáugāan hái bīndouh a?)
- Do you speak English? 你識唔識講英文呀? (neih sīkm̀hsīk góng yìngmán a?)
- I don't speak Cantonese. 我唔識講廣東話 (ngóh m̀hsìk góng gwóngdùngwá)
- Please speak more slowly. 請你講慢啲 (chéng néih góng maahn di)
- Please say that again. 唔該你講多一次吖? (m̀hgòi néih góng dō yātchi a)
- Sorry, I didn't get that. 對唔住,我唔明白 (deuim̀hjyuh, ngóh m̀h mìhngbaahk)
- I understand. 我明白嘞 (ngóh mìhngbaahk la)
- I don't understand. 我唔明白 (ngóh m̀h mìhngbaahk)
- Do you have an English menu? 你地有冇英文餐牌呀? (néihdeih yáuhmóuh yìngmán chāanpáai a?)
- Help! 救命呀! (gau mehng a!)
- My hovercraft is full of eels.** 我隻氣墊船裝滿晒鱔 (ngóh jek heidínsyùhn jòngmúhnsaai síhn)
Full disclosure: I actually spoke informal Cantonese with my grandmother until she passed when I was 11 years old. While we may get lost in our Hong Kong meanderings, we will likely not starve, thanks to my food-focused childish vocabulary.
*Source: Omniglot (http://www.omniglot.com/language/phrases/cantonese.php)
**Hovercraft drawing: Google Image
**Hovercraft drawing: Google Image
1 comment:
yay (said with little enthusiasm).
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