Vocabulary | Phrases | Grammar |
This is a list of verbs in the present tense in Cantonese. First let's start with the raw format before conjugating the verbs to the present form. Make sure to compare this table and the one below it.
To see: 睇 dì |
To write: 寫 xiě |
To love: 愛/鍾意 ài/zhōng yì |
To give: 俾 bǐ |
To play: 玩 wán |
To read: 讀 dú |
To understand: 明白/理解 míngbái/lǐjiě |
To have: 有 yǒu |
To know: 知道 zhīdào |
To learn: 學 xué |
To think: 諗 shěn |
To work: 做野 zuò yě |
To speak: 講 jiǎng |
To drive: 揸車 zhā chē |
To smile: 笑 xiào |
To find: 揾 wèn |
These samples show how the verbs above are conjugated in the present tense in a sentence which includes all the object pronouns (I, you, she...).
I see you: 我見到你 wǒ jiàn dào nǐ |
I write with a pen: 我用筆寫字 wǒ yòng bǐ xiě zì |
You love apples: 你鍾意蘋果 nǐ zhōng yì píngguǒ |
You give money: 你俾錢 nǐ bǐ qián |
You play tennis: 你識打網球 nǐ shí dǎ wǎngqiú |
He reads a book: 佢睇緊書 qú dì jǐn shū |
He understands me: 佢明白我 qú míngbái wǒ |
She has a cat: 佢有一隻貓 qú yǒu yī zhī māo |
She knows my friend: 佢識我朋友 qú shí wǒ péngyǒu |
We want to learn: 我哋想學 wǒ diè xiǎng xué |
We think Spanish is easy: 我哋覺得西班牙文好易 wǒ diè juédé xībānyá wén hǎo yì |
You (plural) work here: 你哋喺度做野 nǐ diè xì dù zuò yě |
You (plural) speak French: 你哋講法文 nǐ diè jiǎngfǎwén |
They drive a car: 佢哋揸緊車 qú diè zhā jǐn chē |
They smile: 佢笑緊 qú xiào jǐn |
After the present tense in Cantonese, make sure to check the other tenses (past, and future), which we hope you enjoyed. You can also choose your own topic from the menu above.
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