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Grammar

Cantonese Present

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:

To write:
xiě
To love: 愛/鍾意
ài/zhōng yì
To give:

To play:
wán
To read:

To understand: 明白/理解
míngbái/lǐjiě
To have:
yǒu
To know: 知道
zhīdào
To learn:
xué
To think:
shěn
To work: 做野
zuò yě
To speak:
jiǎng
To drive: 揸車
zhā chē
To smile:
xiào
To find:
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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Cantonese Verbs

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Cantonese Past

Cantonese Past Tense