有冇
jau5 mou5
In Cantonese, "do you have" is expressed as 有冇 (jau5 mou5).
This phrase is used to ask if someone possesses a particular item or to inquire if something is available.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase 有冇 is a combination of 有, which means "to have" and 冇, which means "not have".
How does it change in a sentence?
To specify the subject "you", the pronoun 你 (nei5) is placed before 有冇. To answer a question asked with 有冇, you can simply say 有 for "have" or 冇 for "not have".
How do you pronounce it?
jau5 mou5
Did you know?
- The negation part of the phrase, 冇, is a distinct linguistic feature of Cantonese. In Mandarin, the equivalent 'not have' is expressed as 没有, making 冇 a key marker of Cantonese identity.
- In Cantonese, the structure of 有冇 (have-not-have) is called an 'A-not-A' question, which removes the need for a question word like 'do' or 'does'.
- When asking if someone 'has time', a Cantonese speaker might skip the word for 'have' entirely and use 得唔得, which literally translates to 'can or cannot'.
Examples in context
- 你有冇筆呀？Do you have a pen?This example shows how to ask if someone has a pen using 有冇.Tatoeba #1780719 by nickyeow, translation #33771 by CK
- 你有冇喉糖呀？Do you have cough drops?This example shows how to ask if someone has cough drops using 有冇.Tatoeba #661182 by nickyeow, translation #51338 by CK
- 你有冇鉛筆呀？Do you have a pencil?This example shows how to ask if someone has a pencil using 有冇.Tatoeba #1393429 by nickyeow, translation #69635 by CK
- 請問你有無電池？(cing2 man6 nei5 jau5 mou5 din6 ci4?)May I ask if you have batteries?
- 11 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are looking for a tool to open a bottle.
- 子健 Tsz Kin雅婷，你有冇開罐器呀？aa tsing, nei jau mou hoi gwan hei aa?Ya Ting, do you have a can opener?
- 雅婷 Nga Ting我而家冇喺度。ngo yi ga mou hai dou.I don't have it here right now.
- 子健 Tsz Kin咁你知唔知邊度有？gam nei zi m zi bin dou jau?Then do you know where there is one?
- 雅婷 Nga Ting應該喺廚房個櫃入面。ying goi hai cyu fong go gwai jap min.It should be inside the kitchen cabinet.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
