係
The English phrase "is" translates to Cantonese as 係.
係 is used to equate two nouns, such as saying "He is a teacher".
Which one should you use?
While 係 is used to equate nouns, you should not use it with adjectives (for example, do not use it to say "He is tall"). Additionally, you can form a yes/no question meaning "is it or is it not?" by adding 咪 after 係 to create 係咪.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb 係 does not change its form based on person (I, you, he/she) or number (singular/plural).
Did you know?
- The character 係 originally meant 'to tie' or 'to connect'. This reflects the linguistic idea that the verb 'is' connects two ideas or nouns together.
- While 係 means 'is', if you want to say someone 'is' in a specific location, you cannot use 係. Instead, you must use the word 喺, which sounds similar but is a completely different character.
- In Hong Kong, you will often hear 係唔係 used as a filler phrase at the start or end of a sentence. In this context, it does not ask a question but acts like the English filler 'you know'.
Examples in context
- 個罐係吉嘅。The can is empty.Tatoeba #433931 by nickyeow, translation #20950 by CK
- 係咪太細喇？Is it too little?This sentence shows how to form a question using 係咪.Tatoeba #5804870 by nickyeow, translation #5264572 by Cithara
- 邊本書係你㗎？Which book is yours?Tatoeba #397070 by nickyeow, translation #37928 by CK
- 佢 係 律師。He is a lawyer.
- 呢個係我嘅朋友。This is my friend.
- 我係香港人。I am from Hong Kong.
- 616 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ya Ting and Ka Ming are talking about a new employee.
- 雅婷 Nga Ting佢係新嚟嘅同事。keoi5 hai6 san1 lei4 ge3 tung4 si2.He is a new colleague.
- 家明 Ka Ming佢係邊個部門㗎？keoi5 hai6 bin1 go3 bou6 mun4 gaa3?Which department is he in?
- 雅婷 Nga Ting佢係市場部嘅。keoi5 hai6 si5 coeng4 bou6 ge3.He is from the marketing department.
- 家明 Ka Ming明白，多謝你。ming4 baak6, do1 ze6 nei5.I see, thank you.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
