你嘅
nei5 ge3
The Cantonese word for 'your' is 你嘅 (nei5 ge3), used when referring to something belonging to one person.
你嘅 is a possessive determiner used to indicate that something belongs to a single person (singular 'you').
Meaning: belonging to you (singular, one owner) (det)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 你 (you) and the possessive particle 嘅 (of/'s), literally translating to "you's".
Which one should you use?
你嘅 refers to a single owner. To say 'your' when referring to a group of people (you all), use 你哋嘅 instead.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The particle 嘅 is the standard way to indicate possession in spoken Cantonese.
How does it change in a sentence?
你嘅 is used specifically when the owner is a single person.
How do you pronounce it?
nei5 ge3
Did you know?
- In Cantonese, the particle 嘅 is often omitted when referring to people with close personal ties, such as 你媽 instead of 你嘅媽 for 'your mother'.
- While 你嘅 is the standard for 'your', in extremely formal settings or when addressing a high-ranking official, Cantonese speakers may use 閣下嘅 to express a higher level of deference.
- In very formal or written contexts, the spoken 嘅 is replaced by 的, though they sound entirely different when read aloud.
Examples in context
- 我跟咗你嘅建議去做。I followed your suggestion.This example shows how to use 你嘅 when referring to a suggestion.Tatoeba #5774648 by nickyeow, translation #5745838 by Catriona
- 我想同你嘅經理講嘢。I would like to speak with your manager.This example shows how to use 你嘅 when referring to a manager.Tatoeba #13106495 by Gearhulk, translation #10129397 by ddnktr
- 請你寫低你嘅真實經驗。Please write about your real experience.This example shows how to use 你嘅 when referring to a real experience.Tatoeba #385608 by nickyeow, translation #38900 by CM
- 34 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chi Keung is returning a book to Hiu Tung.
- 志強 Chi Keung曉彤，呢本係你嘅書嗎？hiu tung, ni bun hai nei ge syu maa?Hiu Tung, is this your book?
- 曉彤 Hiu Tung係啊，係我嘅，唔該你！hai aa, hai ngo ge, m goi nei!Yes, it's mine, thank you!
- 志強 Chi Keung唔客氣，你嘅書標喺呢度。m haak hei, nei ge syu biu hai ni dou.You're welcome, your book label is here.
- 曉彤 Hiu Tung多謝志強，你真係好幫手。do ze zi keung, nei zan hai hou bong sau.Thanks Chi Keung, you are really helpful.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
