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Cantonese Grammar Lesson 4
Locative Marker

Vocabulary

Function words
/hai/	"at", "is at"	係
\mh\	not	唔

Places
-uk- /kei/	house	屋企	hohk haauh	school	學校
\gung\ /yun/	public park	公園	\chaan\ \teng\	restaurant	餐廳
\yi\ /yun/	hospital	醫院	\ba\ sih jaahm	bus stop	巴士站

Grammar Description

"/hai/" is one of the few words in Cantonese that corresponds to an English preposition. It takes the places of all the English prepositions describing location: "at, above, below, in, on, out, around, etc." "/hai/" always requires an object corresponding to a location. (This can be a place like a country or a building, or an object.)

The Locative Particle "/hai/"

Cantonese		English
	/hai/

	\mh\ /hai/

As used above, the phrase can be used as a linking verb. It is also used to show where an action occurs, or to describe an object. Examples of these various uses will be given in future lessons.

The location following "/hai/" gives the description ranging from General to Specific. Descriptive phrases do not need any conjunction between them. This can be as simple as Country-City such as "\Jung\ gwok \Heung\ /gong/" to as exact and specific as needed (like "on the bottom of a seat a man going to a seminar in Florida is sitting on, 15 feet above the ground").

Cantonese Grammar Lesson 4 Locative Marker

Vocabulary

Grammar Description

The Locative Particle "/hai/"

Cantonese Grammar Lesson 4
Locative Marker