Cantonese Skills Lesson 7
Phone Calls

喂 /wei/ is used both for "hello" on the telephone and for "hey" when trying to get someone's attention.  It also has a second pronunciation- /wai/.

-bin- go 邊個 and -bin- /wai/ 邊位 can both be translated as "who" or "whom".  Literally, however, they mean "which one" and "which seat" respectively. -bin- /wai/ is a more polite term of address, although -bin- go is not at all impolite.  More details will be given in a grammar lesson on measure words.

-mat- /yeh/ is often shortened to "me'ah"

/Keuih/ -cheut- /jo/ heui refers to the act of physically leaving while /Keuih/ -cheut- /jo/ \gaai\ refers to "going out" to run errands, enjoy oneself, etc.  If a person just "stepped out" you would use /keuih/ -cheut- /jo/ heui while if you say /keuih/ -cheut- /jo/ \gaai\ it implies that the person will not be back for some time.

Hong Kong culture differs from Western culture when it comes to telephone protocol.  Telephone contact is often very brief and to the point, even when those speaking are well acquainted.  It is not uncommon for those non-acquainted to probe into the business of a caller.  It is also common practice for a caller to ignore such an inquiry or give a perfunctory answer.

When you dial a wrong number, the person answering the phone frequently simply says "wrong number" and hangs up without a pause.  If calling someone you are not familiar with or whose family is not familiar with you, the person may very likely hang up prematurely.

/Keuih/ \mh\ /hai/ -ni- dou jyuh can mean either that the person does not know the person you are calling for or that this person has moved out.  /Mouh/ -ni- go \yahn\ clearly means that the person is unknown to the respondent.

Inquire/Leaving a Message