Aspect Markers
There are some aspect markers in Cantonese.
- Perfective (咗 /zo2/)
- Terminative (完 /jyun4/)
- Exhaustive (晒 /saai3/)
- Additive (埋 /maai4/)
- Progressive (緊 /gan2/)
- Durative (住 /zyu6/)
- Experiential (過 /gwo3/)
- Resultative Perfect (到 /dou2/)
- Anterior Perfect (到 /dou3/)
- Delimitative (吓 /haa2/)
- Habitual (開 /hoi1/)
- Incidental (開 /hoi1/)
- Adversative (親 /can1/)
- Coincidental (親 /can1/)
- Permissive (得 /dak1/)
- Resumptive (番 /faan1/)
Perfective - 咗 /zo2/
It denotes an aspect of a verb that emphasizes the occurrence of an activity.
「Matthew瞓咗覺嘞。」(Matthew is asleep.)
「『又話食咗飯，點解仲喺度猛食嘢呀？』『係食咗呀，不過未食完啫，食咗一陣就俾人召咗返嚟囉。』」(“You had a meal. Why do you keep eating food?” “I did have the meal but I haven’t finished it at all. I was asked to come back after starting the meal a while.”)
If you want to know the length of an activity, you may ask a question and answer it in perfective aspect.
「『食咗幾耐飯？』『食咗半個鐘。』」(“How much time did you spend having the meal?” “I spent half an hour having it.”)
You can ask questions in perfective aspect with another two ways:
「係咪食咗飯喇？」(Did you have the meal?)
「食咗飯未？」(Did you have a meal?)
Both questions are yes-no questions. The first question emphasises the action of the activity while the second the object. If you care about whether a person is available after the meal, you may ask the first question. If you do care about the person, you must ask the question in the second way because you may may want to know whether he can finish all the foods that is good for him. In fact, the second question is commonly used for greeting in the old days.
If you had a meal, you can simply reply to the two questions with the answer below.
「食咗喇。」(Yes, I did.)
The negative response to them cannot be perfective. Perfective negation never exists because you cannot deny a started activity. Simple negation is good for replying them.
「未食呀。」(No, I didn’t)
You also cannot state or ask for a specific time in perfective aspect.
Terminative - 完 /jyun4/
It denotes an aspect of a verb that emphasizes the completion of an activity in terms of time.
「我食完飯喇，可以玩得喇。」(I finished my meal and we can play together.)
「你今年有冇跑完渣馬呀？」(Did you complete the standard chartered marathon this year?)
You can ask questions in terminative aspect:
「你係咪食完飯喇？」(Did you finish your meal?)
「你食完飯未呀？」(Do you finish your meal?)
「你幾時食完飯？」(When will you finish your meal?)
「你幾點食完飯？」(When did you finish your meal?)
「你食完飯幾耐？」(How long has it been since you finished your meal?)
For the yes-no questions, both affirmative and negative replies are in terminative aspect.
「我食完飯。」(“Yes, I did.”/“Yes, I do”)
「我未食完飯。」(“No, I didn’t.”/“No, I don’t.”)
For the
when questions, you can specify a time in your answer.
「我兩點食完飯。」(“I will finish by 2.”/“I finished at 2.”)
For the
how long questions, the answer is stated below:
「我食完飯兩個鐘。」(It has been 2 hours since I finish the meal.)
Exhaustive - 晒 /saai3/
It denotes an aspect of a verb that emphasizes the completion of an activity in terms of quantity or quality.
「啲人散晒喇，佢哋一攞到禮物即閃，都話要最後至派禮物㗎啦。」(The crowd dispersed. Everyone goes away immediately after getting a gift. I recommended to distribute the gift at end of the event.)
「點解咁遲呀？啲人走晒喇，都叫咗你要準時㗎啦。」(Why are you so late? Everyone has gone. I reminded you have to come punctually.)
「個卡通公仔全部賣晒，要聽日先至返貨。」(All the cartoon character toys are sold out. Our shelves will be restocked tomorrow.)
「佢食晒你碟飯，一啲都冇得剩。」(He finished up your dish of rice. Nothing is left.)
You can ask questions in exhaustive aspect:
「你係咪做晒功課喇？」(Did you finish up your homework?)
「你做晒功課未？」(Do you finish up your homework?)
For the yes-no questions, both affirmative and negative replies are in exhaustive aspect.
「我做晒功課喇。」(“Yes, I did.”/“Yes, I do”)
「我未做晒功課呀。」(“No, I didn’t.”/“No, I don’t.”)
How long questions and
when questions are rarely in exhaustive aspect. You also cannot state a specific time or length of time in exhaustive aspect.
However, you may express an activity in terminative and exhaustive aspect at the same time if you want to emphasise the completion of the activity in terms of both time and quantity.
「食完晒啲嘢食未呀？我哋要趕住出去㗎！」(Do you finish up the meal? We have to go as soon as possible.)
Additive - 埋 /maai4/
It denotes an aspect of a verb that emphasizes the completion of an activity in terms of additional time or quantity.
「我今日要做埋聽日嘅嘢，因為我啲聽日放假。」(I have to get everything done by today because I will be off tomorrow.)
「喂！你有冇問過人㗎？你食埋佢碟飯喎。」(Hey, have you ever asked him if you could finish off his dish of rice?)
It is commonly used in imperative sentences.
「食完飯未呀？點解仲未食晒㗎？快啲食埋佢啦！」(Do you finish the meal? Why haven't you finished up it? Hurry up, please)
「你食咗咁耐仲未食完，快啲食埋佢啦。」(You take too long to eat. Hurry up, please.)
Yes-no questions and
how long questions and are rarely in additive aspect. The following are
when questions in additive aspect.
「你幾時會做埋啲功課？後日就係開學。」(When will you finish off your homework? The next school year starts the day after tomorrow.)
「你預計幾時會做埋個project呢？」(What do you think when you will finish off the project?)
Progressive - 緊 /gan2/
It denotes an aspect of a verb that emphasizes the progressiveness of an activity.
「你仲做緊呀，快啲做埋佢啦。」(Are you still working on it? Hurry up.)
「老師嚟緊喇，快啲返埋位啦。」(Mrs May is coming. Get back to your seat.)
「唔好意思呀，我而家有urgent嘢做緊，不如轉頭覆番你吖？唔該晒。」(I'm sorry that I have an urgent matter to attend to. Could I call you back soon? Thank you.)
「頭先個BB仲瞓緊覺，轉頭就跌咗落地，好彩張床周圍鋪晒咕臣，所以BB係睇少眼都唔得㗎。」
You can ask confirmative question and respond with affirmative reply in progressive aspect.
「係咪食緊飯呀？」(Are you having your meal?)
「係呀，食緊飯喇。」(Yes, I’m.)
For an activity still in progress, it may be done out of several possible alternatives. The following are the possible negative replies for the above question. The first reply is the only one in progressive aspect.
「我唔咪食緊飯呃，你搵我有乜事呀？」(No, I'm not. What for?)
「我未食得住，要等埋老闆開完會至走得。」(No, I’m not. No, I’m not. I have to wait for my boss to get back from a meeting.)
「仲未食呀，我想做埋啲嘢先。」(No, I'm not. I want to get work done first.)
「我冇食飯呀，都冇時間食。」(No, I'm not because I hardly squeeze my meal in.)
「冇食到呀，都唔得閒食。」(No, I'm not because I am too busy.)
Progressive aspect conflicts with perfective question. It is not make sense to ask for a specific time of an activity occurring over a period of time. But you can confirm whether the activity is in progress at a particular time:
「你喺一點鐘係咪喺canteen食緊飯？」(Were you having lunch in canteen at one o’clock?)
You can simply answer to it with yes (係) or no (唔係). If you want to know the duration of an activity since its beginning, perfective aspect is perfectly adequate for your needs.
Durative - 住 /zyu6/
It denotes an aspect of a verb that emphasises the progressiveness change of an activity.
「你借住書先啦，我要去廁所。」(You go to check books out now. I will be right back.)
「你唔好借書住，我要去廁所。」( Don't check books out now because you have to watch over the children for me. )
「唔畀佢知。」(Don't let him know.)
「唔畀佢知住。」(Don't tell him shortly.)
[imperative]「『聽住呀！』『聽緊喇！』」
Experiential - 過 /gwo3/
It denotes an aspect of a verb that emphasises the involvement of an activity before a particular moment.
「你借過書未？間圖書館啱啱新開。」(Have you ever borrowed books from the newly opened library?)
「我喺呢間圖書館借過幾次書。」(I borrowed books from this library a few times.)
「我喺嗰間餐廳食過飯。」
Resultative Perfect - 到 /dou2/
It denotes an aspect of a verb that emphasises the completion of an activity after struggling. The activity is supposedly difficult to achieve but it is done finally.
「你借到/dou2/書未？借唔到/dou2/就冇得做閱讀報告喇。」(Can you borrow books?)
「終於俾我借到/dou2/本書，呢本書成日都好多人預約㗎。」(I can borrow the books eventually.)
Anterior Perfect - 到 /dou3/
It denotes an aspect of a verb that emphasises the completion of an activity. The activity is supposedly difficult to achieve and it is not done at the end.
「你有冇借到書呀？」(Do you borrow books?)
「弊！我冇借到書添。」(Oops! I forgot to borrow books.)
「我有借到書呀，唔使擔心。」(I did borrow books. Don't worry.)
Delimitative - 吓 /haa2/
It denotes an aspect of a verb that emphasises the trials of an activity.
「你借吓書就會知部機點用。」(You will know the checkout machine after use.)
Habitual - 開 /hoi1/
It denotes an aspect of a verb that emphasises the repeated occurrences of an activity.
「我借開書嗰部借書機壞咗，又用唔慣啲新機。」(I used to check books out with that machine but it was broken. But I am not familiar with the newer ones.)
「我食開呢隻藥。」
Incidental - 開 /hoi1/
It denotes an aspect of a verb that emphasises the next occurrence of an activity.
「點解我次次借親書都壞機㗎？真係黑仔。」(Checkout machine breaks down whenever I check books out of library.)
「我去開，幫你做埋。」
Adversative - 親 /can1/
It denotes an aspect of a verb that emphasises the harmful effect of an activity.
「佢突然喊起上嚟，真係嚇親我。」
Coincidental - 親 /can1/
It denotes an aspect of a verb that emphasises the coincidence of two activities.
「佢笑親都停唔到。」
Permissive - 得 /dak1/
It denotes an aspect of a verb that emphasises the permission granted for an activity.
「Network通番就借得書㗎喇。」(Checkout service will be resumed once the network is available.)
「未借得書住，因為network未得住。」(Checkout service has stopped because the network is down.)
「你走得嘞。」
「等多一陣就借得書。」
Resumptive - 番 /faan1/
It denotes an aspect of a verb that emphasises the resumption of an activity.
「我喺度借過吓書咁啦，都覺得啲服務唔錯。」(I borrowed books from this library a few times.)
「我着番件衫。」
