Complete Cantonese (Learn Cantonese with Teach Yourself)

EBook: New edition

Hugh Baker, Ho Pui-Kei

• Publisher: Teach Yourself
• Year: 2012
• eBook ISBN: 9781444134421
• Topic: Languages & Linguistics
• Subtopic: Languages
• Index: Languages & Linguistics

Is this the right course for me? This new and improved Edition of Complete Cantonese will take you effortlessly from beginner to confident speaker. Whether you are starting from scratch, or are just out of practice, Complete Cantonese will guarantee success! It is fully updated to make your language experience fun and interactive. You can still rely on the benefits of a top language teacher with years of teaching experience, but now with added learning features within the course and online. The course is structured in thematic units and the emphasis is placed on communication, so that you effortlessly progress from introducing yourself and dealing with everyday situations to using the phone and talking about work. This course uses the widely-accepted Yale Romanisation system and includes a helpful pronunciation guide at the beginning of the textbook.By the end of this course, you will be at Level B2 of the Common European Framework for Languages: can deal with most situations likely to arise whilst travelling in an area where the language is spoken. Learn effortlessly with a new easy-to-read page design and interactive features: Not got much time?
One, five and ten-minute introductions to key principles to get you started Author insights
Lots of instant help with common problems and quick tips for success, based on the author's many years of experience. Grammar tips
Easy-to-follow building blocks to give you a clear understanding. Useful vocabulary
Easy to find and learn, to build a solid foundation for speaking. Dialogues
Read and listen to everyday dialogues to help you speak and understand fast. Pronunciation
Don't sound like a tourist! Perfect your pronunciation before you go. Test yourself
Tests in the book and online to keep track of your progress Extend your knowledge
Extra online articles at to give you a richer understanding of the culture and history of China. Try this
Innovative exercises illustrate what you've learnt and how to use it.

1

Wuih-mihn
Encounters

In this unit you will learn

• how to greet and address people

• how to ask questions

• how to use descriptive words

Dialogue 1

Mr Wong and his boss Miss Cheung meet in the lift on the way up to the office.

CD 1, TR 3

Cheung	Jóu-sàhn, Wòhng Sìn-sàang.	Good morning, Mr Wong.
Wong	Jóu-sàhn, Jèung Síu-jé. Néih hóu ma?	Good morning, Miss Cheung. How are you?
Cheung	Ngóh hóu hóu. Néih nē?	I’m very well. And you?
Wong	(Ngóh) hóu hóu.	I’m fine.
Cheung	Néih taai-táai nē?	And your wife?
Wong	Kéuih dōu hóu, yáuh-sàm.	She’s well too, thank you.

CD 1, TR 4

QUICK VOCAB

	jóu-sàhn	good morning
	Wòhng	a surname: Wong
	sìn-sàang	Mr, Sir, gentleman, husband
	Jèung	a surname: Cheung
	síu-jé	Miss, young lady
	néih	you
	hóu	very; well, fine, OK, nice, good
	ma?	a word (a particle) that makes a statement into a question
	ngóh	I, me
	nē?	a particle that repeats the same question about a different matter
	taai-táai	Mrs, wife, married woman
	kéuih	she, her, he, him, it
	dōu	also
	yáuh-sàm	kind of you to ask

Your first test

How would you address the person that Miss Cheung enquires about?

(The answer is, of course, Wòhng Taai-táai.)

Insight

Is it Wong or Wòhng?

We don’t mean to confuse you. The Yale romanization spells it Wòhng, and that tells you exactly how to pronounce it; but in everyday use almost everyone spells the name Wong, so we have, as it were, translated Wòhng into Wong for you. We have done the same with other names (Cheung for Jèung, Kwok Mei for Gwok Méih, Hong Kong for Hèung Góng, etc).

Notes

1.1 IDENTIFYING PEOPLE AND THINGS

ngóh I, me

néih you (singular)

kéuih he, she, him, her, it

Each of these personal pronouns can be made plural by the addition of -deih:

ngóh-deih we, us

néih-deih you (plural)

kéuih-deih they, them

1.2 ADDRESSING PEOPLE

Unlike English, Chinese surnames are always given before titles:

Wòhng Sìn-sàang Mr Wong

Wòhng Taai-táai ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Meet the authors
• Only got a minute?
• Only got five minutes?
• Only got ten minutes?
• Introduction
• Pronunciation guide
• 1 Encounters
• 2 Personal property
• 3 Family and friends
• 4 Eating in and eating out
• 5 Shops and markets
• 6 Getting around
• 7 Revision (1)
• 8 Blowing hot and cold
• 9 Fun and games
• 10 Health care for beginners
• 11 The world of fashion
• 12 Education for life
• 13 Speculation
• 14 Revision (2)
• 15 Travelling
• 16 Driving
• 17 The uniformed services
• 18 Law and order
• 19 Banking and finance
• 20 Using the postal system
• 21 Revision (3)
• 22 The office
• 23 Eating out in Hong Kong
• 24 Leisure activities
• 25 Household affairs
• 26 Revision (4)
• Appendices
• Key to the exercises
• Cantonese–English vocabulary
• English–Cantonese vocabulary
• Credits