caa1 di1差啲

Jyutpingcaa1 di1

Yalechā dī

Common

Definition

Almost; nearly; or slightly worse in quality.

almost; nearly; on the verge of
slightly worse or poorer in quality

colloquialdescriptionsdaily actions

How it's used

Distinguish between the two distinct functions of this phrase based on sentence position. When placed before a verb, it indicates an action nearly occurred, while when placed after a noun or subject, it functions as an adjective describing something as mediocre or substandard. It is a highly versatile tool for expressing near misses or mild dissatisfaction without being overly harsh.

Examples

ngo5我tau4頭sin1先caa1差di1啲dit3跌dai1低aa4呀。

I almost fell down just now.

le1呢gaan1間caan1餐teng1廳di1啲je5嘢sik6食caa1差di1啲wo5喎。

The food at this restaurant is a bit poor, you know.

Common phrases

caa1差di1啲m4唔gei3記dak1得

almost forgot

caa1差di1啲ci4遲dou3到

almost late

Common mistake

Learners often confuse the two meanings. If you say 呢個蘋果差啲, you are saying the apple is of poor quality, but if you say 差啲食咗個蘋果, you are saying you almost ate the apple.