gaau1 gat1交吉
Jyutpinggaau1 gat1
Yalegāau gāt
Definition
To deliver vacant possession; to hand over a vacant property to a buyer or landlord.
colloquialhomemoney
How it's used
The term relies on the Cantonese habit of using 吉 to mean empty, which stems from the homophony between the word for empty and the word for ominous. It is almost exclusively used in the context of real estate transactions and property sales. When a property is sold with an existing tenant, it is referred to as 連租約, which is the direct opposite of the state of being vacant.
Examples
The landlord said the property can be handed over vacant next month.
Related words
Common phrases
price for vacant possession
date of vacant possession
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with simply moving out of a place. It specifically refers to the legal and formal act of handing over a property in an empty state to a new owner or tenant.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- LocationHow to say where something is using 喺 (hai2), place words like 度, and the common coverbs that work like English prepositions.
- Serial verbsStringing two or more verbs together without any joining word, like go to the shop buy things. Extremely common in Cantonese.
- 將 disposalHow to move the object in front of the verb with 將, to focus on what happens to it. Common in instructions and writing.
