gam3 zai6咁滯咁滞
Jyutpinggam3 zai6
Yalegam jaih
Definition
Almost; nearly; a post-verbal modifier indicating that something is nearly done or completed.
colloquialdescriptions
How it's used
Placed at the end of a clause, this adverbial particle emphasizes that a state or action has reached a point of near completion. It often carries a slightly dramatic or hyperbolic tone, suggesting that the situation is on the very edge of happening. It is frequently paired with intensifiers like 晒 to heighten the sense of near-total completion.
Examples
I walked until my legs were nearly jelly.
Related words
Common phrases
nearly sold out
almost completely forgotten
Common mistake
Learners often confuse it with 差唔多, but 咁滯 must follow the verb or the resultative complement, whereas 差唔多 usually precedes the verb phrase.
Grammar color guide
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Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
