gau6 nin2舊年旧年
Jyutpinggau6 nin2
Yalegauh nín
Definition
Last year; the year before the current one.
colloquialtime
How it's used
Use 舊年 to refer to the calendar year immediately preceding the current one. It is the standard, everyday way to express this time frame in spoken Cantonese, whereas 上年 is also understood but can sometimes feel slightly more formal or influenced by written Chinese.
Examples
I went to Japan for a trip last year.
Were you working here last year?
Related words
Common phrases
back then last year
Common mistake
Avoid using 去年, which is the standard term in written Mandarin and formal Chinese. While people will understand you, it sounds unnatural and overly stiff in casual conversation.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- QuestionsFrom yes or no questions to asking who, what, where, and when. The patterns you need to ask questions naturally in Cantonese.
- ClassifiersCantonese puts a classifier between a number and a noun, and a bare classifier on its own can mean the. Learn the common ones and how to use them.
- ComparisonsHow to say bigger than, the most, the same as, and not as good as. Cantonese uses 過 where Mandarin uses 比, and that catches a lot of learners out.
