gou3 sou3告訴告诉
Jyutpinggou3 sou3
Yalegou sou
Definition
To tell; to let someone know something.
colloquialcommunication
How it's used
Native speakers almost exclusively use 講 or 話俾人知 instead of the formal 告訴. The structure 話俾人知 is the most natural way to express the act of informing someone about a piece of information. Using 告訴 in casual conversation sounds like you are reading from a textbook or a formal news report.
Related words
Common mistake
Avoid using 告訴 in daily speech as it sounds overly formal and stiff. Beginners often default to 告訴 because it is the standard translation in Mandarin, but it will make your Cantonese sound unnatural.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
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.
