jing2 soeng2影相
Jyutpingjing2 soeng2
Yaleyíng séung
Definition
To take a photo or picture with a camera.
Example
colloquialdaily actionstechnology
How it's used
Refers specifically to the act of taking a photograph, functioning as a verb phrase where 影 is the verb and 相 is the object. It is extremely common to insert a measure word between the two, such as 影張相 for taking a single photo or 影幾張相 for taking a few. This structure is preferred over treating it as a single inseparable verb.
Examples
Do you like taking photos?
We went to the beach to take photos.
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often try to use 拍照, which is the standard written Chinese term. While understood, it sounds unnatural and overly formal in spoken Cantonese compared to the ubiquitous 影相.
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.
