lau4 baan1留班
Jyutpinglau4 baan1
Yalelàuh bāan
Definition
To repeat a grade or class, usually due to poor academic performance.
colloquialschool
How it's used
Carries a strong sense of academic failure or social stigma in the local school system. It is often used as a threat by teachers or parents to motivate students to study harder. Unlike the formal term 重讀, which sounds more neutral or academic, 留班 is the blunt, everyday way to describe the situation.
Examples
He has to repeat the grade because his grades are too poor.
Are you going to repeat the grade this year?
Related words
Common phrases
facing the risk of repeating a grade
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 留級, which is a more formal or written term often seen in official school documents. While they mean the same thing, 留班 is the preferred choice in casual conversation among students and parents.
Grammar color guide
Noun
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Adjective
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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.
