mou5 dak1冇得

Jyutpingmou5 dak1

Yalemóuh dāk

Definition

Unable to; cannot.

colloquialdaily actionsdescriptions

How it's used

Focuses on the unavailability of an option or the impossibility of an action rather than a lack of ability. It functions as a negative auxiliary phrase that effectively means there is no way to perform the following verb. It is extremely common in daily life to express that something is forbidden, sold out, or simply not an available choice.

Examples

nei1呢dou6度mou5冇dak1得paak3泊ce1車㗎，gaa4你nei5泊bok6去heoi3隔gaak3離lei4啦。

You cannot park here, go park next door.

gam1今maan5晚mou5冇dak1得heoi3去gaai1街，ngo5我jiu3要lau4留喺hai2屋uk1企kei2溫wan1書。

I cannot go out tonight, I have to stay home to study.

Common phrases

mou5冇dak1得king1傾

no room for negotiation

mou5冇dak1得gau3救

hopeless

mou5冇dak1得ding2頂

the best; unbeatable

Common mistake

Do not confuse this with 唔可以, which specifically refers to permission or moral prohibition. 冇得 is more about the objective lack of an opportunity or the non-existence of a possibility.