mut6 do1 gau2沒多久没多久
Jyutpingmut6 do1 gau2
Yalemuht dō gáu
Definition
Not too long; soon; before long.
colloquialtime
How it's used
Cantonese speakers almost exclusively use 冇幾耐 instead of the Mandarin-style 沒多久. Using 沒多久 in a spoken Hong Kong context will sound unnatural and overly formal, as if reading from a textbook. It functions as an adverbial phrase to describe a short duration of time that has passed or will pass.
Related words
Common phrases
not long after
Common mistake
Learners often mistakenly use 沒多久 because it appears in written Chinese, but it is not part of the natural spoken Cantonese lexicon. Always replace it with 冇幾耐 to sound authentic.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
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.
