nei5 dei6你哋
Jyutpingnei5 dei6
Yalenéih deih
Definition
You; the second-person plural pronoun.
colloquialpeople
How it's used
Adding 幾個 after 你哋 is a common way to emphasize a small group of people or to sound more casual. Unlike the formal 您們 in Mandarin, 你哋 is used universally across all social settings and levels of formality in Hong Kong. It is strictly plural and cannot be used for a single person even when showing extreme respect.
Examples
Are you all free to go for dim sum tomorrow?
You few, come over here and help quickly.
Related words
Common mistake
Learners sometimes mistakenly use 你哋 to refer to a single person in a formal context, but this is grammatically incorrect in Cantonese. Always use 你 for singular, regardless of the social hierarchy.
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.
