nei5 dik1你的
Jyutpingnei5 dik1
Yalenéih dīk
Definition
Your; belonging to you.
colloquialpeople
How it's used
Cantonese speakers use 嘅 to indicate possession rather than the Mandarin construction using 的. Placing 嘅 after the pronoun 你 creates the possessive form, which is essential for natural speech. It is rarely omitted in spoken sentences because it clearly marks the relationship between the owner and the object.
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often mistakenly use 的 instead of 嘅 because of Mandarin influence. Using 的 in spoken Cantonese sounds unnatural and can make you sound like you are reading from a textbook.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
