soeng2 jiu3想要
Jyutpingsoeng2 jiu3
Yaleséung yiu
Definition
To want; to desire; to feel like having or doing something.
colloquialdaily actionsemotion
How it's used
Expressing desire in Cantonese often leans towards using 想 or 想要. While 想要 is perfectly acceptable, native speakers frequently drop the 要 and simply use 想 when expressing a wish or intention. Using 想要 can sometimes sound slightly more emphatic or focused on the object being desired rather than just the action.
Examples
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often overuse 想要 in every context where they would use 'want' in English. In many cases, simply using 想 is more natural and less formal than 想要, especially when talking about future plans or intentions.
Grammar color guide
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Grammar guides
- In 30 secondsThe whole language at a glance. No tenses, no plurals, six tones, sentence particles. Read this before you dive into any specific topic.
- ParticlesSentence particles add tone, emotion, and nuance. Learn the most common particles in Cantonese and how to use them.
- Possession (嘅)How to say my, your, and his, and how to link a describing word to a noun, all with the little word 嘅 (ge3).
