taa1 mun4 dik1他們的他们的
Jyutpingtaa1 mun4 dik1
Yaletā mùhn dīk
Definition
Their; belonging to them.
colloquialpeople
How it's used
Cantonese speakers use 佢哋嘅 to express possession, where 佢哋 means they and 嘅 acts as the possessive particle. Unlike Mandarin, which uses 他們的, Cantonese exclusively uses 佢哋嘅 in both formal and informal settings. The particle 嘅 is essential here and cannot be omitted when indicating ownership.
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often mistakenly use Mandarin grammar by saying 他們的 instead of 佢哋嘅. Remember that 他 is not used in spoken Cantonese for third-person pronouns; always use 佢.
Grammar color guide
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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.
