teng1 din6 waa2聽電話听电话
Jyutpingteng1 din6 waa2
Yaletēng dihn wá
Definition
To answer the phone, or to talk on the phone.
colloquialcommunicationdaily actions
How it's used
Focus on the physical act of answering or being engaged in a call rather than the device itself. It functions as a separable verb, meaning you can insert aspect markers like 咗 or 緊 directly into the middle, such as 聽咗電話 or 聽緊電話. It is the standard way to describe the action of taking a call, whereas using the phone for other purposes like browsing or texting requires different verbs.
Examples
He is busy right now and cannot answer the phone.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 打電話, which means to make a call. Using 聽電話 when you are the one initiating the call will cause confusion.
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.
