Cantonese duration and frequency: 幾耐 and how often
Talking about time in Cantonese splits into two questions: how long something lasts and how often it happens. Duration uses gei2 noi6 幾耐 and time units like go3 zung1 個鐘 (hour) and fan1 zung1 分鐘 (minute). Frequency uses ci3 次 for counting times plus a small set of everyday words. This guide covers both, with the word order that trips up most beginners.
gei2 noi6 幾耐: how long
“gei2 noi6 幾耐” is the question word for duration. It literally combines gei2 幾 (how, how much) with noi6 耐 (long in time). Use it to ask how long an action took or will take. It usually sits at the end of the clause, right after the verb.
The duration phrase goes after the verb
This is the key pattern. In English the duration sits at the end (I waited for three days). In Cantonese the duration phrase comes directly after the verb, and the verb almost always carries zo2 咗 to show the action is completed or ongoing up to now. The shape is verb + zo2 + duration.
Beginners coming from English often place the duration before the verb, as in saam1 jat6 ngo5 dang2 zo2. That is wrong. The natural order is verb first, duration second: dang2 zo2 saam1 jat6 等咗三日 (waited three days). Keep the duration tucked right after the verb and its zo2 咗.
go3 zung1 個鐘 hour and fan1 zung1 分鐘 minute
For clock units, an hour is go3 zung1 個鐘 and a minute is fan1 zung1 分鐘. Put the number in front: jat1 go3 zung1 一個鐘 (one hour), ng5 fan1 zung1 五分鐘 (five minutes). For half an hour, say bun3 go3 zung1 半個鐘.
| Unit | Word | Example amount |
|---|---|---|
| Hour | go3 zung1 個鐘 | jat1 go3 zung1 一個鐘 |
| Half hour | bun3 go3 zung1 半個鐘 | bun3 go3 zung1 半個鐘 |
| Minute | fan1 zung1 分鐘 | ng5 fan1 zung1 五分鐘 |
ci3 次: counting how many times
To say how often, count the occasions with ci3 次 (a time, an occasion). The number goes in front: saam1 ci3 三次 (three times). To give a rate, name the period first, then the count: jat1 go3 lai5 baai3 saam1 ci3 一個禮拜三次 (three times a week). lai5 baai3 禮拜 is the everyday Hong Kong word for week.
For a rate, Cantonese names the time span first and the number of times second, the reverse of English “three times a week”. Say jat1 go3 lai5 baai3 saam1 ci3 一個禮拜三次, literally one week, three times. The same order works for a day, jat1 jat6 一日, or a month, jat1 go3 jyut6 一個月.
seng4 jat6 成日, gaan3 zung1 間中, hou2 siu2 好少
When you do not want to count exactly, use a frequency adverb. These sit before the verb. seng4 jat6 成日 means always or often, gaan3 zung1 間中 means sometimes or now and then, and hou2 siu2 好少 means rarely or seldom.
| Word | Meaning | Rough English equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| seng4 jat6 成日 | Very frequently, as a habit | always, often |
| gaan3 zung1 間中 | From time to time | sometimes |
| hou2 siu2 好少 | Almost never | rarely, seldom |
Common mistakes
Putting the duration before the verb
English lets you front the duration, but Cantonese does not. Say dang2 zo2 saam1 jat6 等咗三日 (waited three days), not saam1 jat6 dang2 zo2. The duration phrase belongs right after the verb and its zo2 咗.
Forgetting zo2 in a completed duration
A finished or up to now duration needs the aspect marker zo2 咗 on the verb. zyu6 zo2 saam1 nin4 住咗三年 means have lived for three years. Dropping the zo2 makes the sentence sound incomplete. See the aspect markers guide for how zo2 works.
Counting times in English order
For a rate, name the period first, then the number of times. jat1 go3 lai5 baai3 saam1 ci3 一個禮拜三次 is three times a week. Saying saam1 ci3 jat1 go3 lai5 baai3 reverses the natural order and sounds wrong.
