Cantonese durative and habitual aspect: 住 and 開
Once you know zo2 咗 for completed actions and gan2 緊 for actions in progress, two more aspect markers round out the picture. zyu6 住 marks a durative state, something that stays put, like wearing a coat or holding a bag. hoi1 開 marks a habit, something you do regularly and will probably keep doing. Neither maps cleanly onto Mandarin, so it is worth learning them on their own Cantonese terms.
Four aspect markers side by side
Aspect tells you how an action sits in time: finished, in progress, stuck in a state, or done as a habit. Cantonese marks all four with a short word right after the verb. You likely already know the first two. This guide focuses on the last two.
| Marker | Aspect | Rough sense |
|---|---|---|
| zo2 咗 | Completed | did, has done |
| gan2 緊 | In progress | is doing right now |
| zyu6 住 | Durative state | is in a held state |
| hoi1 開 | Habitual | does regularly, keeps doing |
zyu6 住: a state that stays put
zyu6 住 goes after a verb to say the result of that verb is still in place. The action already happened, but the focus is on the lingering state, not the moment it began. Wearing, holding, and leaving something switched on are all classic cases: you did the action once, and now the state simply continues.
The character 著 is read zoek3 when it means to wear, as in zoek3 zyu6 著住. Do not confuse it with the completed aspect marker zo2 咗. And notice that in hoi1 zyu6 開住 the word hoi1 開 is the verb (to switch on), while zyu6 住 is the aspect marker that says it stays on.
zyu6 住 versus gan2 緊: state versus action
This is the contrast that trips people up most. gan2 緊 means the action is still unfolding right now. zyu6 住 means the action is over and its result is parked in place. With a verb like zoek3 著 (to wear), the two markers describe genuinely different moments.
| Form | Meaning | What is happening |
|---|---|---|
| zoek3 gan2 著緊 | putting on | The action is in progress, arms going into sleeves |
| zoek3 zyu6 著住 | wearing | The action is done, the coat is now on and stays on |
hoi1 開: something you do as a habit
hoi1 開 goes after a verb to mark a habit, something you have done regularly over a stretch of time and are likely to keep doing. It is not about right now and not about a single finished event. It paints the action as your usual practice. There is no clean Mandarin equivalent, so resist the urge to translate it word for word.
A nice side effect of hoi1 開 is the sense that the habit is still live. sik6 hoi1 食開 does not just mean you took the medicine in the past, it means this is the medicine you stay on. Speakers often lean on this to recommend the familiar choice: the place they go hoi1 開, the brand they use hoi1 開. Read it as your regular, ongoing one.
Choosing the right marker
Quick decision guide:
- Action finished, focus on the result? Use zo2 咗.
- Action happening right now? Use gan2 緊.
- A state that is held in place, like wearing or holding? Use zyu6 住.
- A habit you do regularly and keep doing? Use hoi1 開.
Common mistakes
Using gan2 緊 when you mean zyu6 住
Saying zoek3 gan2 著緊 to describe someone who already has a coat on is wrong. zoek3 gan2 著緊 is the act of putting it on. Once the coat is on and staying on, you want zoek3 zyu6 著住. Ask yourself whether the action is still happening or whether the result is just sitting there.
Trying to translate hoi1 開 from Mandarin
hoi1 開 has no neat Mandarin counterpart, so learners coming from Mandarin often drop it or reach for the wrong word. Do not look for a one to one match. Treat hoi1 開 as its own Cantonese habit marker: zou6 hoi1 做開 means this is what I do, sik6 hoi1 食開 means this is what I usually take.
Reading 著 as the marker zo2 咗
In zoek3 zyu6 著住, the character 著 is the verb zoek3 (to wear), not the completed marker zo2 咗. They look unrelated once you see the characters, but the readings catch people out. Keep zoek3 著 (wear) and zo2 咗 (completed aspect) firmly apart.
