Cantonese location and prepositions: 喺, 度, and coverbs
Cantonese does not really have prepositions the way English does. Location is built around one busy word, hai2 喺, plus a small set of place words and a handful of verbs that act like with, for, and by. Once you have hai2 喺 and the place word dou6 度, you can say where almost anything is.
hai2 喺: at, in, on
hai2 喺 is the single most useful location word in Cantonese. It covers English at, in, and on all at once. It goes before the place, just like English at: hai2 喺 plus a place equals at that place. If you come from Mandarin, this is the word that replaces zoi6 在. In spoken Hong Kong Cantonese you say hai2 喺, not zoi6 在.
Learners who have studied Mandarin often write zoi6 在 for at or in. In everyday Cantonese this sounds bookish and stiff. The natural spoken word is hai2 喺. Train yourself to say hai2 喺 from the very start and your Cantonese will sound far more local.
Place words: dou6 度 and syu3 處
Many Cantonese location phrases end in a small place word. The most common is dou6 度, with syu3 處 as a close cousin. They attach after a noun and roughly mean the spot of, turning a plain object into a location. So toi2 度 (table plus place word) means at the table or on the table. You will hear dou6 度 constantly, so get comfortable with it early.
The hai2 ... dou6 喺 ... 度 frame
Put these two pieces together and you get a frame: hai2 喺 opens it, the object goes in the middle, and dou6 度 closes it. The pattern is hai2 喺 plus object plus dou6 度, which says at that object or on that object. This frame is how Cantonese pins something to a specific surface or spot.
bin1 dou6 邊度: where
To ask where, you use bin1 dou6 邊度. Notice the dou6 度 again: it is literally which spot. The question word stays where the answer would go, so where are you is simply you hai2 喺 where, with no reordering. Cantonese does not move the question word to the front the way English does.
Coverbs: jung6 用, tung4 同, bong1 幫
The rest of what English prepositions do is handled by verbs that come before the main verb. Grammarians call these coverbs. They look like verbs, but in the sentence they behave like with, for, or by. The three you need first are jung6 用 (with, by means of), tung4 同 (with, or for someone), and bong1 幫 (for, on behalf of).
hai2 dou6 喺度: here and right now
On its own, hai2 dou6 喺度 means here, literally at this spot. But it has a second life: placed before a verb, it signals that the action is happening right now, in the middle of it. So keoi5 hai2 dou6 sik6 faan6 佢喺度食飯 can mean he is eating here and he is in the middle of eating. Context tells you which. For the ongoing action use, see the aspect markers guide.
Quick decision guide
- Saying something is at or in a place? Use hai2 喺, never zoi6 在.
- Pinning a thing to a surface or spot? Wrap it in the hai2 ... dou6 喺 ... 度 frame.
- Asking where? Use bin1 dou6 邊度, and leave it where the answer goes.
- Saying with a tool? Use jung6 用. With a person? Use tung4 同. On behalf of someone? Use bong1 幫.
- Meaning here, or in the middle of doing something? Use hai2 dou6 喺度.
Location words at a glance
| Word | Use | Rough English equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| hai2 喺 | Marks a location before the place | at, in, on |
| dou6 度 | Place word that turns an object into a location | the spot of, here |
| bin1 dou6 邊度 | Question word for location | where |
| jung6 用 | Coverb for the tool or means | with, by means of |
| tung4 同 | Coverb for the person you act with | with, for |
| bong1 幫 | Coverb for acting on someone behalf | for |
Common mistakes
Using zoi6 在 instead of hai2 喺
The biggest tell of a Mandarin background is reaching for zoi6 在 to mean at or in. In spoken Cantonese the word is hai2 喺. Saying ngo5 zoi6 uk1 kei2 sounds wrong to a Hong Kong ear. The natural line is ngo5 hai2 uk1 kei2 我喺屋企.
Dropping the place word dou6 度
When you pin something to an object you usually need the place word. Bun2 syu1 hai2 toi2 on its own sounds unfinished. The complete line is bun2 syu1 hai2 toi2 dou6 本書喺枱度, with dou6 度 closing the frame.
Moving the question word to the front
Do not say bin1 dou6 nei5 hai2 to ask where you are. Cantonese keeps the question word in the answer position, so it is nei5 hai2 bin1 dou6 你喺邊度. Leave bin1 dou6 邊度 where the place would normally go.
