Joining ideas with 同
Use 同 to join two people or things, and to say who you do something with
Use 同 to join two people or things, and to say who you do something with. Work through clear examples, then lock it in with interactive Cantonese practice in the YumCha app.
Joining ideas with 同
Festivals are about who you spend them with. Cantonese uses one small word, **同**, to mean both **and** (joining two people or things) and **with** (the person you do something alongside). Let's learn to say who you celebrate with.
And, with
A 同 B（A and B）· 我 同 someone verb（I verb with someone）
Put 同 between two nouns or people to mean "and": 媽媽同爸爸 (mum and dad). Put 同 before a person to mean "with", right before the verb: 我同屋企人去拜年 (I go New Year visiting with my family). Because 同 already links them, you do not add another joining word.
Who do you go New Year visiting with?
I go New Year visiting with my family.
It is a festival today, so I eat mooncakes together with friends.
Joining ideas with 同
One word does two jobs: it joins two people or things to mean **and**, and it marks the person you do something **with**, sitting just before the verb. Pair it with **because... so** and you can say who you celebrated with and why.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Joining ideas with 同 lesson free?
Yes. This Cantonese lesson is free to read online, with romanization and meanings for every word. In the YumCha app, your first lesson is free to try, and vocabulary practice, flashcards, and the dictionary stay free. A subscription unlocks the full interactive lesson path.
What romanization is used?
Both Jyutping and Yale, and you can switch between them. The romanization sits above every word, so you always know the pronunciation.
Do I need to read Chinese characters to start?
No. Romanization sits above every character and audio plays each word, so you can start speaking from your first lesson.