Asking for what you want: Learn Cantonese

Grammar

Asking for what you want

When you order, Cantonese uses a plain verb like **want**. You don't put a **to be** word in front of it. Just say who wants it, the word for want, then the thing.

Just say what you want

(who) + 要 / 想要 + thing

jiu3要want

要 means want. Put it straight after who wants it, then the thing you want. For a softer “I would like”, use 想要; to turn something down, use 唔要. One pitfall: never put 係 before 要 in a request.

ngo5我jiu3要caa4茶

I want tea

ngo5我soeng2想jiu3要naai5奶caa4茶

I would like milk tea

ngo5我m4唔jiu3要gaa3咖fe1啡

I don't want coffee

bei2俾ngo5我dim2點sam1心

Give me dim sum

Recap

Want, then the thing

To ask for something, use **要** (want), **想要** (would like), or **唔要** (don't want), straight after who wants it. Don't slip a **係** in before the verb.