Daily Verbs: Learn Cantonese

Verbs are where your day comes alive. This lesson loads you up with the actions you repeat constantly in Cantonese, from 食 (to eat) and 飲 (to drink) to 瞓 (to sleep) and 起身 (to get up). You will also pick up 返工 and 放工 for clocking in and out, plus 返學 for heading to school.

What you'll learn

Say “to eat” with 食 (sik6)
Say “to drink” with 飲 (jam2)
Say “to sleep” with 瞓 (fan3)
Say “go to work” with 返工 (faan1 gung1)
Say “get off work” with 放工 (fong3 gung1)
Say “go to school” with 返學 (faan1 hok6)
Say “get up” with 起身 (hei2 san1)

Let's learn verbs for everyday activities! These are essential for talking about your daily routine.

sik6食

to eat

ziu1朝zou2早sik6食min6麵baau1包

I eat bread in the morning

jam2飲

to drink

nei5你soeng2想jam2飲me1咩

What do you want to drink?

fan3瞓

to sleep

BBjiu3要fan3瞓gaau3覺laa3喇

The baby needs to sleep now

faan1返gung1工

to go to work

baa1爸baa1爸ziu1朝zou2早faan1返gung1工

Dad goes to work in the morning

fong3放gung1工

to get off work

gam1今jat6日gei2幾dim2點fong3放gung1工

What time do you get off work today?

faan1返hok6學

to go to school

sai3細lou2佬sing1星kei4期jat1一faan1返hok6學

Younger brother goes to school on Monday

hei2起san1身

to get up / wake up

nei5你gei2幾dim2點hei2起san1身

What time do you wake up?

tai2睇

to watch, to read

ngo5我je6夜maan5晚tai2睇syu1書

I read at night

teng1聽

to listen

ngo5我ziu1朝zou2早teng1聽go1歌

I listen to music in the morning

zou6做

to do, to make

ngo5我gam1今jat6日zou6做je5嘢

I am working today

Frequently asked questions

How do you say eat and drink in Cantonese?

Eat is 食 (sik6) and drink is 飲 (jam2). They pair with almost any food or drink word to make a complete action.

How do you say go to work in Cantonese?

Going to work is 返工 (faan1 gung1) and finishing work is 放工 (fong3 gung1). For school, swap in 返學 (faan1 hok6).

What is the difference between 瞓 and 起身?

瞓 (fan3) means to sleep, while 起身 (hei2 san1) means to get up or wake up. One starts your night, the other starts your day.

Do Cantonese verbs change form for past or future?

No, the verb itself stays the same. You show timing with separate time words or particles rather than changing the verb, which makes these forms easy to reuse.