Answering without yes or no

Level 2

Cantonese has no all-purpose word for 'yes' or 'no'. Instead, you 'echo' the verb or adjective from the question to agree, or negate it to disagree.

How It Works

In Cantonese, answering a question is context-dependent. The most common way to build fluency in natural conversation is to repeat the head of the predicate (the main action or description).

  • The Echo Response: For most V-not-V or Adj-not-Adj questions, repeat the verb or adjective to say 'yes', or use 唔 (m4) + the word to say 'no'.
  • Other Question Types: The exact same echo rule applies to yes/no questions formed with rising intonation. Just repeat the verb or adjective! For questions ending in 咩 (me1), which expresses surprise or disbelief, you can either echo the main verb, or use 係 (hai6) or 係呀 (hai6 aa3) to confirm the assumption, and 唔係 (m4 hai6) to deny it.
  • Adjective Answers: While echoing the bare adjective is correct for a short answer (e.g., 凍 dung3), if you expand it into a full sentence, you usually need an adverb like 好 (hou2) before the adjective (e.g., 我好凍 ngo5 hou2 dung3).
  • Multi-syllable Words: For words like 鍾意 (zung1 ji3, to like), the question often repeats only the first syllable (鍾唔鍾意), but the answer should repeat the full word (鍾意).
  • The 'Is it' Shortcut: If a question uses 係咪 (hai6 mai6) or 係唔係 (hai6 m4 hai6) (which usually comes after the subject), you don't have to repeat the main verb. You can simply answer 係 (hai6) for 'yes' or 唔係 (m4 hai6) for 'no'.
  • Have / Have Not: For questions asking if you have something or if you did something using 有冇 (jau5 mou5) or 有冇 (jau5 mou5) + verb, answer with 有 (jau5) for 'yes' or 冇 (mou5) for 'no'. If you expand a negative answer about a past action into a full sentence, you must use 冇 + Verb (e.g., 我冇食 ngo5 mou5 sik6 - I didn't eat), not 唔.
  • Not Yet: For questions ending in 未 (mei6), the standard answer for 'not yet' is 未 (mei6). To say 'yes, already done', use the verb followed by 咗 (zo2) and usually 喇 (laa3).
  • Auxiliary Verbs: If the question uses words like 想 (soeng2, want), 會 (wui5, will), or 可以 (ho2 ji5, can), you repeat that auxiliary verb instead of the main action.
  • Negative Questions: When answering a negative question, Cantonese logic agrees or disagrees with the premise. Answering 係 (hai6) means 'Yes, your negative statement is correct', while 唔係 (m4 hai6) means 'No, your statement is wrong'.
  • Common Shortcuts: For suggestions, you can simply answer 好 (hou2, good) or 唔好 (m4 hou2, not good). For permission or ability, use 得 (dak1, okay/can) or 唔得 (m4 dak1, cannot).
  • Sentence Particles: Answering with just a bare verb is grammatically correct, but adding an optional particle like 呀 (aa3) is the standard way to soften factual answers. Use 喇 (laa3) if you want to emphasize that something is 'already' done.

Examples (6)

  1. 你食唔食牛肉呀？食呀。

    Do you eat beef? Yes (I eat).

    Word by Word: You eat not eat beef [particle]? Eat [particle].

    The verb 食 (sik6, to eat) is repeated to affirm the question.

  2. 你做咗功課未呀？做咗喇。

    Have you done your homework yet? Yes, I've done it.

    Word by Word: You do [completed] homework not yet [particle]? Do [completed] [particle].

    To answer 'yes' to a 未 (mei6) question, use the verb plus 咗 (zo2) and the particle 喇 (laa3).

  3. 你唔去呀？係呀，我唔去。

    You're not going? Yes, I'm not going.

    Word by Word: You not go [particle]? Is [particle], I not go.

    When answering a negative question, 係 (hai6) means you agree with the negative premise.

  4. 你唔去呀？唔係呀，我去。

    You're not going? No, I am going.

    Word by Word: You not go [particle]? Not is [particle], I go.

    To disagree with a negative question, use 唔係 (m4 hai6) to say 'No, your assumption is wrong'.

  5. 我哋聽日去睇戲，好唔好呀？好呀。

    Let's go watch a movie tomorrow, okay? Okay.

    Word by Word: We tomorrow go watch movie, good not good [particle]? Good [particle].

    For suggestions ending in 好唔好 (hou2 m4 hou2), simply answer 好 (hou2) to agree or 唔好 (m4 hou2) to disagree.

  6. 我坐呢度得唔得呀？得。

    Can I sit here? Yes, you can.

    Word by Word: I sit here okay not okay [particle]? Okay.

    For questions asking for permission with 得唔得 (dak1 m4 dak1), answer with 得 (dak1) for 'yes' or 唔得 (m4 dak1) for 'no'.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 係 (hai6) as a universal 'yes'.

    你食唔食飯？係。
    你食唔食飯？食呀。

    係 (hai6) only means 'yes' if the question uses the verb 'to be' or asks 'Is it the case that...'. For actions, you must repeat the action verb.

  • Answering 我凍 when 我好凍 is the usual full sentence.

    Different Meaning你凍唔凍？我凍。
    你凍唔凍？我好凍。

    我凍 is acceptable, especially in a quick answer. In a full sentence people usually say 我好凍 (ngo5 hou2 dung3), with an adverb like 好 before the adjective.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Answering without yes or noLevel 2

Learn This First

To answer yes/no questions in Cantonese, you must understand that the language does not use a single word for 'yes' or 'no'. Instead, you repeat the main verb or adjective from the question. Therefore, you need to be familiar with how these questions are formed using the 'A-not-A' structure and how to use softening particles like 'aa3' to make your answers sound polite and natural.