V+得+A唔A

Asking How Well It Is Done

Level 4

The pattern V + 得 + A 唔 A is the standard way to ask a neutral question about the quality or manner of an action (e.g., 'Do you cook well?').

How It Works

In Cantonese, when you want to ask 'How well do you [Verb]?', you use the particle 得 (dak1) to link the verb to an adjective. To turn this into a question, the adjective is repeated in the 'A-not-A' format (Adjective + 唔 + Adjective).

1. The Object Rule (Crucial)
In Cantonese, the particle 得 (dak1) must attach directly to the verb. If the verb has an object (like 'cook rice' or 'speak Cantonese'), you cannot simply put the object in the middle. You must either:

  • Reduplicate the verb: Verb + Object + Verb + 得 + A 唔 A (e.g., 講廣東話講得好唔好？)
  • Topicalize the object: Object + (Subject) + Verb + 得 + A 唔 A (e.g., 廣東話你講得好唔好？)

2. Neutral Nuance
Unlike questions ending in 咩 (me1), which might imply an expectation or surprise, the A-not-A structure is objective. You are simply asking for information about the quality of the action.

3. Manner vs. Extent
Remember that in Cantonese, 得 (dak1) is used for manner (how something is done). If you want to describe extent (doing something 'to the point of' a result), you must use 到 (dou3) instead.

Examples (5)

  1. 佢講得清唔清楚呀？

    Does he speak clearly?

    Word by Word: He speak (particle) clear not clear (particle)?

    Here, the adjective 清楚 (cing1 co2 - clear) is split into the A-not-A form 清唔清楚.

  2. 你琴晚瞓得穩唔穩呀？

    Did you sleep soundly last night?

    Word by Word: You last-night sleep (particle) steady not steady (particle)?

    穩 (wan2) means steady or sound. This asks about the quality of the sleep.

  3. 佢哋玩得開唔開心呀？

    Did they have a good time?

    Word by Word: They play (particle) happy not happy (particle)?

    開心 (hoi1 sam1 - happy) describes the manner/state of their 'playing' (hanging out).

  4. 你煮飯煮得好唔好食呀？

    Do you cook well (is your food delicious)?

    Word by Word: You cook rice cook (particle) good not good eat (particle)?

    Because 'cook' (煮) has an object 'rice' (飯), the verb must be repeated before adding the manner complement.

  5. 呢件衫你洗得乾唔乾淨呀？

    Did you wash this shirt clean?

    Word by Word: This (classifier) shirt you wash (particle) clean not clean (particle)?

    This uses object topicalization, moving 'this shirt' to the front to avoid repeating the verb.

Common Mistakes

  • Placing the object between the verb and the particle '得'.

    你煮飯得好唔好食？
    你煮飯煮得好唔好食？

    In Cantonese, '得' must follow the verb immediately. You must repeat the verb (煮飯煮得) or move the object to the front.

  • Including degree adverbs like '好' (very) in the A-not-A question.

    佢行得好好唔好快？
    佢行得快唔快？

    When using the A-not-A pattern (快唔快), you cannot include degree markers like 好 (hou2).

  • Confusing manner (得) with potential (得唔得).

    你睇得唔得明？
    你睇唔睇得明？

    If you want to ask if someone can understand, use the potential pattern. 'V+得+A唔A' is only for describing how an action is performed.

How It Connects

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V+得+A唔ALevel 4Asking How Well It Is Done

Learn This First

To ask how well an action is done using 'V+得+A唔A', you first need to understand how to describe an action's manner using '得' (V+得+Adj). You also need to be familiar with the A-not-A question format for adjectives and how to negate a manner complement, as this pattern combines these elements to form a question about the quality of an action.

Words in This Pattern