Adjective + 啲 + 啦

Be a Bit More …

Level 2

Use [Adjective] + 啲 + 啦 to make friendly requests or suggestions meaning 'Be a bit more [Adjective]!' or 'Do it a bit more [Adjective]ly!'

How It Works

Structure:
[Adjective] + 啲 (di1) + 啦 (laa1)
or: [Verb] + [Adjective] + 啲 (di1) + 啦 (laa1)

Components:
• Adjective: Sets the target quality (e.g., 快 faai3 'fast', 平 peng4 'cheap', 小心 siu2 sam1 'careful').
• 啲 (di1): Pronounced with High Level tone (Tone 1). It attaches directly after the adjective as a comparative suffix ('a bit more / -er'). In informal texting and messaging, 啲 is overwhelmingly written using the Latin letter 'D' or 'd' (e.g., 快D啦).
• 啦 (laa1): Pronounced with High Level tone (Tone 1). It softens commands into prompts or suggestions. While it often sounds encouraging or coaxing, with time-sensitive adjectives like 快 (faai3), it can express impatience or insistence.

Usage & Word Order:
1. Standalone Phrase: Can act as a full request, such as 快啲啦！ (faai3 di1 laa1! - Hurry up a bit!).
2. Verb + Adjective Order: When modifying an action, the adjective comes after the verb in Cantonese: Verb + Adjective + 啲 + 啦 (e.g., 行快啲啦！ haang4 faai3 di1 laa1! - Walk a bit faster!).
3. Everyday Communication: Frequently used in market haggling (平啲啦 peng4 di1 laa1 - Make it a bit cheaper!), safety reminders (小心啲啦 siu2 sam1 di1 laa1 - Be a bit more careful!), or prompting action.

Important Tone Difference:
Ensure 啦 (laa1) is pronounced in Tone 1 (High Level) for prompts and requests. Changing it to Tone 3 makes it 喇 (laa3), which marks a change of state instead of a prompt.

Examples (5)

  1. 你小心啲啦！

    Be a bit more careful!

    Word by Word: you careful a-bit [particle]

    Uses 小心 (siu2 sam1, careful) + 啲啦 to gently remind someone to pay extra attention.

  2. 咁就要快啲啦！

    Then we need to hurry up a bit!

    Word by Word: so then need fast a-bit [particle]

    Combines 快 (faai3, fast) with 啲啦 to suggest picking up the speed.

  3. 平啲啦，老闆！

    Make it a bit cheaper, boss!

    Word by Word: cheap a-bit [particle], boss

    A standard street-market haggling phrase using 平 (peng4, cheap).

  4. 行慢啲啦，我追唔到你呀。

    Walk a bit slower! I can't catch up to you.

    Word by Word: walk slow a-bit [particle], I catch-not-to you [particle]

    Attaches 慢 (maan6, slow) + 啲啦 after the verb 行 (haang4, walk) to modify the pace.

  5. 講大聲啲啦，我聽唔到。

    Speak a bit louder, please! I can't hear you.

    Word by Word: speak big-sound a-bit [particle], I hear-not-to

    Uses 大聲 (daai6 seng1, loud) + 啲啦 after 講 (gong2, speak) for a polite request.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving out 啲 (di1) when you want to ask for a bit more care.

    Different Meaning你小心啦！
    你小心啲啦！

    你小心啦！ is a natural warning. Adding 啲 (di1), as in 你小心啲啦！, softens it into 'be a bit more careful', a gentler request.

  • Using Mandarin 一點 instead of 啲 (di1).

    快一點啦！
    快啲啦！

    Learners carrying over Mandarin 一點 may say it in Cantonese. Cantonese says 啲 (di1) for 'a bit'. (快一啲啦 with 一啲 is also fine, but 一點 is the Mandarin form.)

  • Confusing V + 多啲 + 啦 with Adj + 啲 + 啦

    快多啲啦！
    快啲啦！

    多啲 (do1 di1) modifies verbs to express doing an action 'in greater quantity' (e.g., 食多啲啦 'eat more!'). For adjectives, attach 啲 directly without 多.

How It Connects

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

Adjective + 啲 + 啦Level 2Be a Bit More …

Learn This First

To form adjective-based commands like 'be more careful', you need to understand how adjectives work in Cantonese, how to use the comparative particle '啲' to indicate 'more', and how the particle '啦' functions to express a request or command.

Words in This Pattern