大部分

Most of

Level 3Sounds Like daai6 bou6 fan6

大部分 (daai6 bou6 fan6) is the standard way to say 'most' or 'the majority' in Cantonese. It can describe a majority of people, things, or abstract concepts.

How It Works

1. Usage with Nouns
You can use 大部分 (daai6 bou6 fan6) directly before a noun or with the possessive particle 嘅 (ge3) for more specificity:

  • 大部分人 (daai6 bou6 fan6 jan4) — Most people (general).
  • 大部分嘅書 (daai6 bou6 fan6 ge3 syu1) — Most of the books (specific set).

2. Part of a Whole
To describe a portion of a single object (e.g., 'most of the movie'), place 大部分 after the noun and 嘅 (ge3):

  • 呢套戲嘅大部分 (ni1 tou3 hei3 ge3 daai6 bou6 fan6) — Most of this movie.

3. The 'All' Requirement
When 大部分 is the subject, it is almost always followed by the adverb 都 (dou1 - all/also). If the sentence is negative, the negator (like 唔 m4 or 冇 mou5) must be placed after 都 (dou1).

4. Adverbial Usage and Register
While 大部分 can appear before a verb to mean 'mostly' (e.g., 大部分支持 daai6 bou6 fan6 zi1 ci4 — 'mostly support'), this bare construction is formal and mostly found in written Cantonese or formal speeches. In everyday spoken Cantonese, 多數 (do1 sou3) is the standard choice for 'mostly'.

5. Register
大部分 sounds more professional or precise than 多數 (do1 sou3), making it common in news, business, or serious discussions.

Examples (5)

  1. 大部分人都唔鍾意加班。

    Most people do not like working overtime.

    Word by Word: Most part people all not like add shift.

    Note the use of 都 (dou1) after the subject 'most people'. The negative 唔 (m4) must come after 都 (dou1).

  2. 呢度大部分嘅書都係我嘅。

    Most of the books here are mine.

    Word by Word: This place most part possessive book all are mine.

    Using 嘅 (ge3) here specifies 'most of these particular books' rather than books in general.

  3. 佢講嘅嘢，我大部分都聽得明。

    I can understand most of what he says.

    Word by Word: He speak possessive thing, I most part all hear-can-clear.

    Here, 大部分 refers to the 'things' (嘢 je5) mentioned at the start of the sentence.

  4. 呢本書嘅大部分都好悶。

    Most of this book is very boring.

    Word by Word: This CL book possessive most part all very boring.

    When referring to a portion of a single entity (like one book), 大部分 (daai6 bou6 fan6) follows the noun and the possessive 嘅 (ge3).

  5. 大部分同學都去咗旅行。

    Most of the classmates have gone traveling.

    Word by Word: Most part classmates all go-perfective travel.

    The perfective marker 咗 (zo2) shows the action is completed.

Common Mistakes

  • Omitting the adverb 都 (dou1) after the subject.

    大部分人去咗。
    大部分人都去咗。

    With a quantifier like 大部分 (most), 都 (dou1) usually comes before the verb to cover the whole subject. Without it, the sentence is still heard but sounds less complete.

  • Using 大部分 to mean ‘usually’.

    Different Meaning我大部分星期日去。
    我多數星期日去。

    我大部分星期日去 is a good sentence: it means ‘I go on most Sundays’, a share of the Sundays. To say it is your habit, ‘I usually go on Sundays’, use 多數 (do1 sou3): 我多數星期日去.

How It Connects

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大部分Level 3Most of

Learn This First

To understand '大部分' (most of), learners need to be familiar with basic noun phrase construction in Cantonese. Since '大部分' acts as a quantifier for a group, knowing how to use plural markers like '啲' and how to structure a noun phrase is crucial. Additionally, because quantifiers in Cantonese often trigger the use of the adverb '都' (all/also) in the main predicate, familiarity with that particle is highly recommended.

Words in This Pattern