Adjective + 咁 + Verb

Preverbal Manner

Level 2Sounds Like gam3

Attach 咁 (gam2) after a descriptive adjective phrase before a verb to describe the manner or mood in which an action is performed.

How It Works

The pattern [Adjective Phrase] + 咁 (gam2) + [Verb] creates a preverbal manner modifier, functioning like the English suffix '-ly' or Standard Written Chinese 地.

1. Pronunciation and Writing
In this adverbial function, 咁 is pronounced in the high-rising tone: gam2. Formal prescriptive writing uses 噉 (gam2) for manner and 咁 (gam3) for degree ('so'), but in modern informal written Cantonese, 咁 is universally used for both tones.

2. Structural Rules
Single-character adjectives cannot attach directly to 咁 before a verb (e.g. 快咁跑 is ungrammatical). You must either:
• Precede the adjective with a degree adverb like 好 (hou2): 好快咁跑 (hou2 faai3 gam2 paau2 - 'run quickly')
• Reduplicate the adjective: 快快咁跑 (faai3 faai2 gam2 paau2 - 'run hurriedly')
• Use a four-character idiomatic expression.

Note: After reduplicated adjectives, 咁 (gam2) is optional in spoken Cantonese (e.g. 慢慢行 and 慢慢咁行 are both natural).

3. Focus vs. V + 得 + Adj
Do not confuse Adj + 咁 + V with V + 得 + Adj:
• Adj + 咁 + V focuses on the active process, mood, or deliberate manner while doing the action.
• V + 得 + Adj evaluates the overall outcome, degree, or baseline capability.

Examples (3)

  1. 佢好快咁做完份功課。

    She quickly finished her homework.

    Word by Word: She very fast GAM finish classifier homework.

    好快 (hou2 faai3) plus 咁 (gam2) modifies the verb 做完 (zou6 jyun4) to describe the quick manner of completing the homework.

  2. 班小朋友好大聲咁拍手。

    The children clapped loudly.

    Word by Word: Group small friend very big sound GAM clap hand.

    好大聲 (hou2 daai6 seng1) uses 咁 (gam2) to describe the loud manner in which the children clapped.

  3. 媽媽靜靜咁行落樓梯。

    Mom walked down the stairs quietly.

    Word by Word: Mom quiet quiet GAM walk down stair ladder.

    The reduplicated adjective 靜靜 (zing6 zing6) is combined with 咁 (gam2) to describe walking quietly.

Common Mistakes

  • Using a bare single-character adjective directly before 咁.

    佢快咁跑。
    佢好快咁跑。

    Single-character adjectives cannot take 咁 directly. You need to add a modifier like 好 (hou2) or reduplicate the adjective.

  • Using preverbal 咁 when you mean overall ability instead of manner.

    Different Meaning佢好快咁跑。
    佢跑得好快。

    佢好快咁跑 is fine: it describes the manner of one run (he ran fast, in a hurry). To say how fast someone runs in general, use V + 得 + Adj (跑得好快).

How It Connects

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

Adjective + 咁 + VerbLevel 2Preverbal Manner

Learn This First

To understand how to turn adjectives into adverbs using '咁' (gam2), you first need to be comfortable with how adjectives function as predicates in Cantonese. You also need to understand basic word order to know where to place the adverbial phrase, and how degree markers like '好' are used to complete the adjective phrase.

Words in This Pattern