嘅 (ge3)
Assertion of Fact
When placed at the end of a sentence, 嘅 (ge3) marks a statement as an established background fact, habitual trait, or explanation.
How It Works
The sentence-final particle 嘅 (ge3) acts as an actuality or factual assertion marker in spoken Cantonese.
1. Background Facts & Explanations
Use 嘅 (ge3) when explaining the background context of a situation, describing a habitual state, or giving an explanation:
• 佢做護士嘅 (keoi5 zou6 wu6 si6 ge3) — 'She works as a nurse [as a fact].'
• 我哋琴日去咗睇戲嘅 (ngo5 dei6 kam4 jat6 heoi3 zo2 tai2 hei3 ge3) — 'We went to see a movie yesterday [explaining why].'
2. Noun Identity with 嚟嘅 (lei4 ge3)
When asserting identity with 係 (hai6) and a noun, Cantonese requires 嚟 (lai4) before 嘅 (ge3):
• 佢係香港人嚟嘅 (keoi5 hai6 hoeng1 gong2 jan4 lai4 ge3) — 'He is a Hong Konger.'
Important: Leaving out 嚟 (lai4) turns 嘅 into the possessive particle, changing the sentence meaning!
3. Pronunciation & Tone Shifts
• 嘅 (ge3) + 呀 (aa3) = 㗎 (gaa3): In casual speech, 嘅 (ge3) often merges with the softening particle 呀 (aa3) to form 㗎 (gaa3).
• 嘅 (ge2) (Tone 2): Pronounced with a rising tone, it switches from an assertion to an inquiry expressing surprise or puzzlement ('How come...?').
Examples (4)
- 佢做護士嘅。
She works as a nurse.
Word by Word: She do nurse [fact]
Using 嘅 (ge3) presents her job as an established background fact.
- 我哋琴日去咗睇戲嘅。
We went to see a movie yesterday.
Word by Word: We yesterday go [completed] watch movie [fact]
Here 嘅 (ge3) frames the event as background context or explanation for something.
- 佢係香港人嚟嘅。
He is a Hong Konger.
Word by Word: He is Hong Kong person [modifier] [fact]
The combination 嚟嘅 (lei4 ge3) is used with 係 (hai6) to assert a noun identity.
- 呢部電腦好舊嘅。
This computer is really old.
Word by Word: This [classifier] computer very old [fact]
Asserts the property of the computer as an established true state of affairs.
Common Mistakes
Omitting 嚟 (lai4) when using sentence-final 嘅 (ge3) with noun identification.
Different Meaning佢係我朋友嘅。佢係我朋友嚟嘅。Without 嚟 (lai4), 嘅 (ge3) functions as possessive 's, making the sentence sound like 'S/he belongs to my friend' instead of 'S/he is my friend'.
Using the noun phrase 我嘅書 as a full statement meaning "It is my book".
Different Meaning我嘅書。呢本係我嘅書嚟嘅。Attributive possessive 嘅 sits inside a noun phrase before the noun. Sentence-final 嘅 attaches at the end of the entire clause to state a background fact.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To understand 嘅 as an assertive particle, you first need to be comfortable with basic Cantonese sentence structure and the concept of sentence-final particles. It is also helpful to understand the verb 'to be' (係), as this use of 嘅 often acts as a final confirmation of a state or identity.
- 係To Be
The 'assertion of fact' usage of 嘅 often functions as a sentence-final marker that reinforces the identity or state of the subject, similar to how '係' establishes identity.
Level 1 - Sentence-final particles
Understanding that Cantonese uses particles at the end of sentences to change the mood or grammatical function is essential for using 嘅 as an assertive marker.
Foundations
Related Patterns
- 嚟嘅 (lei4 ge3)Identifying What Something Is
The compound form used specifically after copular noun predicates to assert identity.
Level 3 - 㗎 (gaa3)Fact Plus Reminder
A spoken contraction of 嘅 (ge3) + 呀 (aa3), adding conversational friendliness to a factual statement.
Level 1 - 嘅 (ge2)Puzzled How-come Question
The Tone 2 variant of sentence-final 嘅, used to ask puzzled questions rather than assert facts.
Level 3 - 嘅Possessive Particle
The possessive and modifying particle that modifies nouns inside a noun phrase.
Level 1
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
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