V+慣

Get Used to Doing

Level 3Sounds Like gwaan3

Use V+慣 (gwaan3) to say you are 'used to' doing something. It shows that an action has become second nature or a settled habit through repetition.

How It Works

The pattern V+慣 is the standard way to express habituation in colloquial Cantonese.

1. Basic Usage:
When you have done something enough times that it feels normal, you add 慣 (gwaan3) after the verb. It is frequently followed by the aspect marker 咗 (zo2) to indicate the completed transition into being 'used to' it.
Example: 住慣咗 (zyu6 gwaan3 zo2) — 'Gotten used to living [here].'

2. Potential Forms (Very Common):
This pattern is extremely productive in the potential construction:

  • V + 得 + 慣 (dak1 gwaan3): Can get used to doing V.
  • V + 唔 + 慣 (m4 gwaan3): Cannot get used to doing V.

Example: 食唔慣 (sik6 m4 gwaan3) — 'Cannot get used to eating [this food].'

3. Nuance vs. 習慣 (zaap6 gwaan3):
While 習慣 (zaap6 gwaan3) is a standalone verb/noun meaning 'habit' or 'to be used to,' the V+慣 structure is more specific to the action itself. Native speakers prefer V+慣 when a specific verb is involved (e.g., 'used to driving' vs. 'used to this').

Examples (4)

  1. 喺香港住慣咗，就唔想搬走。

    Once you've gotten used to living in Hong Kong, you won't want to move away.

    Word by Word: At Hong-Kong live-used-to [perfective], then not want move away.

    Here, 住慣咗 (zyu6 gwaan3 zo2) shows the state of being settled and comfortable with the living situation.

  2. 我仲係食唔慣呢度啲嘢食。

    I'm still not used to eating the food here.

    Word by Word: I still am eat-not-used-to here [plural] food.

    食唔慣 (sik6 m4 gwaan3) is the potential negative form, meaning the speaker hasn't been able to adjust to the local diet.

  3. 佢聽慣咗嘈音，所以唔覺煩。

    He's used to hearing noise, so he doesn't find it annoying.

    Word by Word: He hear-used-to [perfective] noise, so not feel annoyed.

    聽慣咗 (teng1 gwaan3 zo2) implies that because he hears it all the time, it no longer bothers him.

  4. 你做慣做熟，好快搞掂啦。

    You're used to doing this and experienced, you'll finish it quickly.

    Word by Word: You do-used-to do-ripe, very fast finish [particle].

    做慣 (zou6 gwaan3) is often paired with 做熟 (zou6 suk6 - to do until proficient) to describe someone who is an old hand at a task.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 唔 (m4) before the verb for negation instead of the potential form.

    我唔食慣呢啲嘢。
    我食唔慣呢啲嘢。

    To say you ‘cannot get used to’ something, the usual form is the potential construction, where 唔 (m4) splits the verb and the complement 慣 (gwaan3): 食唔慣.

  • Redundantly using the full verb 習慣 (zaap6 gwaan3) with the complement 慣 (gwaan3).

    我習慣住慣咗呢度。
    我住慣咗呢度。

    You should choose either the standalone verb 習慣 (zaap6 gwaan3) or the resultative complement V+慣, but not both for the same action.

How It Connects

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

V+慣Level 3Get Used to Doing

Learn This First

To understand 'V+慣', a learner needs to be comfortable with the basic structure of Cantonese verbs and how they are modified by particles. Specifically, they should understand how resultative compounds work, as '慣' (meaning 'accustomed') functions as a resultative complement indicating the state reached through the action of the verb.

Words in This Pattern

惯