係

To Be

Level 1Sounds Like hai6

係 (hai6) is the Cantonese verb for 'to be'. Use it to connect identity, nationality, or professions (e.g., 我係學生 'I am a student'). Do not use it before simple adjectives or to state physical location!

How It Works

The verb 係 (hai6) is one of the most fundamental words in Cantonese. Here is how to use it correctly:

1. Stating Identity (Noun + 係 + Noun)
Use 係 (hai6) directly between two noun phrases to indicate roles, professions, nationalities, or categories:

  • 我係學生 (ngo5 hai6 hok6 saang1) — 'I am a student.'
  • 佢係香港人 (keoi5 hai6 hoeng1 gong2 jan4) — 'He/She is a Hong Konger.'

2. Negation and Questions

3. What 係 CANNOT Do (Crucial Distinctions)

  • Descriptive Adjectives: Cantonese stative adjectives do NOT take 係 for basic description. Use 好 (hou2) instead (e.g., 我好忙 'I am busy', NOT 我係忙). 係 is only placed before adjectives in contrastive or emphatic contexts ('She IS pretty, but...').
  • Physical Locations: To state where someone or something is located, use 喺 (hai2), NOT 係 (e.g., 我喺屋企 'I am at home').
  • Possession/Existence: Use 有 (jau5) for 'there is' or 'to have'.

4. Cleft / Focus Construction (係...嘅)
Place 係 before a phrase (such as time, place, or actor) and conclude with 嘅 (ge3) to highlight a specific detail: 佢係琴日買書嘅 ('It was yesterday that he bought books').

Examples (5)

  1. 我係學生。

    I am a student.

    Word by Word: I be student

    Standard copula structure linking subject 我 (ngo5) to predicate noun 學生 (hok6 saang1).

  2. 佢係香港人。

    She is a Hong Konger.

    Word by Word: She be Hong Kong person

    Used to express nationality, origin, or demonym.

  3. 佢唔係老師。

    He is not a teacher.

    Word by Word: He not be teacher

    Negation formed by placing 唔 (m4) directly before 係 (hai6).

  4. 佢係琴日買書嘅。

    It was yesterday that he bought books.

    Word by Word: He be yesterday buy book GE

    Demonstrates the focus/cleft pattern (係...嘅) emphasizing the time of the action.

  5. 係啊，呢個係我嘅包包。

    Yes, this is my bag.

    Word by Word: Is AA, this CL be I GE bag

    係 (hai6) serves both as an affirmative confirmation ('Yes') and to state identity ('is my bag').

Common Mistakes

  • Inserting 係 before plain descriptive adjectives.

    我係攰。
    我好攰。

    In Cantonese, simple adjectives act as stative verbs and require degree markers like 好 (hou2) rather than the copula 係 (hai6).

  • Confusing tone 6 係 (hai6 - to be) with tone 2 喺 (hai2 - located at).

    我係屋企。
    我喺屋企。

    Use 喺 (hai2) to express physical location ('at home'). 係 (hai6) is only used for identity or classification.

  • Answering non-copular action questions with 係.

    A: 你食咗飯未？ B: 係。
    A: 你食咗飯未？ B: 食咗。

    Cantonese uses echo answers (repeating the main verb) for action questions. 係 is only used to confirm copular claims or truth values.

How It Connects

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

係Level 1To Be

Learn This First

To use '係' (to be) correctly, you need to understand basic Cantonese word order and the distinction between nouns and adjectives, as '係' is only used to link subjects to nouns.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

And 9 more in the full list.

Words in This Pattern