一路...一路...

While...at the Same Time...

Level 3Sounds Like jat1 lou6 . . . jat1 lou6 . . .

The pattern 一路 [Action A] 一路 [Action B] is the most common way in spoken Cantonese to say you are doing two things simultaneously, like 'listening to music while studying.'

How It Works

In Cantonese, when you want to express that someone is doing two things at once, you use the 一路...一路... (jat1 lou6... jat1 lou6...) pattern.

1. Sentence Structure
The subject always comes first, followed by the first '一路' and the first verb phrase, then the second '一路' and the second verb phrase:

  • [Subject] + 一路 + [Verb 1] + 一路 + [Verb 2]

2. Usage Conditions

  • Subjects: Usually one person does both actions. Two people also work, as in 我一路煮飯佢一路洗碗, when each does their own job during the same stretch of time.
  • Durative Actions: The verbs must be actions that take time (like walking, eating, or talking). You cannot use it for instantaneous actions like 'arriving' or 'starting.'
  • Register: This is the standard colloquial form. 一邊...一邊... (jat1 bin1... jat1 bin1...) is also natural in daily Hong Kong speech.

3. Nuance
Unlike the English word 'while,' which can sometimes be used for contrast (e.g., 'I am tall while he is short'), 一路 is strictly for simultaneous activities. For describing a state or a background action, you might use 住 (zyu6) or 喺度 (hai2 dou6) instead.

Examples (4)

  1. 我鍾意一路聽歌一路做功課。

    I like listening to music while doing homework.

    Word by Word: I like one-way listen song one-way do homework.

    This is a classic use of the pattern showing two continuous activities (listening and doing) happening together.

  2. 佢一路揸車一路講電話。

    He is driving while talking on the phone.

    Word by Word: He one-way drive car one-way speak phone.

    Note that the subject 佢 (keoi5) comes before the first 一路 (jat1 lou6).

  3. 我哋一路行一路傾啦。

    Let's talk while we walk.

    Word by Word: We one-way walk one-way chat [suggestion].

    The particle 啦 (laa1) at the end makes this a suggestion to do both actions simultaneously.

  4. 唔好一路食嘢一路講嘢呀。

    Don't talk while you are eating.

    Word by Word: Not good one-way eat thing one-way speak thing [softener].

    The phrase 唔好 (m4 hou2) is used here to create a negative command (Don't...).

Common Mistakes

  • Placing the subject after the first '一路'.

    一路我食飯一路睇電視。
    我一路食飯一路睇電視。

    In Cantonese, the subject must be established before the simultaneous markers begin.

  • Thinking 一路...一路... needs the same person for both actions.

    Different Meaning我一路煮飯佢一路洗碗。
    我煮飯嗰陣佢喺度洗碗。

    我一路煮飯佢一路洗碗 is natural: two people do their jobs during the same stretch of time. Use ...嗰陣時 (go2 zan6 si4) when you want to say that one thing happens at the moment of another, as in 我煮飯嗰陣佢喺度洗碗.

How It Connects

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

一路...一路...Level 3While...at the Same Time...

Learn This First

The '一路...一路...' pattern is used to describe two actions occurring simultaneously. To learn this, learners should already be comfortable with basic Cantonese word order and the concept of simultaneous actions (often first encountered with the 'V住+V' pattern).