喇 (laa4)

Is It Indeed the Case?

Level 3Sounds Like laa3

Use 喇 (laa4) to ask 'So... [it's the case now]?' when you see evidence that something has changed or finished.

How It Works

The particle 喇 (laa4) is a low-falling tone particle used at the end of a sentence to turn an observation into a question. It is specifically used when the speaker has noticed a change of state or a completed action and wants to confirm it with the listener.

Key characteristics include:

  • Factual Confirmation: It is not a 'blind' question. You usually use it when you see evidence (e.g., seeing someone put their shoes on and asking 'So you're leaving?').
  • Relationship to laa3: It is the interrogative counterpart to 喇 (laa3). If you change the tone from Tone 3 to Tone 4, you change the sentence from a statement to a confirmation-seeking question.
  • Softness: It sounds more natural and less abrupt than using a plain question or a surprised particle like 咩 (me1).
  • Common Pairings: It often follows verbs marked with 咗 (zo2) (completed action) or 完 (jyun4) (finished).

Examples (5)

  1. 你食完喇？

    So you've finished eating?

    Word by Word: You eat finish [particle]?

    The speaker sees an empty bowl and uses 喇 (laa4) to confirm the meal is over.

  2. 佢走咗喇？

    So he's left already?

    Word by Word: He leave [perfective] [particle]?

    The speaker notices someone is missing from the room and seeks confirmation of their departure.

  3. 搞掂晒喇？

    So it's all settled/done?

    Word by Word: Manage-settle all [particle]?

    Used when seeing someone pack up their work, confirming that everything is finished (搞掂 gaau2 dim6).

  4. 夠喇？

    So that's enough?

    Word by Word: Enough [particle]?

    Used when someone stops pouring water or adding food, confirming they have reached their limit.

  5. 你準備好喇？

    So you're ready now?

    Word by Word: You prepare good [particle]?

    The speaker sees the listener has finished getting ready and is checking if they can leave.

Common Mistakes

  • Using Tone 3 (laa3) with rising intonation instead of Tone 4 (laa4).

    你做完喇 (laa3)?
    你做完喇 (laa4)?

    In English, we raise our pitch at the end of a question. In Cantonese, you should use the specific low-falling Tone 4 particle 喇 (laa4) to signal the question, rather than just 'pushing' the Tone 3 particle upwards.

  • Using 喇 (laa4) for general information questions.

    你叫咩名喇？
    你叫咩名呀？

    喇 (laa4) is only for confirming a change of state or completion. It cannot be used for general questions like 'What is your name?'

  • Using 喇 (laa4) when you are surprised or doubtful.

    Different Meaning你食完喇？
    你食完咩？

    你食完喇？ is a good question: it checks that the change has happened ('you have finished?'). If you are surprised or doubtful ('You finished already?!'), use 咩 (me1) instead.

How It Connects

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喇 (laa4)Level 3Is It Indeed the Case?

Learn This First

The particle 喇 (laa4) is used to ask for confirmation about a change of state or a completed action (e.g., 'So you've finished?'). To understand it, learners need a foundation in how sentence-final particles work, specifically the change-of-state particle 喇 (laa3), and how shifting the tone to the 4th tone (low falling) turns a statement into a confirmation-seeking question.

Words in This Pattern