唔畀

Not Allowed (By Someone)

Level 2Sounds Like m4 bei2

唔畀 (m4 bei2) is used in spoken Cantonese to express that someone in authority or another person will not let, allow, or grant permission to do something.

How It Works

In spoken Cantonese, 唔畀 (m4 bei2) is the primary way to express 'won't let' or 'doesn't allow'. It is widely used both when permission is withheld by a specific person or authority, and for general impersonal prohibitions (like 'not allowed to'). Note that 俾 (and sometimes 比) is an extremely common informal written variant of 畀 in Cantonese informal writing, messaging, and subtitles.

1. Basic Permissive Sentence Structure
To say an authority figure won't let someone do an action, use:
[Agent] + 唔畀 + [Causee] + [Verb Phrase]
For example: 阿媽唔畀我去 (aa3 maa1 m4 bei2 ngo5 heoi3 - Mom won't let me go).

2. Generalized Prohibition (Omitting the Person)
When referring to general rules at a location where no specific person is named, the causee is omitted:
[Location/Entity] + 唔畀 + [Verb Phrase]
For example: 呢度唔畀影相 (ni1 dou6 / nei1 dou6 m4 bei2 jing2 soeng2 - Taking photos isn't allowed here).

3. Questions and Commands

  • Questions: To ask 'will you let...?' or 'is it allowed?', use the A-not-A question form 畀唔畀 (bei2 m4 bei2). For example: 畀唔畀我睇？ (bei2 m4 bei2 ngo5 tai2? - Will you let me see?). The standard short answers are 畀 (bei2 - Yes, allowed) and 唔畀 (m4 bei2 - No, not allowed).
  • Commands: To tell someone 'don't let' (imperative), you must use 唔好 (m4 hou2) instead of 唔. The correct form is 唔好畀 (m4 hou2 bei2). For example: 唔好畀佢知 (m4 hou2 bei2 keoi5 zi1 - Don't let him know).

4. Past Tense: 唔畀 vs. 冇畀
唔畀 is commonly used for past events to indicate a refusal or unwillingness to allow something. 冇 in 冇畀 simply states a factual lack of permission ('didn't let').
For example: 尋日阿媽唔畀我出街 (cam4 jat6 aa3 maa1 m4 bei2 ngo5 ceot1 gaai1 - Mom refused to let me go out yesterday) vs. 尋日阿媽冇畀我出街 (cam4 jat6 aa3 maa1 mou5 bei2 ngo5 ceot1 gaai1 - Mom didn't let me go out yesterday).

5. Important Nuances and Distinctions

  • 'Not allow' vs. 'Not give': When 唔畀 is followed only by a noun object (or double objects), 畀 acts as the verb 'to give', so 唔畀 means 'not give' (e.g., 佢唔畀錢我 keoi5 m4 bei2 cin2 ngo5 - He doesn't give me money).
  • vs. 唔准 (m4 zeon2): 唔准 conveys an explicit strict prohibition or direct command ('forbidden / not allowed / don't you dare'), whereas 唔畀 focuses on withholding permission or not letting someone do something ('won't let / doesn't allow').
  • vs. 唔可以 (m4 ho2 ji5): 唔可以 is a general statement of impossibility or rule ('cannot / not permissible'), while 唔畀 focuses on a specific authority's refusal to allow something.
  • Negating Passive 畀: When the causee is 人 (jan4 - people/others), it blends permissive and passive meanings and often translates to an English passive ('not be [verb]ed'). For example, 唔想畀人知 (m4 soeng2 bei2 jan4 zi1) means 'don't want to let others know / be known by others', and 唔畀人呃 (m4 bei2 jan4 aak1) means 'not let oneself be cheated'.

6. The Potential Form: 唔畀得
To express that permission cannot or must not be given, use the potential form 唔畀得 (m4 bei2 dak1). This is often used when something must be kept secret or restricted.
For example: 呢件事唔畀得佢知 (ni1 gin6 si6 / nei1 gin6 si6 m4 bei2 dak1 keoi5 zi1 - He cannot be allowed to know about this matter).

Examples (5)

  1. 阿媽唔畀我去夜街。

    Mom won't let me go out late at night.

    Word by Word: Mom not let me go night street.

    阿媽 (aa3 maa1) is the authority agent withholding permission from 我 (ngo5).

  2. 公司唔畀職員喺辦公室食嘢。

    The company doesn't allow employees to eat in the office.

    Word by Word: Company not let employee at office eat thing.

    The agent withholding permission can be an institution like 公司 (gung1 si1).

  3. 佢唔畀我睇佢個電話。

    He won't let me look at his phone.

    Word by Word: He not let me look his classifier phone.

    A common everyday personal refusal using 唔畀.

  4. 呢度唔畀影相。

    Taking photos is not allowed here.

    Word by Word: Here not let take photo.

    A generalized rule where the targeted person is omitted.

  5. 爸爸唔畀我買呢一部電腦。

    Dad won't let me buy this computer.

    Word by Word: Dad not let me buy this one classifier computer.

    Shows how the main action (買呢一部電腦) follows the target person (我).

Common Mistakes

  • Using 唔畀 for ‘do not let’ as a command.

    Different Meaning唔畀佢知！
    唔好畀佢知！

    唔畀佢知 is a good sentence: ‘I will not let him know’. For an order, ‘Don’t let him know!’, use 唔好 (m4 hou2): 唔好畀佢知.

  • Using standard Mandarin terms like 不讓 (bù ràng) in spoken Cantonese.

    佢不讓我去。
    佢唔畀我去。

    In spoken Cantonese, 唔畀 (m4 bei2) is the natural standard equivalent for 'won't let me / does not allow me'.

How It Connects

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

唔畀Level 2Not Allowed (By Someone)

Learn This First

To understand '唔畀' (not allowed by someone), you first need to know the verb '畀' (to give or allow) and how to negate verbs using '唔'. Since this pattern typically involves a person withholding permission from another person, familiarity with basic pronouns is also essential.

Words in This Pattern

唔畀