唔得

唔得 (m4 dak1) is one of the most common expressions in daily Cantonese. It functions in several main ways:

• Prohibition: It is the most common way to deny permission. If a student asks to leave and the teacher says '唔得', it means 'You are not allowed.'
• Asking for Permission: The A-not-A question form is 得唔得？ (dak1 m4 dak1?), meaning 'Is that OK?' or 'Can I?' To ask permission with a specific verb, use the pattern [Verb] 唔 [Verb] 得. For example, 食唔食得㗎？ (sik6 m4 sik6 dak1 gaa3?) means 'Can I eat this?' and 去唔去得？ (heoi3 m4 heoi3 dak1?) means 'Can I go?' You can also use a tag question format: [Verb], 得唔得？ (e.g., 食，得唔得？).
• Negating [Verb] + 得: The pattern 唔 + [Verb] + 得 is the direct negation of [Verb] 得 (can / allowed to). You place the negator 唔 before the [Verb] + 得 pattern to mean 'cannot [verb]' due to rules, health, safety, general unsuitability, or brokenness. For example, 唔食得 (m4 sik6 dak1) can mean 'cannot eat [it]' (e.g., because you are allergic) or 'cannot be eaten' (e.g., because it's toxic). Similarly, 張櫈唔坐得 (zoeng1 dang3 m4 co5 dak1) means the chair is broken and cannot be sat on, and 條路唔行得 (tiu4 lou6 m4 haang4 dak1) means the road is blocked.
• Readiness vs. Prohibition: Because [Verb] 得 can also mean 'ready to [verb]' (e.g., 食得 = ready to eat), the negative for readiness uses 未 (mei6) instead of 唔. 未食得 (mei6 sik6 dak1) means 'not ready to eat yet', which is a vital distinction from 唔食得 (m4 sik6 dak1) (not allowed/toxic).
• Crucial Contrasts: It is important to distinguish 唔 + [Verb] + 得 (not allowed / not suitable) from other types of inability. For example, 唔食得 (m4 sik6 dak1) means you cannot eat it due to allergies or toxicity. In contrast, 食唔到 (sik6 m4 dou2) means you cannot eat it because it is sold out or physically unreachable, and 食唔落 (sik6 m4 lok6) means you cannot eat it because you are too full.
• Object Placement: When using the 唔 + [Verb] + 得 pattern with an object in standard word order, the object goes after 得. For example, 'cannot eat peanuts' is 唔食得花生 (m4 sik6 dak1 faa1 sang1). However, it is also very common to topicalize the object by placing it at the beginning of the sentence, such as 花生唔食得 (faa1 sang1 m4 sik6 dak1).
• Ineffectiveness: It describes a method or object that doesn't work. For example, if a key doesn't fit a lock, you can say '唔得'.
• Poor Quality: It is used to judge performance. If someone's Cantonese is poor, you might say their Cantonese '真係唔得' (really no good). A common colloquial extension is 唔得掂 (m4 dak1 dim6), which means something is in a really bad state or absolutely won't work.
• Availability: Combined with 閒 (haan4, free time), 唔得閒 (m4 dak1 haan4) is the standard way to say you are busy or 'not free'.
• No Wonder: Combined with 怪 (gwaai3), 唔怪得 (m4 gwaai3 dak1) or 唔怪之得 (m4 gwaai3 zi1 dak1) is the standard way to say 'no wonder'.
• Double Negatives: The pattern 唔 [Verb] 唔得 is the standard way to say you 'must' do something. For example, 我唔去唔得 (ngo5 m4 heoi3 m4 dak1) literally means 'Me not going is not okay,' or 'I must go.' Another core conversational pattern is 唔係唔得 (m4 hai6 m4 dak1), which means 'It's not impossible...' or 'It can be done, but...'.
• Euphemism and Exhaustion: In serious contexts, saying someone '唔得喇' (m4 dak1 laa3) is a common euphemism for someone who is dying or whose health has failed beyond recovery. However, in everyday situations, saying 我唔得喇 (ngo5 m4 dak1 laa3) simply means 'I'm exhausted' or 'I can't take it anymore' (e.g., when running, laughing too hard, or working).
• Intensifier: You may hear the pattern [Adj] + 到唔得 (dou3 m4 dak1), which means 'unbearably [Adjective]'. Note that this is often a colloquial shortening of more complete forms like 到唔得頂 (dou3 m4 dak1 ding2) or 到不得了 (dou3 bat1 dak1 liu5).

Grammar Notes:
1. Unlike English 'cannot,' 唔得 is rarely used for innate skills. For skills, use 識 (sik1). For physical results (like being unable to see something), use V唔到 (m4 dou2).
2. For Mandarin speakers, note the word order difference: Cantonese places the negative marker directly before the verb (唔 + Verb + 得), whereas Mandarin places it before the auxiliary (不能吃) or uses a different structure (吃不得).