V唔V

Verb-not-verb Question

Level 1Sounds Like m4

Ask neutral yes/no questions in Cantonese by sandwiching 唔 (m4, 'not') between a repeated verb or adjective. For example, 去唔去 (heoi3 m4 heoi3) means 'are you going?'

How It Works

The V-唔-V (Verb-唔-Verb) structure is an 'A-not-A' question pattern used for forming neutral yes/no questions about present, future, or habitual situations.

1. Basic Formation
Repeat the action or stative verb with the negator 唔 (m4) in the middle:

  • 去 (heoi3, go) → 去唔去 (heoi3 m4 heoi3, go or not?)
  • 食 (sik6, eat) → 食唔食 (sik6 m4 sik6, eat or not?)
  • 貴 (gwai3, expensive) → 貴唔貴 (gwai3 m4 gwai3, expensive or not?)

2. Two-Syllable Verbs (A-唔-AB)
For two-syllable verbs or adjectives, the canonical standard Cantonese pattern is A-唔-AB, repeating only the first syllable before 唔:

  • 鍾意 (zung1 ji3, like) → 鍾唔鍾意 (zung1 m4 zung1 ji3)
  • 開心 (hoi1 sam1, happy) → 開唔開心 (hoi1 m4 hoi1 sam1)

Full repetition like 鍾意唔鍾意 (AB-唔-AB) is also heard, but A-唔-AB is the more usual spoken form.

3. Adding Particles
A bare V-唔-V question can sound direct. Adding a sentence-final particle naturally adjusts the tone:

  • 呀 (aa3) softens the question to make it friendly and conversational.
  • 㗎 (gaa3) shifts the question to ask about general habits, characteristics, or explanations.

4. Key Exceptions & Time Constraints

  • The Verb 有 (jau5): You cannot say *有唔有. The verb 有 (to have/exist) takes 冇 (mou5) for negation, forming 有冇 (jau5 mou5).
  • Past Completed Actions: V-唔-V cannot be used to ask about completed past actions. For past events ('Did you go?'), use 有冇 instead.

Examples (4)

  1. 你去唔去呀？

    Are you going?

    Word by Word: You go-not-go particle?

    Basic action verb 去 (heoi3, go) in the V-唔-V form, softened with sentence-final particle 呀 (aa3).

  2. 佢鍾唔鍾意食廣東菜㗎？

    Does he like eating Cantonese food?

    Word by Word: He like-not-like eat Cantonese food particle?

    Demonstrates the truncated A-唔-AB pattern for the two-syllable verb 鍾意 (zung1 ji3, to like).

  3. 呢件衫貴唔貴呀？

    Is this shirt expensive?

    Word by Word: This item shirt expensive-not-expensive particle?

    Shows V-唔-V applied to a stative verb / adjective, 貴 (gwai3, expensive).

  4. 你識唔識講廣東話？

    Can you speak Cantonese?

    Word by Word: You know-not-know speak Cantonese language?

    Shows V-唔-V formed with the modal auxiliary verb 識 (sik1, know how to).

Common Mistakes

  • Pairing the verb 有 (jau5) with 唔 (m4) instead of 冇 (mou5).

    你有唔有筆呀？
    你有冇筆呀？

    The verb 有 (jau5) pairs exclusively with 冇 (mou5) to form questions. *你有唔有筆呀？ is strictly ungrammatical.

  • Using V-唔-V to ask about completed past actions.

    你尋日去唔去睇戲呀？
    你尋日有冇去睇戲呀？

    V-唔-V is restricted to general, present, or future contexts. To ask if an action happened in the past, use 有冇 (jau5 mou5).

  • Thinking the full form 鍾意唔鍾意 is wrong.

    Different Meaning你鍾意唔鍾意食點心？
    你鍾唔鍾意食點心？

    你鍾意唔鍾意食點心？ is natural Cantonese. The short form 鍾唔鍾意 (A-唔-AB) is also common. Both are fine.

How It Connects

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V唔VLevel 1Verb-not-verb Question

Learn This First

To understand the 'V唔V' question pattern, you first need to know how to negate a verb using '唔'. It is also helpful to know basic pronouns to form the subject and the sentence-final particle '呀', which often accompanies this question type.

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