唔會

Won't / There's No Way

Level 2Sounds Like m4 wui6

唔會 (m4 wui5) is the negative form of 會 (wui5). It is used to make predictions about the future or to state that something is improbable.

How It Works

In Cantonese, 唔會 (m4 wui5) functions as a modal verb to negate future events or general probabilities. Unlike English, Cantonese does not change the verb itself for 'tense'; instead, it uses markers like this to indicate the speaker's perspective on the future.

Key Usage Points:

  • Neutral Prediction: Simply stating that an event is unlikely to happen (e.g., 'It won't rain').
  • Reassurance: When paired with the sentence-final particle 嘅 (ge3), it creates a strong assertion or provides comfort (e.g., 'He won't be mad').
  • Hypothetical: It can translate to 'wouldn't' in 'if' scenarios (e.g., 'I wouldn't do that').

Structure:
[Subject] + 唔會 + [Verb/Adjective] (+ 嘅)

Note: In formal written contexts, you will see 不會 (bat1 wui5), but in spoken Cantonese, 唔會 is the standard choice.

Examples (4)

  1. 聽日唔會落雨。

    It won't rain tomorrow.

    Word by Word: Tomorrow not will fall rain.

    A neutral prediction about the weather using 唔會 (m4 wui5) before the verb phrase 落雨 (lok6 jyu5).

  2. 佢唔會嬲你嘅。

    He won't be mad at you.

    Word by Word: He not will angry you [assertion].

    The addition of the particle 嘅 (ge3) at the end makes this a reassuring assertion rather than just a guess.

  3. 我唔會去嗰間餐廳。

    I won't go to that restaurant.

    Word by Word: I not will go that [classifier] restaurant.

    Expressing a future intention or prediction about one's own actions.

  4. 呢件事唔會係真嘅。

    This thing cannot be true.

    Word by Word: This [classifier] matter not will be true [assertion].

    In this context, 唔會 (m4 wui5) expresses logical impossibility, similar to 'cannot' in English.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 唔會 (m4 wui5) when you mean ‘do not know how to’.

    Different Meaning我唔會講廣東話。
    我唔識講廣東話。

    我唔會講廣東話 is a good sentence, but it is usually heard as ‘I will not speak Cantonese’. The natural way to say you do not know how is 識 (sik1): 我唔識講廣東話.

  • Using 唔會 (m4 wui5) for past events.

    佢琴日唔會嚟。
    佢琴日冇嚟。

    唔會 is for future probability. To say someone 'didn't' do something in the past, use 冇 (mou5).

How It Connects

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唔會Level 2Won't / There's No Way

Learn This First

To understand '唔會' (won't / no way), you first need to understand the positive auxiliary verb '會' (will) and how the general negator '唔' is used to negate it. Additionally, since '唔會' is often paired with the particle '嘅' to express a strong assertion about a situation, familiarity with that particle is helpful.

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唔会会