埋

As Well / Too

Level 2Sounds Like maai4

埋 (maai4) attaches right after a verb (Verb + 埋) to add an extra person, item, or action ('bring me too', 'buy yours as well') or to complete the remainder of something ('finish up homework').

How It Works

1. Meaning and Function
The verbal particle 埋 (maai4) attaches directly after a verb to perform several key roles:
• Spatial / Directional & Closing: Expressing approaching, coming closer, joining together, or closing/shutting (e.g., 行埋嚟 haang4 maai4 lai4 'walk over closer', 坐埋啲 co5 maai4 di1 'sit closer', 閂埋門 saan1 maai4 mun4 'close the door').
• Additive / Inclusive: Extending an action to include an additional entity or person ('too', 'as well', 'along with'). For example, 帶埋我 (daai3 maai4 ngo5) means 'bring me along too'.
• Completive: Finishing the remaining portion of a task or item. For example, 做埋 (zou6 maai4) means 'finish up the rest of the work'.

2. Expressing Disapproval with 埋晒
When combined with 晒 (saai3, 'all') to form 埋晒 (maai4 saai3), it often carries a tone of speaker annoyance or criticism regarding unnecessary or foolish actions done in addition to everything else.

3. Position and Grammar Rules
• Structure: Verb + 埋 + Object
• Co-occurrence with Aspect Markers: 埋 (maai4) functions as a verbal particle / resultative complement, meaning it can co-occur directly with aspect markers like 咗 (zo2) in the order Verb + 埋 + 咗 (e.g., 閂埋咗門 saan1 maai4 zo2 mun4 'closed the door', 收埋咗錢 sau1 maai4 zo2 cin2 'hid away the money').
• Co-occurrence with 都 and 添: In additive structures, 埋 (maai4) routinely works together with preverbal 都 (dou1) and sentence-final 添 (tim1) to reinforce the idea of 'including something/someone else as well'.

Examples (4)

  1. 做乜唔叫埋我？

    Why didn't you invite/call me as well?

    Word by Word: do what not call including me

    Here, 埋 (maai4) attaches to 叫 (giu3, 'to call/invite') to mean 'including me as well'.

  2. 我買埋你嗰份啦。

    I'll buy your share as well.

    Word by Word: I buy including your portion (suggestion)

    埋 (maai4) directly follows 買 (maai5, 'to buy') to show that the purchase extends to include the other person's portion.

  3. 等我做埋啲功課先。

    Let me finish up the rest of the homework first.

    Word by Word: let me do finish-up PL homework first

    In this completive context, 埋 (maai4) after 做 (zou6, 'to do') signifies finishing the remaining portion of the homework.

  4. 佢帶埋狗狗去公園。

    She brought her dog along to the park too.

    Word by Word: she bring along dog go park

    帶埋 (daai3 maai4) expresses bringing someone or something along in addition to oneself.

Common Mistakes

  • Placing 埋 before the verb instead of after it

    我埋買你嗰份。
    我買埋你嗰份。

    埋 (maai4) is a postverbal suffix and must attach directly after the verb (買埋), never before it.

  • Using 同埋 directly after a verb instead of 埋

    做乜唔叫同埋我？
    做乜唔叫埋我？

    同埋 (tung4 maai4) is a conjunction used between nouns (e.g., 我同埋你 'me and you'). After a verb, use 埋 (maai4) alone.

How It Connects

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

埋Level 2As Well / Too

Learn This First

To understand '埋' (maai4) as 'as well' or 'too', you need to be comfortable with Cantonese verbal particles and how they are placed immediately after the verb. It also helps to understand other quantifying particles like '晒' (all) and the conjunction '同埋' (and) which share similar semantic roots of inclusion.

Words in This Pattern