乜都唔/邊個都唔

Not Anything / Not Anyone

Level 4Sounds Like mat1 dou1 bin1 go3 dou1 m4

Cantonese doesn't have single words for 'nothing' or 'no one'. Instead, it uses a 'Question Word + 都 (dou1) + Negation' structure to say 'even [what/who/where] is not...'

How It Works

This pattern is the standard way to express absolute negation in colloquial Cantonese. It functions by 'sweeping' every possible option and negating them all.

1. The Word Order Shift
Crucially, if the question word is the object of the verb, it must be fronted (moved to the beginning of the sentence or right after the subject).
Standard: 我唔食嘢 (I don't eat things).
Pattern: 我乜嘢都唔食 (I don't eat anything).

2. Common Question Words Used:

  • 乜 (mat1) / 乜嘢 (mat1 je5): What → 'Anything'
  • 邊個 (bin1 go3): Who → 'Anyone'
  • 邊度 (bin1 dou6): Where → 'Anywhere'
  • 幾時 (gei2 si4): When → 'Anytime'
  • 點樣 (dim2 joeng2): How → 'Any way'

3. Choosing the Negator:
Use 唔 (m4) for habitual actions, preferences, or future intentions. Use 冇 (mou5) for past actions or to express 'there isn't any'.

4. Nuance:
This structure is much more emphatic than a simple negative sentence. It implies there are absolutely no exceptions to the statement.

Examples (5)

  1. 佢乜都唔想買。

    He doesn't want to buy anything.

    Word by Word: He what all not want buy.

    Here, 乜 (mat1) acts as 'anything'. The object is moved before the verb.

  2. 我邊個都唔識。

    I don't know anyone.

    Word by Word: I who all not know.

    邊個 (bin1 go3) means 'who', but in this pattern, it functions as 'anyone'.

  3. 琴日我邊度都冇去。

    I didn't go anywhere yesterday.

    Word by Word: Yesterday I where all not-have go.

    Since this is a past action, we use 冇 (mou5) instead of 唔 (m4).

  4. 佢點樣都唔肯聽我講。

    He won't listen to me no matter what (in any way).

    Word by Word: He how all not willing listen I speak.

    點樣 (dim2 joeng2) means 'how', used here to mean 'in any way' or 'no matter how'.

  5. 呢度乜嘢都冇。

    There is nothing here.

    Word by Word: Here what-thing all not-have.

    This uses the existential 冇 (mou5) to show a total lack of items.

Common Mistakes

  • Keeping the object after the verb (English word order).

    我唔食乜都。
    我乜都唔食。

    In this emphatic pattern, the 'question word + 都' block must come before the negative verb.

  • Omitting the word 都 (dou1).

    我乜唔食。
    我乜都唔食。

    Without 都 (dou1), the sentence is ungrammatical. 都 provides the 'all/even' logic required for universal negation.

  • Confusing 'nothing' (乜都唔) with 'not much' (冇乜).

    我乜都唔錢。
    我冇乜錢。

    If you want to say 'I don't have much money', use 冇乜 (mou5 mat1). 乜都唔 is for absolute zero (e.g., 我乜錢都冇 - I have no money at all).

How It Connects

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

乜都唔/邊個都唔Level 4Not Anything / Not Anyone

Learn This First

This pattern combines question words (acting as indefinite pronouns) with the inclusive particle '都' and a negator to express that 'nothing' or 'nobody' satisfies the verb. Learners must already be familiar with basic question words, the use of '都' for inclusion, and standard negation.

Words in This Pattern

边个