唔見/唔記得

Lexicalised 唔- Words

Level 3Sounds Like ng5 gin3 / m4 gei3 dak1

In Cantonese, some words starting with 唔 (m4) are 'lexicalized,' meaning they function as single units with specific meanings rather than just being the negative version of another word. The most common are 唔見 (m4 gin3) 'to lose/missing', 唔記得 (m4 gei3 dak1) 'to forget', and 唔得閒 (m4 dak1 haan4) 'busy'.

How It Works

1. 唔見 (m4 gin3) - To Lose / Missing / Disappear
While it can literally mean 'not see', its primary use is for losing items or people going missing. To say 'I lost my keys', you say '我唔見咗條鎖匙' (ngo5 m4 gin3 zo2 tiu4 so2 si4). It is also used for people: '佢唔見咗' (keoi5 m4 gin3 zo2) means 'He has gone missing'. Note that if you physically cannot see something (like a person behind a wall), you should use 見唔到 (gin3 m4 dou2) instead.

2. 唔記得 (m4 gei3 dak1) - To Forget
This is the standard spoken way to say 'forget'. The 得 (dak1) is an essential part of the word; you cannot simply say '唔記'. It frequently appears with 咗 (zo2) to indicate the act of forgetting has happened.

3. 唔得閒 (m4 dak1 haan4) - Busy
Literally 'not have free time', this is the most natural way to say you are busy in Cantonese. While the word 忙 (mong4) exists, it is often reserved for being 'hectic' or used in more formal contexts. Unlike the other two, 唔得閒 functions like an adjective and rarely takes 咗 (zo2).

4. Question Forms (A-not-A)
Because these are lexicalized, they follow specific A-not-A patterns:

  • 唔記得 becomes 記唔記得 (gei3 m4 gei3 dak1) - 'Do you remember?'
  • 唔得閒 becomes 得唔得閒 (dak1 m4 dak1 haan4) - 'Are you free?'
  • 唔見 usually uses 有冇唔見 (jau5 mou5 m4 gin3) - 'Did you lose...?' or 'Is ... missing?'

Examples (6)

  1. 我唔見咗部電話呀！

    I've lost my phone!

    Word by Word: I not see [perfective] [classifier] phone [particle]!

    Here, 唔見咗 (m4 gin3 zo2) is the standard way to express losing an object.

  2. 佢唔見咗好耐，屋企人好擔心。

    He has been missing for a long time; his family is very worried.

    Word by Word: He not see [perfective] very long, family people very worry.

    唔見 (m4 gin3) is also used to describe a person who has gone missing or disappeared.

  3. 你記唔記得我係邊個？

    Do you remember who I am?

    Word by Word: You remember not remember I am who?

    In questions, 唔記得 (m4 gei3 dak1) splits into the A-not-A form 記唔記得 (gei3 m4 gei3 dak1).

  4. 佢今日唔得閒，唔去飲茶喇。

    He is busy today, so he's not going to yum cha.

    Word by Word: He today not free, not go drink tea [particle].

    唔得閒 (m4 dak1 haan4) is the most common way to say someone is busy or has no time.

  5. 唔好意思，我唔記得咗帶錢。

    Sorry, I forgot to bring money.

    Word by Word: Not good meaning, I not remember [perfective] bring money.

    唔記得咗 (m4 gei3 dak1 zo2) indicates the state of having forgotten something.

  6. 你聽日得唔得閒幫我搬屋？

    Are you free to help me move house tomorrow?

    Word by Word: You tomorrow free not free help me move house?

    得唔得閒 (dak1 m4 dak1 haan4) is the standard way to ask if someone is free.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 唔見 (m4 gin3) to mean 'cannot see'.

    我喺呢度唔見你。
    我喺呢度見唔到你。

    唔見 (m4 gin3) means 'to lose' or 'missing'. If your vision is blocked or you can't find someone in a crowd, use 見唔到 (gin3 m4 dou2).

  • Misplacing the aspect marker 咗 (zo2).

    我唔咗見個銀包。
    我唔見咗個銀包。

    Because 唔見 (m4 gin3) is a single lexical unit, the aspect marker 咗 (zo2) must come after the whole word, not between 唔 and 見.

  • Using 忘記 (mong4 gei3) where 唔記得 (m4 gei3 dak1) is more usual.

    Different Meaning我忘記咗件事。
    我唔記得咗件事。

    忘記咗 is also heard in Hong Kong speech, but 唔記得 (m4 gei3 dak1) is the more colloquial way to say 'forget'.

How It Connects

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唔見/唔記得Level 3Lexicalised 唔- Words

Learn This First

To understand these lexicalised words, you first need to be familiar with the basic negation marker '唔' and how it can be used as a prefix to create new words or antonyms where the resulting meaning is a single unit (like 'lose' or 'forget') rather than just a simple negation.

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Words in This Pattern

唔见唔记得