Right-dislocation

Level 4

Right-dislocation (倒裝) is a hallmark of natural Cantonese speech. It involves moving a constituent (like the subject or a time phrase) to the end of the sentence, after the sentence-final particle, to emphasize the action or emotion first.

How It Works

Right-dislocation is strictly colloquial and is used to mark focus or express strong emotion. By leading with the predicate, the speaker immediately conveys their stance or the most important information.

Key Rules:

  • The Particle Rule: If a sentence-final particle (SFP) like 喇 (laa3) or 呀 (aa3) is used, it must stay with the main clause (the host) and cannot move to the very end of the sentence.
  • Givenness: The 'tail' (the dislocated part) must be information already known or accessible to the listener; it functions as a clarifying afterthought.
  • Constituency: You cannot break up a single word or a tightly bound phrase. The dislocation must happen at a natural phrase boundary.
  • Prosody and Punctuation: The tail is usually spoken at a lower pitch and faster tempo. In written colloquial Cantonese, a comma is standard to mark the boundary before the tail.
  • Flexibility: While subjects are most commonly dislocated, you can also move objects, time phrases, or even entire clauses.

This pattern is essential to become proficient in daily conversation, as it reflects the spontaneous nature of spoken Cantonese.

Examples (5)

  1. 走咗喇，佢。

    He's gone already.

    Word by Word: Gone [already-particle], he.

    The subject 佢 (keoi5) is moved to the end. The particle 喇 (laa3) stays with the verb 走 (zau2).

  2. 食咗未呀，你餐飯？

    Have you eaten your meal yet?

    Word by Word: Eaten [not-yet-particle], your meal?

    Here, the object 'your meal' is dislocated to the end of the question.

  3. 好煩呀，呢個人！

    This person is so annoying!

    Word by Word: Very annoying [particle], this person!

    Leading with the emotive predicate 'so annoying' emphasizes the speaker's frustration.

  4. 去邊度呀，聽日？

    Where are you going tomorrow?

    Word by Word: Go where [particle], tomorrow?

    The time phrase 聽日 (ting1 jat6) is added as an afterthought to clarify the timeframe.

  5. 係咪呀，你？

    Is that so, you? (Are you sure?)

    Word by Word: Is-not-is [particle], you?

    A very common way to challenge someone, putting the focus on the question 係咪 (hai6 mai6).

Common Mistakes

  • Putting 佢 before 喇 when 佢 should be the dislocated subject after it.

    Different Meaning走咗佢喇。
    走咗喇，佢。

    走咗佢喇 is a good sentence, but 佢 is then the object, so it means 'get rid of him'. To say 'he has gone', keep 喇 with the verb and put 佢 after it: 走咗喇，佢.

  • Using right-dislocation in formal writing.

    Different Meaning好靚呀，呢件衫。
    呢件衫好漂亮。

    好靚呀，呢件衫 is good spoken Cantonese, but right-dislocation is a spoken feature. In a formal letter, use standard word order, as in 呢件衫好漂亮.

How It Connects

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

Right-dislocationLevel 4

Learn This First

Right dislocation is a common feature of spoken Cantonese where the subject is moved to the end of the sentence as an afterthought. To understand this, you need to be comfortable with standard word order, the use of sentence-final particles (which usually precede the dislocated subject), and basic pronouns.