晒（程度）

晒 (saai3) is one of the most common verbal particles in colloquial Cantonese. It has several main functions:

1. Totality (Quantifier)
When used with objects, it means 'all of them' or 'the whole thing'. To mean 'all of the [noun]s' (plural), use a plural classifier or quantifier like 啲 (di1). To mean 'the whole [noun]' (singular), use a singular classifier.
Example: 食晒啲飯 (sik6 saai3 di1 faan6) - 'Eat all the rice'; 食晒成個蘋果 (sik6 saai3 seng4 go3 ping4 gwo2) - 'Eat the whole apple'.
When quantifying an object, it is very common to use object topicalisation, moving the object to the beginning: 啲飯我食晒 (di1 faan6 ngo5 sik6 saai3) - 'The rice, I ate it all'.
Usually, 晒 (saai3) quantifies the subject only if the verb is intransitive (an action with no object, like 'leave').
Example: 佢哋全部都走晒 (keoi5 dei6 cyun4 bou6 dou1 zau2 saai3) - 'They all left'.
If the verb has an overt (explicitly stated) object, 晒 normally quantifies the object. For example, 佢哋食晒啲飯 (keoi5 dei6 sik6 saai3 di1 faan6) most naturally means 'They ate all the rice', rather than 'All of them ate the rice'. To quantify the subject of a transitive verb, it is clearer to use 全部 (cyun4 bou6)...都 (dou1).

2. Exhaustive Completion vs. Generic Completion
Unlike the generic completive marker 完 (jyun4), which just means an action is finished, 晒 (saai3) always carries the exhaustive nuance of 'all' or 'completely'.
Example: 我睇晒啲書 (ngo5 tai2 saai3 di1 syu1) - 'I read ALL the books' (exhausting the quantity); 做晒功課 (zou6 saai3 gung1 fo3) - 'Finished doing ALL the homework'.

3. Abstract States & Replacing 咗
It indicates a state is 100% complete. Because the idea of 'all' already implies the action is finished, 晒 often makes the perfective marker 咗 (zo2) unnecessary, and simply using Verb + 晒 is the most standard and natural choice. However, they are not mutually exclusive and can co-occur to emphasize completion. When they are stacked, 咗 stays right next to the verb — Verb + 咗 + 晒 (食咗晒) — which follows the general rule that 咗 attaches directly to the verb rather than being any kind of exception. The reverse order 食晒咗 is also heard. Either way the stack is optional and many speakers simply drop 咗, since 晒 has already said the action was carried through. It is frequently paired with the change-of-state particle 喇 (laa3). A very common construction is 冇 (mou5) + 晒 (saai3), meaning 'all gone' or 'completely run out'.
Example: 啲錢冇晒喇 (di1 cin2 mou5 saai3 laa3) - 'The money is all gone'.
It is also frequently used with abstract verbs or adjectives to indicate an action is done to the absolute fullest extent.
Example: 忘記晒 (mong4 gei3 saai3) - 'Completely forgot'; 爛晒 (laan6 saai3) - 'Completely broken'.

4. Intensification (Emotive & Adjectival)
With verbs of feeling or general adjectives, it means 'completely' or 'extremely'.
Example: 多謝晒 (do1 ze6 saai3) - 'Thank you so much'; 唔該晒 (m4 goi1 saai3) - 'Thank you very much (for a service)'; 濕晒 (sap1 saai3) - 'Soaking wet'.
It also acts as an adjectival intensifier meaning 'much [adj]-er', which often implies a positive change of state or relief.
Example: 清楚晒 (cing1 co2 saai3) - 'Completely clear now'; 舒服晒 (syu1 fuk6 saai3) - 'Much more comfortable'.

5. Potential Form
To express the ability to finish everything, use V + 得 + 晒 or V + 唔 + 晒.
Example: 我食唔晒 (ngo5 sik6 m4 saai3) - 'I can't finish it all'.

Word Order & Negation:
The explicit formula is Verb + 晒 + Object (e.g., 食 + 晒 + 啲飯). English speakers naturally want to put 'all' at the end of the sentence, so remembering this formula is essential. 晒 (saai3) follows the verb or resultative complement, but comes before directional complements and objects. Crucially, 晒 comes before pronouns, which is the opposite of English word order.
Example with pronoun: 食晒佢！ (sik6 saai3 keoi5) - 'Eat it all up!'
Example with directional complement: 攞晒出嚟 (lo2 saai3 ceot1 lei4) - 'Take it all out'.

For negation, use 唔 (m4) for future refusal or intention: 唔食晒 (m4 sik6 saai3) - 'Won't eat it all'. Use 冇 (mou5) for past actions: 冇食晒 (mou5 sik6 saai3) - 'Didn't eat it all'. To say you haven't finished something yet, use 未 (mei6): 未做晒 (mei6 zou6 saai3) - 'Haven't finished doing it all'. For negative commands, use 唔好 (m4 hou2): 唔好食晒 (m4 hou2 sik6 saai3) - 'Don't eat it all'.