同（對象）

To (Addressing Someone)

Level 2Sounds Like tung4

To say you are talking "to" someone or chatting "with" someone in Cantonese, place 同 (tung4) and the person BEFORE the action verb.

Pattern: Subject + 同 (tung4) + Person + Verb

How It Works

The coverb 同 (tung4) introduces the recipient, addressee, or target of communication or interaction. While English distinguishes between talking "to" someone (directional) and talking "with" someone (reciprocal), Cantonese uses 同 (tung4) for both.

1. Basic Sentence Structure
The goal phrase [同 + Addressee] sits directly before the verb:
• Subject + [同 (tung4) + Addressee] + Verb Phrase
• 佢同我講嘢 (keoi5 tung4 ngo5 gong2 je5) = He/she speaks to me.

2. Negation Placement
To negate the sentence, place negators like 唔 (m4) or 冇 (mou5) before 同 (tung4):
• 佢唔同我講嘢 (keoi5 m4 tung4 ngo5 gong2 je5) = He/she does not speak to me.
• See 唔同 (m4 tung4) for details on negating coverb settings.

3. Adding Aspect Markers
Because Cantonese coverbs retain verbal features, aspect markers like experiential 過 (gwo3) can attach directly to 同 (tung4):
• 我同過佢哋傾偈 (ngo5 tung4 gwo3 keoi5 dei6 king1 gai2) = I have chatted with them before.

4. Register Differences
同 (tung4) is ubiquitous in everyday spoken Cantonese. In formal written Cantonese or news broadcasts, standard written markers like 對 (deoi3), 向 (hoeng3), or 與 (jyu5) are used instead.

Examples (5)

  1. 佢唔同我講嘢。

    He doesn't talk to me.

    Word by Word: he not to me talk speech

    Notice that the negator 唔 (m4) goes before 同 (tung4), and the recipient 我 (ngo5) goes before the verb 講嘢 (gong2 je5).

  2. 你就同我講實話啦。

    Just tell me the truth.

    Word by Word: you then to me speak true words [particle]

    同我 (tung4 ngo5) introduces 'me' as the recipient of the speech verb 講 (gong2).

  3. 快啲去同佢講聲多謝啦！

    Hurry up and go say thank you to him!

    Word by Word: fast a bit go to him say sound thank you [particle]

    同佢 (tung4 keoi5) marks 'him/her' as the recipient before the action 講聲多謝 (gong2 seng1 do1 ze6).

  4. 我同過佢哋傾偈。

    I have chatted with them before.

    Word by Word: I to experiential them chat speech

    The experiential aspect marker 過 (gwo3) attaches directly to 同 (tung4) to indicate past experience interacting with them.

  5. 你有冇同老細講呀？

    Did you speak to the boss?

    Word by Word: you have not have to boss speak [particle]

    The question form 有冇 (jau5 mou5) comes before 同老細 (tung4 lou5 sai3).

Common Mistakes

  • Placing the target addressee after the verb as in English word order

    佢講嘢同我 (keoi5 gong2 je5 tung4 ngo5)
    佢同我講嘢 (keoi5 tung4 ngo5 gong2 je5)

    Unlike English where "to me" follows the verb, Cantonese preverbal coverbs like 同 (tung4) must be placed BEFORE the verb phrase.

  • Putting 唔 after 同 when you mean 'won't talk to me'.

    Different Meaning佢同我唔講嘢 (keoi5 tung4 ngo5 m4 gong2 je5)
    佢唔同我講嘢 (keoi5 m4 tung4 ngo5 gong2 je5)

    佢同我唔講嘢 is natural: it says he and I do not talk to each other. To say he refuses to talk to me, put the negator before 同: 佢唔同我講嘢.

  • Using 跟 (gan1) for addressing someone due to Mandarin influence

    你跟佢講啦 (nei5 gan1 keoi5 gong2 laa1)
    你同佢講啦 (nei5 tung4 keoi5 gong2 laa1)

    In Mandarin, 跟 (gēn) is widely used for "talk to", but in native Cantonese, 跟 (gan1) means "to follow" or "learn from". Use 同 (tung4) when addressing someone.

How It Connects

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同（對象）Level 2To (Addressing Someone)

Learn This First

To use '同' as a goal marker (meaning 'to' someone), you need to understand how '同' functions as a coverb that precedes the main verb. You should also be familiar with basic pronouns and Cantonese word order, where the prepositional phrase (with/to whom) comes before the action.

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