同

With (Accompaniment)

Level 1Sounds Like tung4

同 (tung4) translates to 'with' when doing an action alongside someone. In Cantonese word order, 同 + companion ALWAYS comes BEFORE the main verb. It also links nouns to mean 'and'.

How It Works

1. Accompaniment ('With'):
In Cantonese, coverbs function like prepositions, but they are placed before the main verb phrase. To say you are doing something with someone, use the structure: Subject + 同 + Companion + Action. You will also frequently hear 同埋 (tung4 maai4) used in spoken Cantonese. Native speakers often add 一齊 (jat1 cai4, 'together') before the main verb or directly after the companion phrase (e.g. 我同佢一齊去 ngo5 tung4 keoi5 jat1 cai4 heoi3 - 'I go together with him/her').

2. Joining Nouns & Activities ('And'):
同 (and 同埋) can join nouns as well as list activities or hobbies (e.g. 我鍾意睇書同聽歌 ngo5 zung1 ji3 tai2 syu1 tung4 teng1 go1). However, 同 CANNOT link sequential events happening one after another in time ('and then'). To express time sequence, use 跟住 (gan1 zyu6, 'then / and then').

3. Polysemous Roles ('To', 'For', 'From'):
Depending on the verb that follows, 同 can express other interpersonal relationships:
• Target ('To'): 同佢講 (tung4 keoi5 gong2) = Speak to him/her
• Benefactive ('For'): 同我買 (tung4 ngo5 maai5) = Buy [it] for me
• Source ('From'): 同佢借錢 (tung4 keoi5 ze3 cin2) = Borrow money from him/her

4. Comparisons and Instruments:
• Comparison ('Same as'): Use 同...一樣 (jat1 joeng6) to say 'A is the same as B' (e.g. 我同你一樣 ngo5 tung4 nei5 jat1 joeng6 - 'I am the same as you').
• Instrumental ('With'): Do not use 同 for tools or instruments! Use 用 (jung6, 'to use') instead (e.g. 用筷子食飯 - eat with chopsticks).

Examples (5)

  1. 我同朋友行街。

    I go strolling with my friends.

    Word by Word: I with friend stroll street.

    Notice that '同 朋友' (with friend) goes before the main action '行街' (stroll).

  2. 上星期日我同啲朋友一齊食晚飯。

    Last Sunday, I had dinner together with my friends.

    Word by Word: Last Sunday I with plural-classifier friend together eat evening-rice.

    Combining 同 (tung4) with 一齊 (jat1 cai4, 'together') is a very common natural Cantonese pattern.

  3. 你唔好同佢講。

    Don't speak to him.

    Word by Word: You not good with him speak.

    Here 同 (tung4) marks the recipient of communication ('speak to him').

  4. 我想同你借兩本書。

    I want to borrow two books from you.

    Word by Word: I want with you borrow two classifier book.

    When paired with 借 (ze3, 'to borrow'), 同 (tung4) indicates the source ('from you').

  5. 蘋果同橙都好食。

    Apples and oranges are both delicious.

    Word by Word: Apple and orange all delicious.

    When connecting two nouns, 同 (tung4) functions as 'and'.

Common Mistakes

  • Placing the companion phrase after the main verb (English word order interference).

    我行街同朋友。
    我同朋友行街。

    In Cantonese, coverb phrases specifying who you are with must always be placed before the main verb.

  • Using 同 to connect sequential actions happening one after another.

    我食飯同睇電視。
    我食飯跟住睇電視。

    While 同 (tung4) can list nouns or general activities, it cannot express sequential time progression ('and then'). Use 跟住 (gan1 zyu6) for actions happening in sequence.

  • Using 同 instead of 用 for tools or instruments ('with chopsticks').

    我同筷子食飯。
    我用筷子食飯。

    Use 同 (tung4) for human or animate companions and interpersonal relations. To express 'with' in the sense of using an instrument or tool, use 用 (jung6).

How It Connects

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同Level 1With (Accompaniment)

Learn This First

To use '同' (with) as a coverb, you need to understand basic Cantonese word order, specifically that prepositional-like phrases (coverbs) usually appear before the main verb. You also need basic pronouns to form sentences like 'I with you'.

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