話唔定

Who Knows

Level 4Sounds Like waa6 m4 ding6

話唔定 (waa6 m4 ding6) is the colloquial Cantonese way to say 'perhaps,' 'maybe,' or 'it's possible that.' It is used when you are making a guess but aren't certain, often implying a sense of 'who knows?' or 'one can't rule it out.'

How It Works

話唔定 (waa6 m4 ding6) literally breaks down into 'say' (waa6), 'not' (m4), and 'fixed/certain' (ding6), meaning 'cannot say for certain.'

1. Sentence Position:
It is very flexible. You can place it at the very beginning of a clause to set the tone for the whole thought, or directly before the verb phrase.

  • Sentence-initial: 話唔定聽日會落雨。(Maybe it will rain tomorrow.)
  • Pre-verbal: 佢話唔定嚟緊。(He might be on his way.)

2. Nuance and Register:
This is a strictly colloquial expression. In formal writing, you would use 或者 (waak6 ze2) or 可能 (ho2 nang4). Note that in spoken Cantonese, 或者 (waak6 ze2) primarily means 'or'; using it to mean 'perhaps' in speech is restricted to formal contexts and can sound like a Mandarin loan. 話唔定 (waa6 m4 ding6) often carries a nuance of surprise or an 'outside chance'—like suggesting a hotel might be haunted because it's too cheap.

3. Grammatical Function:
話唔定 (waa6 m4 ding6) functions almost exclusively as an adverb. Unlike the English 'I can't say for certain,' it cannot be used as a main verb followed by an A-not-A question. To express 'I can't say for certain whether...', you should use 我唔肯定 (ngo5 m4 hang2 ding6) or 我仲未定 (ngo5 zung6 mei6 ding6) instead.

Examples (4)

  1. 話唔定佢已經返咗屋企呢。

    Maybe he has already gone home.

    Word by Word: Say not certain he already return-finish home [particle].

    Here, 話唔定 (waa6 m4 ding6) is used at the start of the sentence to express a possibility the speaker just thought of.

  2. 你而家去搵佢，話唔定仲見到佢。

    If you go look for him now, you might still be able to see him.

    Word by Word: You now go find him, say not certain still see-attain him.

    In this conditional context, the speaker suggests that catching the person is a real possibility, even if not guaranteed.

  3. 間酒店咁平，話唔定啲房有鬼㗎。

    This hotel is so cheap; who knows, maybe the rooms are haunted.

    Word by Word: [Classifier] hotel so cheap, say not certain [plural] room have ghost [particle].

    This demonstrates the 'speculative' nuance of the pattern, often used for surprising or imaginative guesses.

  4. 佢話唔定聽日就返嚟。

    He might just come back tomorrow (for all we know).

    Word by Word: He say not certain tomorrow then return come.

    Here, the pattern is placed pre-verbally (before 'tomorrow') to modify the likelihood of the action.

Common Mistakes

  • Placing 話唔定 at the end of a sentence.

    佢聽日會嚟話唔定。
    佢聽日會嚟都唔定。

    In Cantonese, if you want to put 'maybe' at the end of a sentence as a tag, you must use the pattern 都唔定 (dou1 m4 ding6) instead of 話唔定 (waa6 m4 ding6).

  • Using it in formal writing or academic reports.

    Different Meaning話唔定經濟會轉好。
    經濟可能將會好轉。

    話唔定 is very colloquial. For formal contexts, use 可能 (ho2 nang4) or 或者 (waak6 ze2).

How It Connects

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

話唔定Level 4Who Knows

Learn This First

The pattern '話唔定' is a fixed expression used to hedge a guess or express that something is possible but not certain. To understand it, learners should be familiar with basic negation using '唔' and the verb '話' (to say). It functions similarly to '可能' (maybe) but adds a nuance of 'who knows' or 'it's hard to say for sure'.

Words in This Pattern

话唔定