咗/緊

Aspect Marker Inside a Compound Verb

Level 3Sounds Like zo2

In Cantonese, many 'verbs' are actually Verb-Object compounds (e.g., 瞓覺 'sleep' is literally 'sleep-sleepiness'). Aspect markers like 咗 (zo2) and 緊 (gan2) are normally placed inside these compounds, immediately after the first syllable.

How It Works

Cantonese uses aspect markers to show if an action is finished or ongoing. However, many common activities are expressed as Verb-Object (VO) compounds. Because markers like 咗 (zo2) (completed) and 緊 (gan2) (in progress) are verbal suffixes, they normally attach to the verb part, not the whole compound.

1. Identifying VO Compounds
Common examples include:

  • 瞓覺 (fan3 gaau3) - to sleep (lit: sleep-a sleep)
  • 跳舞 (tiu3 mou5) - to dance (lit: jump-dance)
  • 游水 (jau4 seoi2) - to swim (lit: swim-water)
  • 食飯 (sik6 faan6) - to eat (lit: eat-rice)

2. The Splitting Rule
When you add an aspect marker, the structure becomes:
[Verb] + 咗/緊 + [Object]
Example: 瞓 (sleep) + 咗 (completed) + 覺 (a sleep) = 瞓咗覺 (slept). Similarly, 瞓 + 緊 (ongoing) + 覺 = 瞓緊覺 (sleeping).

3. Adding Duration or Quantifiers
If you want to specify how long or how much, the duration or quantity also goes inside the split, right after the aspect marker:
[Verb] + 咗 + [Duration/Quantity] + [Object]
Example: 瞓咗八個鐘覺 (fan3 zo2 baat3 go3 zung1 gaau3) - slept for eight hours.

4. Non-Separable Verbs
Not all two-syllable verbs split. Coordinate verbs (VV) or disyllabic verbs like 休息 (jau1 sik1 - to rest) are treated as a single unit. The marker goes at the end: 休息咗 (rested), 休息緊 (resting).

5. Dropping the Dummy Object
If the context is clear, native speakers frequently drop the dummy object entirely. For example, answering a question with just 瞓咗 (fan3 zo2 - slept) instead of 瞓咗覺.

6. Negating VO Compounds
When negating a completed action, the marker 咗 must be dropped. You place 冇 (mou5) or 未 (mei6) before the entire compound. For example, 冇瞓覺 (mou5 fan3 gaau3 - didn't sleep), not 冇瞓咗覺. However, when negating an ongoing action, the marker 緊 is NOT dropped. You can place 唔係 (m4 hai6) or 冇 (mou5) before the compound. For example, 我唔係瞓緊覺 (ngo5 m4 hai6 fan3 gan2 gaau3) or 我冇瞓緊覺 (ngo5 mou5 fan3 gan2 gaau3) - I am not sleeping right now.

7. Asking Questions
To form questions with VO compounds, the aspect marker stays attached to the verb:

  • Completed actions: Use [Verb] + 咗 + [Object] + 未. Example: 食咗飯未？ (sik6 zo2 faan6 mei6? - Have you eaten yet?). Alternatively, use 有冇 (jau5 mou5) + [Verb] + [Object], where 咗 is dropped. Example: 你有冇食飯？ (nei5 jau5 mou5 sik6 faan6? - Did you eat?)
  • Ongoing actions: Use 有冇 + [Verb] + 緊 + [Object] or 係咪 + [Verb] + 緊 + [Object]. Example: 你有冇聽緊我講嘢？ (nei5 jau5 mou5 teng1 gan2 ngo5 gong2 je5? - Are you listening to me?)

8. Register Note
This splitting is a fundamental feature of spoken Cantonese. In vernacular written Cantonese (like texting or forums), this is the standard way to express aspect for these verbs. However, in formal Standard Written Chinese, different markers and structures are used (like 了 or 正在).

9. Other Aspect Markers
This splitting rule applies to ALL Cantonese aspect markers, not just 咗 and 緊. For example, it applies to 過 (gwo3) and 完 (jyun4). Examples: 食過飯 (sik6 gwo3 faan6 - have eaten before) and 食完飯 (sik6 jyun4 faan6 - finished eating).

Examples (5)

  1. 我噚晚瞓咗覺。

    I slept last night.

    Word by Word: I yesterday-night sleep-completed sleepiness.

    The compound 瞓覺 (fan3 gaau3) is split by the perfective marker 咗 (zo2).

  2. 佢游緊水，唔方便聽電話。

    He is swimming, it's not convenient for him to answer the phone.

    Word by Word: He swim-progress water, not convenient listen phone.

    The progressive marker 緊 (gan2) splits the compound 游水 (jau4 seoi2).

  3. 我哋啱啱食咗飯。

    We just finished eating.

    Word by Word: We just-now eat-completed rice.

    Even for simple actions like 'eating', Cantonese uses the VO compound 食飯 (sik6 faan6), which must be split.

  4. 佢哋跳緊舞。

    They are dancing.

    Word by Word: They jump-progress dance.

    The marker 緊 (gan2) attaches to the verb 跳 (tiu3) before the object 舞 (mou5).

  5. 佢結咗婚十年喇。

    He has been married for ten years.

    Word by Word: He marry-completed marriage ten years already.

    結婚 (git3 fan1) is a VO compound. The marker 咗 (zo2) indicates the state of being married was entered and completed.

Common Mistakes

  • Putting the aspect marker after a VO compound when you mean it on the verb.

    Different Meaning我游水咗。
    我游咗水。

    我游水咗 is natural with final 咗 ('I have gone swimming', a change of state). To mark the act itself as done, the marker follows the verb 游 (jau4) immediately: 我游咗水.

  • Splitting a non-separable disyllabic verb.

    我休咗息。
    我休息咗。

    休息 (jau1 sik1) is a non-separable verb, not a Verb-Object compound, so it should not be split.

How It Connects

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

咗/緊Level 3Aspect Marker Inside a Compound Verb

Learn This First

To understand how aspect markers like '咗' and '緊' work with verb-object compounds, you first need to be familiar with the markers themselves and their basic functions. You also need to understand that many Cantonese 'verbs' are actually compounds consisting of a verb and an object, which dictates where these markers are placed.

Words in This Pattern

紧