Grammar 09 - Cantonese Verb Continuous Marker - 緊(gan2)

In this blog, we explore the use of the marker 緊(gan2) to convey ongoing activities, similar to the "ing" form in English. We'll delve into the Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) structure, the concept of verb-noun phrases, and the use of double-character verbs. Whether you're a beginner or looking to refine your Cantonese grammar, this guide provides clear explanations and practical examples to help you speak naturally and accurately.
grammar09 Cantonese verb continuous marker 緊(gan2)

Table of Content

#   Question
#   Single-Character Verb
=   Verbs with Direct Objects
=   Verbs with Complementing Noun
#   Double-Character Verbs
=   Separable Verbs
=   Non-separable Verbs
=   Additional Notes

Similar to the neutral aspect, in Cantonese, we use the Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) structure and add the marker 緊() after the verb to indicate continuous actions, much like adding "ing" to verbs in English.

This “chopped pattern of Verb-Object” in continuous aspect exists only in Cantonese. In Mandarin, 正/在 is used in front of the verb to indicate continuous actions.

This marker can apply to both present and past actions, with the context and supporting words determining whether the action is present or past.

緊 is sometimes regarded as a "Progressive Marker," while 住 is considered a "Continuous Marker" in some classifications. Since most of the time the continuous "ing" in English is translated as 緊 in Cantonese, we choose to classify 緊 as a continuous marker and 住 as a durative marker.

Question

【Subject - 係()唔()係() - Verb - 緊() - (Object/Noun)】?

Refer to Grammar01 - 係(hai6) for the meaning of 係唔係

  1. 你()係()唔()係()睇()緊()電()視()呀()？
    Are you watching TV?

  2. 佢()哋()係()唔()係()瞓()緊()覺()呀()？
    Are they sleeping?

  3. 你()係()唔()係()沖()緊()涼()呀()？
    Are you taking a shower?

  4. 佢()哋()係()唔()係()考()慮()緊()呀()？
    Are they considering (it)?

Single-Character Verb

Verbs with Direct Objects

(+ve)【Subject - Verb - 緊() - Object】

(-ve)【Subject - 唔()係() - Verb - 緊() - Object】

  1. (我睇電視)
    (I watch TV.)

    我()睇()緊()電()視()
    I am watching TV.

    我()唔()係()睇()緊()電()視()
    I am not watching TV.

  2. (佢做瑜珈)
    (He/She does Yoga.)

    佢()做()緊()瑜()珈()
    He/She is doing Yoga.

    佢()唔()係()做()緊()瑜()珈()
    He/She is not doing Yoga.

  3. (你哋聽歌)
    (You guys listen to music(/songs).)

    你()哋()而()家()聽()緊()歌()
    You guys are listening to music(/songs) now.

    你()哋()而()家()唔()係()聽()緊()歌()
    You guys are not listening to music(/songs) now.

  4. (佢哋畫畫)
    (They draw (pictures).)

    佢()哋()啱()啱()畫()緊()畫()
    They were drawing (pictures) a moment ago.

    佢()哋()啱()啱()唔()係()畫()緊()畫()
    They were not drawing (pictures) a moment ago.

Verbs with Complementing Noun

(+ve)【Subject - [Verb - 緊() - Noun]】

(-ve)【Subject - 唔()係() - [Verb - 緊() - Noun]】

Some verbs, usually intransitive in English, are combined with a noun character to form a "verb-noun phrase," which functions as a single verb to make the sentence sound more complete. Logically, the noun is not the directed object of the verb, but grammatically functions like an object.

For example, 跑步 (to run), where 跑 means "to run" and 步 means "steps," literally translates to "running steps." You may refer to Grammar08 - Cantonese Verbs for more about this complementing noun.

When indicating continuous actions of these verbs, 緊 should be inserted between the verb and the noun character.

  1. (我哋瞓覺)
    (We sleep.)

    我()哋()瞓()緊()覺()
    We are sleeping.

    我()哋()唔()係()瞓()緊()覺()
    We are not sleeping.

  2. (你跑步)
    (You run/jog.)

    你()頭()先()跑()緊()步()
    You were running/jogging a moment ago.

    你()頭()先()唔()係()跑()緊()步()
    You were not running/jogging a moment ago.

  3. (我食飯)
    (I eat.)
    我()食()緊()飯()
    I am eating.

    我()唔()係()食()緊()飯()
    I am not eating.

Double-Character Verbs

You may refer to Grammar08 - Cantonese Verbs for more about the definition of double-character verbs.

Separable Verbs

Similar to verbs with complementing noun, aspect markers are placed between the verb and noun in separable double-character verbs.

The reason we explain these two types of verbs separately is that in intransitive verbs, the main verb still exists in the first character, but you cannot derive the meaning of the double-character verb from its first character alone. You can see that we cannot mark the corresponding English word as the same color as the first character, since the verb itself does not have the meaning of the combined form.

【Subject - [Separable Double-Character Verb] 】

(+ve)【Subject - [Verb - 緊() - Noun]】

(-ve)【Subject - 唔()係() - [Verb - 緊() - Noun]】

  1. 我()沖()緊()涼()
    I am taking a shower.

    我()唔()係()沖()緊()涼()
    I am not taking a shower.

    (沖 - to rinse, to rush｜涼 - refreshing, cool)

  2. 我()行()緊()街()
    I am window shopping (as a leisurely activity) / strolling around / shopping.

    我()唔()係()行()緊()街()
    I am not window shopping (as a leisurely activity) / strolling around / shopping.

    (行 - to walk｜街 - street)

  3. 佢()哋()吹()緊()水()
    They are chitchating.

    佢()哋()唔()係()吹()緊()水()
    They are not chitchating.

    (吹 - to blow｜水 - water)

Non-separable Verbs

Most verbs follow the above pattern. However, non-separable verbs are not “chopped” into two parts when a verb aspect marker is used.

(+ve)【Subject - [Non-separable Double-Character Verb] - 緊() 】

(-ve)【Subject - 唔()係() - [Non-separable Double-Character Verb] - 緊() 】

  1. (佢考慮)
    (He/She considers.)

    佢()考()慮()緊()
    He/She is considering.

    佢()唔()係()考()慮()緊()
    He/She is not considering.

  2. (我攤唞)
    (I rest.)

    我()攤()唞()緊()
    I am resting.

    我()唔()係()攤()唞()緊()
    I am not resting.

  3. (呢間公司擴展)
    (This company expands.)

    呢()間()公()司()擴()展()緊()
    This company is expanding.

    呢()間()公()司()唔()係()擴()展()緊()
    This company is not expanding.

Additional Notes

One way to determine whether a verb is a “verb-noun phrase” or a non-separable double-character verb is to observe if one of the characters can be omitted.

For example, sometimes people say 我去瞓覺先啦 (I’ll go sleep first) as 我去瞓先啦 or 你哋唔好吹咁耐水啦 (Don't chitchat for so long) as 你哋唔好吹咁耐啦, where 覺 and 水 can be omitted.

However, when it comes to 考慮, since 慮 is not a noun character, it cannot be omitted. It is incorrect to say I’ll consider it a bit as 我會考吓 without the 慮. Instead, you should say 我會考慮吓.

For future actions, we do not typically use the continuous marker in Cantonese. For example, "She will be speaking this evening" translates to 佢今晚會演講, where 會 indicates a future action without specifying if the action is continuous.