Personal Pronouns in Cantonese

Overview

Personal pronouns in Cantonese are refreshingly straightforward compared to many European languages. There is no grammatical gender, no case inflection, and no formal/informal distinction (no equivalent of French tu/vous). At the CEFR A1 level, learning these six core pronouns opens the door to constructing basic sentences.

The singular pronouns are 我 ngo5 (I/me), 你 nei5 (you), and 佢 keoi5 (he/she/it). The plural is formed by simply adding the suffix 哋 dei6 to each: 我哋 ngo5 dei6 (we), 你哋 nei5 dei6 (you all), 佢哋 keoi5 dei6 (they). This regularity makes the pronoun system one of the easiest aspects of Cantonese grammar.

Notably, 佢 keoi5 does not distinguish gender -- it covers "he," "she," and "it" in speech. While written Chinese uses different characters (他/她/它), in spoken Cantonese the pronoun is always the same sound.

How It Works

Pronoun	Jyutping	Meaning	Plural	Jyutping
我	ngo5	I / me	我哋	ngo5 dei6
你	nei5	you	你哋	nei5 dei6
佢	keoi5	he / she / it	佢哋	keoi5 dei6

Key Rules

1. No case changes: 我 is both "I" and "me" -- subject and object are the same form.
2. No gender: 佢 covers all third-person singular references.
3. Plural suffix 哋: Always tone 6, always follows the singular pronoun directly.
4. Word order determines role: Subject comes before the verb, object comes after.

Pronoun Position

Cantonese follows SVO (Subject-Verb-Object) word order:

• 我食飯。(I eat rice.) — 我 is subject
• 佢見到我。(He/she saw me.) — 我 is object

Examples in Context

Cantonese	Jyutping	English	Note
我係香港人。	ngo5 hai6 hoeng1 gong2 jan4	I am a Hong Konger.	我 as subject
你叫咩名？	nei5 giu3 me1 meng2?	What is your name?	你 in question
佢係我朋友。	keoi5 hai6 ngo5 pang4 jau5	He/She is my friend.	佢 = he or she
我哋一齊去。	ngo5 dei6 jat1 cai4 heoi3	We go together.	plural with 哋
你哋好。	nei5 dei6 hou2	Hello (to a group).	plural you
佢哋係學生。	keoi5 dei6 hai6 hok6 saang1	They are students.	plural they
你認識佢？	nei5 jing6 sik1 keoi5?	Do you know him/her?	佢 as object
我同佢去。	ngo5 tung4 keoi5 heoi3	I go with him/her.	pronoun after preposition
呢個係我嘅。	ni1 go3 hai6 ngo5 ge3	This is mine.	possessive with 嘅
佢哋嘅屋企好大。	keoi5 dei6 ge3 uk1 kei2 hou2 daai6	Their house is very big.	plural possessive

Common Mistakes

Trying to Distinguish "He" and "She"

• Wrong: Looking for different spoken pronouns for male and female
• Right: 佢 keoi5 is used for all genders in speech
• Why: Written Chinese distinguishes 他/她/它, but spoken Cantonese has only one third-person pronoun.

Adding 哋 to Non-Pronoun Nouns for Plural

• Wrong: Saying 書哋 for "books"
• Right: 哋 only attaches to pronouns (我哋, 你哋, 佢哋); for plural nouns, use 啲 (啲書)
• Why: 哋 is exclusively a pronoun pluralizer, not a general plural marker.

Mispronouncing 我 ngo5

• Wrong: Pronouncing 我 as "wo" (Mandarin pronunciation)
• Right: ngo5 starts with an ng- nasal sound
• Why: The ng- initial is a key Cantonese sound absent from Mandarin.

Omitting Pronouns When They Are Needed

• Wrong: Dropping the subject pronoun in contexts where it would be ambiguous
• Right: While Cantonese allows some pronoun dropping, keep pronouns explicit at the A1 level
• Why: Pro-drop in Cantonese requires contextual fluency that beginners are still developing.

Usage Notes

Cantonese allows pronoun dropping (pro-drop) when the referent is clear from context, similar to other Chinese languages. In casual speech, subjects are frequently omitted. However, at the beginner level, it is better to include pronouns explicitly for clarity.

There is no formal "you" in Cantonese. To show respect, speakers use titles or kinship terms (e.g., 先生 sin1 saang1 for "Mr." or 阿姐 aa3 ze2 for "older sister") rather than a special pronoun form.

Practice Tips

• Build sentences with every pronoun: Create simple SVO sentences using all six pronouns (我食飯, 你食飯, 佢食飯, etc.) to build muscle memory.
• Practice the ng- initial: Record yourself saying 我 ngo5 and compare with native speakers until the nasal onset feels natural.
• Use pronouns with 係 and 有: Combine pronouns with the verbs "to be" and "to have" for maximum early conversational coverage.

Related Concepts

• Next steps: 係 (to be) — the copula verb used with pronouns for identification
• Next steps: 有 (to have / there is) — expressing possession with pronouns
• Next steps: Basic Question Patterns — forming questions using pronoun subjects
• Next steps: Basic Verbs and Word Order — constructing sentences with pronouns as subjects
• Next steps: Possessive 嘅 Particle — marking possession with pronouns
• Next steps: Indefinite Pronouns and 啲 — extending beyond personal pronouns
• Next steps: Family Terms — vocabulary closely tied to pronoun usage
• Next steps: Reflexive and Emphatic 自己 — self-reference building on personal pronouns