Auxiliary Verbs in Penang Hokkien
Go BackAuxiliary verbs are a group of verbs that usually accompany the main verb to provide a complete meaning. In Penang Hokkien, auxiliary verbs are used to express aspect and modality.
In the examples below, the auxiliary verbs are underlined while the main verbs are in italics.
Wah1 boek1 ciak3 lak1sa4.
I want to eat laksa.
Wah1 ai1 khee1 thit1tho2.
I'd like to go play.
Listed on are some of the auxiliary verbs you will encounter.
ai3 [ai]
would like to, intend to, about to
Wah1 ai1 beh4 cit3-teng1 chia1.
I would like to buy a car.
ai1, used with liau4 is often used to mean "presently in the process of".
Ah3 Hock3 ai3 khee1 co1 kang1 liau4.
Ah Hock is going to work now.
be33 [be]
cannot
Wah1 be3 ciak3 leow4.
I cannot finish eating it.
Wah4 be3 ciak1 liau4.
I cannot eat anymore.
be33hiau4 [be-hiau]
do not know how to
be33hiau4 sandhis to be33hiau1 in the presence of a main verb.
Wah4 be3hiau1 thak1 ie1 sia4 ha1mik1.
I cannot (am unable to) read what he writes.
Ee1 be3hiau1 co3 cit1-leh1 kang1.
She doesn't know how to do this job.
be33sai4 [be-sai]
cannot, not allowed to
be33sai4 sandhis to be33sai1 in the presence of a main verb.
Lu1 be3sai1 tua3 cit1-peng2.
You cannot stay here.
Gin1na4 be3sai1 co1 luan3.
Children are not allowed to make noise.
boek3 [boek]
want
Wah1 boek1 lim3 ko3pi1.
I want to drink coffee.
Ie1 boek1 jip1 lai2.
He wants to come in.
e33 [e]
can (able to)
Wah1 e33 co3 cit1-leh1 kang1.
I can do this work.
e33hiau3 [e-hiau]
to know how
e3hiau3 sandhis to e33hiau1 in the presence of a main verb.
Wah4 e33hiau1 co3.
I know how to do (it).
Lu4 ka3nia33 e33hiau1 ciak1!
You only know how to eat!
e33sai4 [e-sai]
can (to be allowed)
e33sai4 sandhis to e33sai1 in the presence of a main verb.
Lu1 e3sai1 jip1lai2 liau4.
You can come in now.
E33sai1 hor33 wah1 khnua3 boh2?
Can I be allowed to see it?
eng3-kai1 [eŋ-kai]
ought to
Lu4 eng3kai1 tan4 cit1-peng2.
You ought to wait here.
Lu4 boh3 eng3kai1 kong4 hor33 ie1 thnia1.
You ought not to have told him.
kna4 [kã]
dare to
Boh3 lang3 kna1 kong4 ie1.
Nobody dared to say him anything.
Ie1 mm33 kna1 sio3phak3 ka1 wah4.
He dared not fight with me.
mai3 [mai]
do not want
Also rendered as mm33 mai3; mai3 sandhis to mai1 in the presence of a main verb.
Wah1 mai1 leow1 tiam1sniah1.
I don't want to waste time.
Mai1 co1 luan3.
Don't disturb.
mien4 [miɛn]
don't have to, not necessary to
Also rendered as mm33 mien4; mien4 sandhis to mien1 in the presence of a main verb.
Lu4 mien1 cai1.
You don't have to know.
Lu4 mien1 ka3ki3 co3.
You don't have to do it yourself.
Ciak1 lah4! Mien1 phai1seh3.
Go ahead and eat! Don't (have to) be shy.
tiok3boek3
[tiok-boek]
must
tiok3boek3 sandhis to tiok3boek1 in the presence of a main verb.
Lu4 tiok3boek1 ceh3 cit1-peng2.
You must sit here.
In local usage, it is optional whether or not you sandhi the subject pronoun. Hence, you will often hear "I" pronounced as wah4 as well as wah1, and "you" as lu4 as well as lu1. In my opinion, you remain the subject pronoun in the Basic Form if you want to stress it (provide it specific emphasis, as in "You cannot come in")
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