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Penang Hokkien Conversation: Nice to know you

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Penang Hokkien Conversation lesson for making acquaintances. In this lesson, Ah Huat meets his friend Ah Leng in a coffee shop. Ah Leng then introduces his friend Krishnan to Ah Huat. Read the conversation below. Click the audio icon to hear how each sentence sounds like.

Ah Huat:: Hi Ah Leng, gau3 ca41! Ha1mik1 ho1 hong1 choay1 lu4 lai2?2
Hi Ah Leng, how early of you! How's things?

Ah Leng:: Ah Huat, ho4 boh2?2
Ah Huat, how are you?

Ah Huat:: Ho4. Lu4 ni4?
Fine, and you?

Ah Leng:: Be33 phnai4!
Not bad.

Ah Huat:: Lai3 ceh33 ka1 wah4 ciak1 lah4!2
Come sit and eat with me.

Ah Leng:: Err .. wah1 si33 tan4 wah4-eh3 peng3iu4. Ah3, ie1 tun1 kau33 liau4!
Err .. I'm (actually) waiting for my friend. Ah here he comes!

Ah Huat:: Chnia4 ie1 lai3 ceh33 ka1 lan4 ciak1 lah4!
Invite him over to eat with us!

Ah Leng:: E33sai4. Ah Huat, cit1-leh1 si33 wah4-eh3 peng3iu4 Krishnan.
Krishnan, cit1-leh1 si33 Ah Huat.
Can. Ah Huat, this is my friend Krishnan.
Krishnan, this is Ah Huat.

Ah Huat:: Krishnan, hnua3hee4 bat3 tiok3 lu4!
Nice to know you, Krishnan!

Krishnan:: Wah1 hnua3hee4 bat3 tiok3 lu4 tun4, Ah Huat! An1cnua4 lu1lang2 e33 bat3?
I'm happy to know you too, Ah Huat! How do you know each other?

Ah Leng:: Oh2, Ah Huat si33 wah1-eh3 lau33 peng3iu4. Wah1 ti1 ok1tng3 tok3 bat3 ie1 liau4.
Oh, Ah Huat is myb old friend. I've known him since school.

Krishnan:: Ah2, ok3tng2-eh3 peng3iu4 lah4.
Ahh, so (your're) school mates.

Ah Huat:: Liau4, lu1lang2 nor33 lang2 ni4?
And how about the two of you?

Krishnan:: Wah1lang2 co1 kang1 pnae3-pnae2.
We work together.

Ah Huat:: Krishnan, lu1 kong4 Hokkien wa33 be33 phnai4.
Krishnan, you speak Hokkien very well.

Krishnan:: Kam1siah3! Tok3 si33 Ah Huat kah3 wah4 eh2. Ie1 cin3 gau3 kah3.
Thanks! It's Ah Huat who taught me. He's good at teaching.

Ah Huat:: Boh3 lah3, boh3 nya4 eh2 lah3! Lu1 gau3 ok1!
No, not true at all, you learn well!

Notes

  1. "Gau3 ca4" is used to greet someone, as "hello". It literally means "how early of you", and is appropriate if you meet someone in the morning.

  2. "Ha1mik1 ho1 hong1 choay1 lu4 lai2" means "what fine wind blew you here". This is a very casual way of greeting a friend.

  3. "Ciak3 pa4 boey3?" literally means "have you eaten", and is often used to mean "how are you?" In Penang Hokkien, it is considered polite to inquire over someone's well-being. Such questions should usually be responded with "ciak3 pa4 liau4", meaning "eaten already".

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