CANTONESE PRONUNCIATION · SAFETY & HELP
How to say “Don’t turn on the light; open the window first” in Cantonese
Watch, listen, and try the phrase at your own pace.
The Cantonese phrase
唔好開燈，先開窗m4 hou2 hoi1 dang1 sin1 hoi1 coeng1
Don’t turn on the light; open the window first
Video uses a saved generated-voice recording from the Canto School app library.
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Read the phrase
- English
- Don’t turn on the light; open the window first
- Traditional Chinese
- 唔好開燈，先開窗
- Jyutping
- m4 hou2 hoi1 dang1 sin1 hoi1 coeng1
Look closer at this phrase
唔好 (m4 hou2) makes a negative instruction before 開燈 (hoi1 dang1), turn on the light. 先 (sin1) means first before 開窗 (hoi1 coeng1), open the window. The English meaning keeps the two clauses in the same order. This is a language example.
The number after each Jyutping syllable marks its Cantonese tone. Listen to the whole saved recording and repeat at your own pace.
When to use it
Neighbor · Responding to a gas smell. Gives two ordered safety instructions