Indefinite Pronouns and 啲 in Cantonese

In Brief

Use 啲 di1 before a noun to mean an unspecified amount or group: 啲錢 di1 cin2 “some money” and 啲學生 di1 hok6 saang1 “the/some students.” For people and things whose identity is not specified, Cantonese commonly uses combinations such as 有人 jau5 jan4 “someone,” 有嘢 jau5 je5 “something,” 冇人 mou5 jan4 “nobody,” and 冇嘢 mou5 je5 “nothing.” 邊個 bin1 go3 and 乜嘢 mat1 je5 primarily ask “who?” and “what?”, but context can give them indefinite meanings such as “whoever” or “anything.”

Overview

Indefinite words refer to a person, thing, or quantity without identifying it exactly. English words such as “someone,” “anything,” and “nothing” belong to this group. Cantonese builds many of these meanings transparently: 有 jau5 “there is/have” plus 人 jan4 “person” gives 有人 “someone,” while 冇 mou5 “there is not/does not have” plus 嘢 je5 “thing” gives 冇嘢 “nothing.”

This A1 topic also introduces 啲 di1, one of the most useful quantity words in everyday Cantonese. A noun is a word for a person, place, thing, or idea; putting 啲 before one presents it as a nonspecific amount or as a group. Depending on context, 啲人 can therefore mean “some people,” “the people,” or simply “people.” English forces you to choose among these translations more often than Cantonese does.

The beginner rule is simple: learn 啲 + noun, 有人／有嘢, and 冇人／冇嘢 as reusable patterns. Question words such as 邊個 “who” and 乜嘢 “what” need more context, so their indefinite uses are explained separately rather than treated as exact one-word equivalents of English “someone” and “something.”

How It Works

啲 before a noun

啲 di1 is a quantity classifier (a word that packages a noun as an amount or group). Unlike an ordinary Cantonese classifier, it does not follow a numeral. It comes directly before the noun when no demonstrative is present.

Pattern	Example	Usual meaning
啲 + mass noun	啲水 di1 seoi2	some water
啲 + count noun	啲蘋果 di1 ping4 gwo2	some apples / the apples
verb + 啲 + noun	買啲餸 maai5 di1 sung3	buy some groceries
adjective + 啲	平啲 peng4 di1	cheaper / a little cheaper

A mass noun names something normally measured as an amount, such as water or money. A count noun names items that can be counted, such as students or apples. 啲 works with both:

• 飲啲水 jam2 di1 seoi2 — drink some water
• 見啲朋友 gin3 di1 pang4 jau5 — see some friends
• 俾啲錢 bei2 di1 cin2 — give some money

With count nouns, 啲 makes the noun phrase plural or collective, but it does not say how many. To state an exact number, use a numeral and the appropriate classifier instead: 三個學生 saam1 go3 hok6 saang1 “three students,” not 三啲學生.

English articles do not map neatly onto this pattern. In 啲學生好乖, the group may already be known, making “the students” natural. In another situation, 啲學生想入嚟 could mean “some students want to come in.” The conversation, not a separate Cantonese word corresponding exactly to “the” or “some,” often decides the reading.

有 and 冇 with 人 or 嘢

The most dependable beginner forms are built from four common words:

Cantonese	Jyutping	Literal structure	Meaning
有人	jau5 jan4	there is + person	someone; somebody
有嘢	jau5 je5	there is + thing	something
冇人	mou5 jan4	there is not + person	nobody; no one
冇嘢	mou5 je5	there is not + thing	nothing; there is nothing

These expressions often fill the subject or object role. The subject is who or what the sentence is about; the object is the person or thing affected by the action.

• 有人搵你。 Someone is looking for you. Here 有人 is the subject.
• 我想食啲嘢。 I want to eat something. Here 啲嘢 is the object.
• 我冇嘢食。 I have nothing to eat. Here 冇嘢 introduces the absent thing.

Notice that everyday “something” is often 啲嘢 after an action, especially when an unspecified amount is intended: 食啲嘢 “eat something,” 買啲嘢 “buy some things.” 有嘢 instead says that something exists, is present, or is available: 雪櫃有嘢食 “There is something to eat in the fridge.”

Cantonese 冇 already makes the expression negative. Do not add another ordinary negator merely because English uses a form beginning with “no-”: 冇人嚟 is literally “there-is-not person come,” but idiomatic English says “Nobody came.”

邊個 and 乜嘢: question words first

At A1, learn these primarily as question expressions:

Form	Jyutping	Basic question meaning
邊個	bin1 go3	who?; which person?
乜嘢	mat1 je5	what?

Cantonese question words normally stay where the answer would appear. They are not moved to the front simply because they form a question:

• 你搵邊個？ “Who are you looking for?” Compare 我搵阿明。 “I’m looking for Ah Ming.”
• 你想食乜嘢？ “What do you want to eat?” Compare 我想食飯。 “I want to eat rice/a meal.”

The same forms can receive a nonspecific interpretation in the right environment. A conditional or a word such as 都 dou1 “all/even” can produce meanings like “whoever,” “anyone,” or “anything”: 邊個都得 “Anyone will do”; 乜嘢都食 “eat anything.” Without such a cue, do not automatically use 邊個 for “someone” or 乜嘢 for “something.” Use 有人 and 有嘢／啲嘢 for clear beginner statements.

A compact beginner map

Meaning you need	Safe beginner choice	Example
some + noun	啲 + noun	啲茶 “some tea”
an unspecified person exists/acts	有人	有人敲門 “Someone is knocking”
an unspecified thing exists	有嘢	袋入面有嘢 “There is something in the bag”
do/eat/buy something	verb + 啲嘢	買啲嘢 “buy something”
no person	冇人	冇人知 “Nobody knows”
no thing / nothing	冇嘢	冇嘢睇 “There is nothing to watch”
ask who	邊個	佢係邊個？ “Who is he/she?”
ask what	乜嘢	呢個係乜嘢？ “What is this?”

Examples in Context

Cantonese	Jyutping	English	Note
食啲嘢先。	sik6 di1 je5 sin1.	Eat something first.	啲嘢 is an unspecified amount of food.
俾啲錢我。	bei2 di1 cin2 ngo5.	Give me some money.	啲 with a mass noun.
我想飲啲水。	ngo5 soeng2 jam2 di1 seoi2.	I want to drink some water.	A common 啲 + noun pattern.
啲學生好乖。	di1 hok6 saang1 hou2 gwaai1.	The students are well-behaved.	Context identifies a particular group.
出面有啲人等緊。	ceot1 min6 jau5 di1 jan4 dang2 gan2.	Some people are waiting outside.	有啲人 explicitly presents an unspecified group.
有人打電話畀你。	jau5 jan4 daa2 din6 waa2 bei2 nei5.	Someone called you.	The person is not identified.
雪櫃有嘢食。	syut3 gwai6 jau5 je5 sik6.	There is something to eat in the fridge.	有嘢 says something is available.
冇人嚟。	mou5 jan4 lai4.	Nobody came.	冇人 is already negative.
我冇嘢講。	ngo5 mou5 je5 gong2.	I have nothing to say.	Literally, “I don’t-have thing to say.”
你想搵邊個？	nei5 soeng2 wan2 bin1 go3?	Who do you want to find?	The question word stays in object position.
你買咗乜嘢？	nei5 maai5 zo2 mat1 je5?	What did you buy?	乜嘢 asks for the identity of the thing.
邊個都可以參加。	bin1 go3 dou1 ho2 ji5 caam1 gaa1.	Anyone can take part.	邊個都 means “anyone/everyone, without restriction.”
佢乜嘢都食。	keoi5 mat1 je5 dou1 sik6.	He/She eats anything.	乜嘢都 gives a free-choice meaning.

Common Mistakes

Using 邊個 as a plain statement meaning “someone”

• Wrong: 邊個喺門口。 (intended: “Someone is at the door.”)
• Right: 有人喺門口。
• Why: 邊個 normally asks “who?” Plain “someone” is 有人. Special structures can make 邊個 indefinite, but a neutral statement needs 有人.

Using 乜嘢 wherever English has “something”

• Wrong: 我想食乜嘢。 (intended as a statement: “I want to eat something.”)
• Right: 我想食啲嘢。
• Why: Without extra context, 我想食乜嘢？ is understood as “What do I want to eat?” or, with a changed subject, 你想食乜嘢？ “What do you want to eat?” Use 啲嘢 for an unspecified amount of food or things.

Adding a number directly before 啲

• Wrong: 三啲蘋果
• Right: 三個蘋果 “three apples” or 啲蘋果 “some/the apples”
• Why: 啲 gives an indefinite amount or group. Exact numbers use a numeral plus a suitable classifier, here 個 go3.

Assuming 啲 always means “some”

• Misleading: translating 啲學生 as “some students” in every sentence
• Better: choose “some students,” “the students,” or “students” from the situation
• Why: Cantonese does not mark English-style definiteness in exactly the same way. A known group often receives “the” in English even though Cantonese still uses 啲.

Doubling the negative in 冇人 or 冇嘢

• Wrong: 唔冇人嚟。
• Right: 冇人嚟。
• Why: 冇 mou5 already means “there is not/does not have.” The expression needs no extra 唔 m4.

Usage Notes

啲, 嘢, 冇, and the forms in this lesson are central to ordinary spoken Cantonese. 嘢 is the normal colloquial word for “thing” and appears constantly in conversation. In formal Standard Written Chinese, writers may choose different vocabulary and structures, such as 東西 for “thing” in Mandarin-oriented writing or 沒有人 for “nobody.” Those are not replacements you need for everyday spoken Cantonese.

Jyutping writes 乜嘢 as mat1 je5, although connected speech may make the first syllable sound reduced. Likewise, rapid conversation can compress familiar phrases. Learn the full forms first; recognition of reduced speech will follow through listening.

English often distinguishes “some” from “the” and singular “someone” from plural “some people” explicitly. Cantonese relies more heavily on context. If ambiguity matters, speakers can add information: 有一個人 jau5 jat1 go3 jan4 means “there is one person/someone,” while 有啲人 jau5 di1 jan4 clearly means “there are some people.”

Beyond the Basics: Indefinite and Generic Uses

You do not need to master this section at A1, but these patterns explain forms you will soon hear.

Question word + 都

A question word followed by 都 dou1 can remove restrictions rather than ask a question. The exact English translation depends on whether the sentence is affirmative or negative.

Pattern	Example	Meaning
邊個都 + affirmative	邊個都識。	Everyone knows / Anyone knows.
乜嘢都 + affirmative	乜嘢都食。	Eat anything / everything.
邊個都 + negative	邊個都唔識。	Nobody knows.
乜嘢都 + negative	乜嘢都唔食。	Eat nothing / not eat anything.

This is why 邊個 and 乜嘢 cannot be assigned one fixed English word. 都 and the polarity of the sentence—that is, whether it is affirmative or negative—shape the result.

啲 after adjectives and verbs

After an adjective, 啲 commonly means “a little more” in the direction named by that adjective:

• 快啲！ faai3 di1! — Faster! / Hurry up!
• 細聲啲 sai3 seng1 di1. — Speak a little more quietly.
• 平啲 peng4 di1 — cheaper / a little cheaper

This is related to quantity but is not plural marking. The idea is “to a greater degree” or “a bit more.” After some verbs, verb + 多啲 do1 di1 means “do more”: 講多啲 gong2 do1 di1 “say more.” Keep this separate from noun phrases such as 啲書 “the/some books.”

Demonstratives with 啲

啲 also combines with demonstratives (words that point things out):

• 呢啲 ni1 di1 — these
• 嗰啲 go2 di1 — those
• 呢啲書 ni1 di1 syu1 — these books
• 嗰啲人 go2 di1 jan4 — those people

Here 啲 marks a plural set, while 呢 or 嗰 shows whether it is near or farther away. These combinations are more specific than bare 啲 + noun.

Generic reference

Cantonese can also use bare nouns, 人哋 jan4 dei6 “other people/people in general,” and more formal expressions such as 任何 jam6 ho4 “any.” These belong to the broader topic of generic reference—talking about a class or people in general—rather than simply an unknown individual. For now, do not treat every English word ending in “-one,” “-body,” or “-thing” as requiring a matching standalone Cantonese pronoun. Learn the whole Cantonese pattern used in the sentence.

Practice Tips

1. Build four-way substitutions. Start with 有人嚟 “someone is coming,” then change one element: 冇人嚟, 有嘢食, 冇嘢食. This trains the productive 有／冇 + 人／嘢 system instead of isolated vocabulary.
2. Label everyday quantities. Look around and say 啲水, 啲錢, 啲書, and 啲衫. Then put each phrase after a verb: 飲啲水, 用啲錢, 睇啲書, 買啲衫.
3. Contrast statements with questions. Pair 有人搵你 “Someone is looking for you” with 邊個搵你？ “Who is looking for you?” Pair 我買咗啲嘢 with 你買咗乜嘢？ Hearing the contrast prevents the common “someone = 邊個” mistake.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Personal Pronouns — review 我, 你, 佢, and their plural forms before combining pronouns with these sentence patterns.
• Next steps: Indefinite and Generic Reference — extends this topic to 人哋, 每, 任何, bare nouns, and broader “any/every/people in general” meanings.