📌 資料來源：hokkien-writing/dataset 專案。內容經過校勘處理。
Lesson X. Grammar.
Substantives and Adjectives are not declined: the same word expresses both the singular and the plural. Pronouns hove a plural form.
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| 我 (Uá) I. | 阮。咱(Ún ; nán) we. |
| 汝(Lṳ́) thou or you. | 恁(Nín) ye or you. |
| 伊(I) he, she, it. | 𪜶。伊人 (In ; i–nâng) they, them. |
The distinctions of moods, tenses, numbers and persons are shown by the addition of certain auxiliary verbs or particles, as follows:—
indicative mood.
present tense.
- 我來 Uá lâi … … … I come.
- 汝去 Lṳ́ khṳ̀ … … … You go.
- 伊愛 I àiⁿ … … … He wants.
- 阮勿 Ún màiⁿ … … … We don’t want.
- 恁是我个朋友 Nín sĩ uá kâi phêng-iú … … … You are my friends.
- 𪜶是外人。伊人是外人 In sĩ gūa-nâng; I–nâng sĩ gūa-nâng … … … They are outsiders.
past tense.
The common signs of the Past Tense are 有 ũ and 曾 chêng, and are employed chiefly in asking questions and in giving answers, but seldom when a subject is simply being spoken of, viz.—
- 伊分我 I pun uá … … … He gave me.
- 伊昨日來 I tsa-jít lâi … … … He came yesterday.
- 伊昨日有來亞無 I tsa-jít ũ lâi a-bô? … … … Did he come yesterday or not?
- 伊昨日毋曾來。伊昨日無來 I tsa-jít m̃-chêng lâi; i tsa-jít bô-lâi … … … He did not come yesterday.
- 我昨日曾來。我昨日有來 Uá tsa-jít chêng–lâi; uá tsa-jít ũ–lâi … … … I did come yesterday.
perfect tense.
The chief signs of the Perfect Tense are 了 lióu, 正 chiàⁿ, 識 pat, 有 ũ, 未 būe, and 亞未 a-būe.
Lióu[1] 了 (finish) can only be used to subjects being spoken of, and cannot be used in asking questions, viz.—
- 伊來了 I lâi–lō … … … He has come.
- 阮知了 Ún tsai–lō … … … We have known.
- 因到了 In kàu–lō … … … They have arrived.
Chiàⁿ 正 (just) and 識 pat (ever) can be used both to questions and answers, viz.—
- 伊正來 I chiàⁿ-lâi … … … He has just come.
- 汝此陣正來 Lṳ́ chi-tsûn chìaⁿ-lâi? … … … Have you just now come?
- 汝早識來此塊咩 Lṳ́ tsá pat-lâi–chié mē? … … … Have you ever been here before?
- 我早毋識來此塊 Uá tsá m̃-pat lâi–chié … … … I have never been here before.
Ũ (have) 有 in the Perfect Tense, generally followed by the interrogative sign 亞未 a-būe, is used for questions only, and 未 būe (not yet) is used for answers, viz.—
- 伊有來亞未 I ũ[2] lâi a-būe? … … … Has he come?
- 伊未來 I būe lâi … … … He has not come.
- 因有去亞未 In ũ[2] khṳ̀ a-būe? … … … Have they gone?
- 因未去 In būe khṳ̀ … … … They have not gone.
future tense.
The chief signs of the Future Tense are àiⁿ, 正愛 chiàⁿ-àiⁿ, (want) 會 õi (can) and 袂 bõi (cannot.) viz.—
- 伊明旦起愛來 I màⁿ-khí àiⁿ-lâi … … … He will come tomorrow.
- 霎時愛落雨 Khiã-tiām àiⁿ-lóh-hõu … … … It will rain bye-and-bye.
- 伊底當時正愛來 I tiang-sî chiàⁿ-àiⁿ lâi? … … … When will he come?[3]
- 伊霎時正愛來 I khiã-tiām chiàⁿ-àiⁿ-lâi … … … He will come bye-and-bye.
- 我下個月愛轉 Uá ẽ-kâi-guêh àiⁿ-tńg … … … I shall go home next month.
- 伊會死亞袂 I õi sí a-bõi? … … … Will he die?
- 伊袂死 I bõi–sí … … … He will not die.
- 伊將來會做大 I chiang-lâi õi tsò-tūa … … … He will be great in the future.
potential mood.
The signs of the Potential Mood are 會 õi, 袂 bõi, 會得 õi-tit, 袂得 bõi-tit, 好 hó, 着 tiéh, and 毋孬 m̃-móⁿ.
Õi (can) 會 implies ability, and 袂 bõi (cannot) implies its opposite, inability.
- 伊會泅 I õi-siû … … … He can swim.
- 伊袂走 I bõi-tsáu … … … He cannot run.
Õi-tit (can) 會得 implies possibility, and 袂得 bõi-tit (cannot) implies impossibility.
- 汝今夜回得來亞袂 Lṳ́ ke-mêⁿ õi-tit lâi a-bõi? … … … Can you come to-night or not?
- 我毋閒。我今夜袂得去 Uá m̃-ôiⁿ, uá ke-mêⁿ bõi-tit khṳ̀ … … … I am busy, I cannot go to-night.
- 汝通旰呾汝袂得來。汝此陣怎呢會得來 Lṳ́ thâng-kùa tàⁿ-lṳ́ bõi-tit lái, lṳ́ chí-tsûn tsò-nîⁿ õi-tit lâi? … … … You said just now you could not come, how is it you can come now?
- 我此陣閒。故此就會得來 Uá chí-tsûn ôiⁿ, kù-tshṳ́ chiũ õi-tit lâi … … … I have leisure just now, and therefore I can come.
- 汝若是無佮伊呾。伊袂得知 Lṳ́ nāⁿ-sĩ bô kah i tàⁿ, i bõi-tit tsai … … … If you did not tell him, he could not know it.
Hó 好 is very nearly the same as the English auxiliary verb may, and implies liberty.
- 我好去咩 Uá hó-khṳ̀ mē? … … … May I go?
- 汝好去 Lṳ́ hó-khṳ̀ … … … You may go.
- 我好呾咩 Uá hó-tàⁿ mē? … … … May I speak?
Tiéh 着 (must, ought, or should) implies obligation.
- 汝着來 Lṳ́ tiéh-lâi … … … You must, (ought to, or should) come.
- 喊伊着恬恬 Hàm i tiéh tiām-tiām … … … Tell him he ought to be silent.
- 我着嫌汝 Uá tiéh-hiâm lṳ́ … … … I must blame you.
- 汝着認汝个毋着 Lṳ́ tiéh-jīn lṳ́ kâi m̃-tiéh … … … You should admit your fault.
M̃-móⁿ (don’t) 毋孬 implies the opposite of 着 tiéh, viz. must not, ought not, and should not.
- 汝毋孬去 Lṳ́ m̃-móⁿ khṳ̀ … … … You must not go.
- 恁毋孬分伊去 Nín m̃-móⁿ pun i khṳ̀ … … … You ought not to let him go.
- 恁毋孬詏 Nín m̃-móⁿ à … … … You should not argue.
The Passive verb is formed by the use of the words 分 pun, 乞 khoih (to give) and 分人 pun–nâng (give people.)
- 汝乞底誰拍 Lṳ́ khoih tî-tiâng phah? … … … By whom were you beaten?
- 我分伊拍 Uá pun i phah … … … I was beaten by him.
- 伊分人刣 I pun–nâng thâi … … … He was killed.
- 分底誰刣 Pun tî-tiâng thâi? … … … Was killed by whom?
- 是分伊刣亞毋是 Sĩ pun i thâi a m̃-sĩ? … … … Was he kileld by him or not?
- 伊分雷公扣死 I pun lûi-kong khà-sí … … … He was struck to death by lightning.
- 伊袂分人騙 I bõi pun–nâng phièn … … … He cannot be deceived by people.
- 伊个名聲乞人呵咾 I kâi miâⁿ-siaⁿ khoih–nâng o-ló … … … His name is praised by the people.
The Progressive Form is formed by the use of the word 在 tõ (in the act of) and 愛 àiⁿ (want.)
- 小兒在耍 Nouⁿ-kiáⁿ tõ sńg … … … The boys are playing.
- 我在寫字 Uá tõ siá-jī … … … I am writing.
- 阿孥在哭 A-nôuⁿ tõ khàu … … … The child is crying.
- 伊呾伊愛去 I tàⁿ i àiⁿ-lâi … … … He says he is coming.
- 伊愛轉去 I àiⁿ-tńg–khṳ̀ … … … He is going home.
comparison of adjectives.
the comparative degree.
The words employed in the comparative degree are 愈 zú, 敬 kèng, (more) 稍 ióu, (a little) 過 kùe, (over) 贏 iâⁿ (to be superior, to defeat,) and 輸, (to be inferior, to be defeated.)
- 愈㩼愈好 Zú-tsōi zú-hó … … … The more the better.
- 此個稍大 Chí–kâi ióu-tūa … … … This is a little larger.
- 伊有愈㩼我 I ũ zú-tsōi uá … … … He has more than I.
- 此個敬長過彼個 Chí–kâi kèng-tn̂g kùe hṳ́-kâi … … … This is longer than that.
- 汝个好。我个愈更好 Lṳ́–kâi hó, uá–kâi zú-kèng hó … … … Yours is good, (but) mine better.
- 伊會走猛過我 I õi-tsáu méⁿ-kùe uá … … … He can run faster than I.
- 汝行猛過伊走 Lṳ́ kiâⁿ méⁿ-kùe i tsáu … … … You walk faster than he runs.
- 潮州府會贏過汕頭亞袂 Tiê-chiu-hú õi iâⁿ-kùe Suaⁿ-thâu a-bõi? … … … Is Ch’ao-chow-fu better than Swatow?
- 汝寫个字贏我个 Lṳ́ siá kâi jī iâⁿ uá kâi … … … Your writing is better than mine.
- 伊做s事汝 I tsò-sṳ̄ iâⁿ lṳ́ … … … He does things better than you.
- 汝無用。輸伊 Lṳ́ bô-ēng su i … … … You are no use, and are surpassed by him.
- 汝會走贏伊咩 Lṳ́ õi tsáu-iâⁿ i mē? … … … Can you over take him in running?
- 袂。我輸伊 Bõi, uá su i … … … No, I am behind him in running.
the superlative degree.
The words employed in the superlative degrree are 上 siãng and 上頂 siãng-téng (supreme); the latter generally refers to the qualities of goods, viz.—
- 有上大个咩 Ũ siãng-tūa–kâi mē? … … … Have you the largest one?
- 此個就是上大个 Chí–kâi chiũ-sĩ siãng-tūa kâi … … … This is the largest one.
- 我愛上頂好个 Uá àiⁿ siãng-téng-hó–kâi … … … I want the best (quality.)
[1] This word is so unaccented, that it is always sounded lō instead of lióu, when it comes after a Double hyphen.
[2] In every case ũ may be omitted if preferred.
[3] Chiàⁿ-àiⁿ is nearly the same as the auxillary verb will, and is employed thus, e. g. I tiang-sî chiàⁿ-àiⁿ lâi? when will he come? that is to say, he is not coming now, but when will he come? and the answer is I khiã-tiām chiàⁿ-àiⁿ lâi, He will come bye and bye, that is to say, he will come, but not before the time when he intends to come.