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Colloquial Cantonese phrases often differ significantly from Mandarin, so I would be nervous to use 你怎么样 pronounced in Cantonese.

Is there a greeting of identical (or nearly identical) meaning in Cantonese (ie, for closer acquaintances, implying "how are ya?" or "what's up?")?

tbaums
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  • This question is likely too simple for someone who has a basic understanding of Cantonese and is something you would likely already know if you were serious about learning it. This sounds like a 'how do u say hi in Chinese' type question when u are not really serious about learning" – going Dec 18 '11 at 10:31
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    Fair point and worthy of a down vote. I was looking for a a comment on the subtlety implied in a casual "what's up?" but I agree with your assessment. – tbaums Dec 18 '11 at 12:49
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    I don't think people would often say "你怎么样？" in Mandarin. It's not very clear what you're asking about and there's a connotation of "is there something wrong with you". I guess the tone of how you say it could clarify the connotation. I think people usually add some more context like "你最近怎么样？". – user102008 Feb 22 '15 at 04:55

1 Answers1

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Normally we use the verb "点"

你点啊？ Nei5 dim2 aa3? leih dim a? English: What's up? (less formal)

你点样啊？ Nei5 dim2 jeung5 aa3? leih dim yeung a? English: How are you doing? (more formal)

你近排点啊？ Nei5 gan6 paai4 dim2 aa3? leih gan pai dim a? English: How have you been doing?

你呢排点啊？ Nei5 ni1 paai4 dim2 aa3? leih li pai dim a? English: How've you been lately?

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Sammi
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  • Can you translate these or note the differences between them in the tone they convey colloquially? – tbaums Dec 19 '11 at 02:23
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    The first would be more casual like "How's it going?" while the second is a little more formal like "How are you doing?". The last two are essentially the same as far as my experience goes - "How have you been?" or "How have you been lately?". – Zann Anderson Dec 20 '11 at 22:45
  • It is curious how you use "l" in place of "n" in "nei" and "ni", @Sammi. Is that a matter of dialect or accent? – MickG Feb 21 '15 at 11:58
  • Perhaps the alternate romanization is now best removed… – MickG Feb 21 '15 at 12:03