Courses › Breakthrough › Telling a Story
B1 · Lesson 3

Telling a Story

講故仔
What you will learn

Learn to narrate events vividly in Cantonese. Master storytelling connectors, time sequencing, dramatic pauses, and descriptive phrases to tell engaging stories about things that happened to you.

Dialogue

Conversation

A
你聽咗未呀？尋日阿Ming發生咗一件好搞笑嘅事。
Did you hear? Something really funny happened to Ah Ming yesterday.
B
未呀，講嚟聽下？
No, tell me about it?
A
首先呢，佢朝早趕住返工，著錯咗兩隻唔同色嘅鞋。
First, he was rushing to work in the morning and wore two different coloured shoes.
B
吓？真係㗎？
What? Really?
A
係呀！跟住佢到咗公司先發現，但係已經遲咗。
Yes! Then he only noticed when he got to the office, but he was already late.
B
咁佢點呀？
So what did he do?
A
佢話佢扮冇事咁坐低開會，點知個老闆望到佢對鞋，忍唔住笑咗出嚟。
He said he pretended nothing was wrong and sat down for the meeting, but then the boss noticed his shoes and could not help but laugh.
B
哈哈！最後點收場呀？
Haha! How did it end?
A
最後全公司都知道，大家嗰日不停笑佢。佢話以後出門口一定會檢查下先。
In the end the whole office found out, everyone kept laughing at him that day. He said from now on he will definitely check before leaving the house.
Vocabulary

Key Words & Phrases

首先
first / firstly
跟住
then / after that
最後
finally / in the end
發生
happen / occur
搞笑
funny / hilarious
趕住
in a rush to
發現
discover / notice
扮
pretend
忍唔住
cannot help but
收場
end up / how it ended
不停
non-stop / continuously
檢查
check / inspect
Grammar

Language Patterns

首先...跟住...最後 (sequencing a story)

Use 首先 (sau2 sin1) for "first", 跟住 (gan1 zyu6) for "then/next", and 最後 (zeoi3 hau6) for "finally" to structure a narrative in chronological order.
首先我去買嘢，跟住返屋企煮飯，最後睇電視。
sau2 sin1 ngo5 heoi3 maai5 je5, gan1 zyu6 faan1 uk1 kei2 zyu2 faan6, zeoi3 hau6 tai2 din6 si6.
First I went shopping, then went home to cook, finally watched TV.
首先要報名，跟住交錢，最後等通知。
sau2 sin1 jiu3 bou3 meng2, gan1 zyu6 gaau1 cin2, zeoi3 hau6 dang2 tung1 zi1.
First register, then pay, finally wait for notification.

佢話 ... (reported speech)

佢話 (keoi5 waa6) means "he/she said". Use it to report what someone told you. No special tense changes needed in Cantonese — just quote directly.
佢話佢唔嚟。
keoi5 waa6 keoi5 m4 lai4.
He said he is not coming.
媽媽話記得食藥。
maa4 maa1 waa6 gei3 dak1 sik6 joek6.
Mum said remember to take medicine.

點知 (unexpectedly / who knew)

點知 (dim2 zi1) means "who knew" or "unexpectedly". It introduces a surprising twist in a story. Very natural in oral storytelling.
我以為佢走咗，點知佢仲喺度。
ngo5 ji5 wai4 keoi5 zau2 zo2, dim2 zi1 keoi5 zung6 hai2 dou6.
I thought he had left, but turns out he was still here.
我去到餐廳，點知佢哋收咗工。
ngo5 heoi3 dou3 caan1 teng1, dim2 zi1 keoi5 dei6 sau1 zo2 gung1.
I got to the restaurant, but unexpectedly they had closed.

忍唔住 + verb (cannot help but)

忍唔住 (jan2 m4 zyu6) means "cannot resist" or "cannot help but". It expresses an involuntary reaction — very useful for dramatic storytelling.
我忍唔住笑。
ngo5 jan2 m4 zyu6 siu3.
I could not help but laugh.
佢忍唔住喊咗出嚟。
keoi5 jan2 m4 zyu6 haam3 zo2 ceot1 lai4.
She could not help but cry.
Practice

Test Your Knowledge

Fill_blank · Question 1
___ 佢去買咖啡，跟住返公司，最後先發現銀包唔見咗。 (first)
  • 首先
  • 之後
  • 然後
  • 最後
Answer
首先
Translate · Question 2
He said he will definitely check before leaving the house.
Answer
佢話以後出門口一定會檢查下先。
Choice · Question 3
What does 點知 express in a story?
  • an unexpected twist
  • a question
  • a complaint
  • a plan
Answer
an unexpected twist
Fill_blank · Question 4
我忍 ___ 笑咗出嚟。 (cannot help but)
  • 唔住
  • 唔到
  • 唔起
  • 唔落
Answer
唔住
Translate · Question 5
Something very funny happened yesterday.
Answer
尋日發生咗一件好搞笑嘅事。

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