Кантон тілінің грамматикалық ерекшеліктері

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Cantonese is an analytic language in which the arrangement of words in a sentence is important to its meaning. A basic sentence is in the form of SVO, i. e. a subject is followed by a verb then by an object, though this order is often violated because Cantonese is a topic prominent language. Unlike synthetic languages, seldom do words indicate time, gender and number by inflection. Instead, these concepts are expressed through adverbs, aspect markers, and particles, or are deduced from the context. Different particles are added to a sentence to further specify its status or intonation. A verb itself indicates no tense. The time can be explicitly shown with time indicating adverbs. Certain exceptions exist, however, according to the pragmatic interpretation of a verb's meaning. Additionally, an optional aspect particle can be appended to a verb to indicate the state of an event. Appending interrogative or exclamative particles to a sentence turns a sentence into a question or shows the attitudes of the speaker.

Questions are not formed by changing the word order as in English. Sentence final particles and certain interrogative constructions are used instead.

The following Cantonese grammatical points are not found in Mandarin Chinese.

Classifiers can be used instead of the possessive 嘅 ge3 to indicate possession of a single object. Classifiers cannot be used this way in Mandarin. Classifiers in both Cantonese and Mandarin can serve to individualize a noun, giving it a singular meaning (or plural in the case 啲 di1). However, such a construction in Mandarin will be of indefinite reference, unless a demonstrative (e. g. 這 zhè "this") or the universal quantifier (每 měi "every") is present. Furthermore, there are great limitations on using this construction in subject position in Mandarin. In Cantonese, these restrictions do not exist.

Adjective comparison in Cantonese is formed by adding the marker 過 gwo3 after an adjective. The adjective marker construction serves as a transitive verb which takes the standard of comparison as an object. In Standard Mandarin, comparison is marked by adding 比 bǐ, which serves in an adverbial phrase, leaving the adjective itself unchanged. The sentence above is translated into Mandarin as:

Alternatively the plural marker 啲 di1 alone (without the numeral 一 yat1) can be used use as the sole complement of the verbal adjective.

Cantonese has a dedicated habitual aspect marker, 開 hoi1, with no similar counterpart in Mandarin.

In Cantonese, there must always be an agent in a passive, while in Mandarin this isn't the case. If there's no known or specific agent, Cantonese must at least use 人 jan4 "someone" as a dummy agent.

It is possible to stack various of such particles one after the other, while Mandarin is restricted to sentence final 了 and one particle.

There is no gender distinction between the third person singulars of he, she and it in spoken or written Cantonese (佢); however in written Cantonese of formal register, which is similar to Mandarin, male and female may be distinguished with two different characters, 他 for male and 她 for female, as well as 它 for inanimate objects (including plants), 牠 for (non human) animals, and 祂 for god(s), which all have the same pronunciation.