For autodidact students of Hokkien, the verb "to be" is smaller than it is in English, and in one way larger. It is smaller because 是 (sī) does one job: it says that one noun is another. 我是學生 (guá sī ha̍k-sing) is "I am a student": 我 (guá) is the subject, 是 (sī) is the link, and 學生 (ha̍k-sing) is the noun that says what the subject is. The Ministry of Education's dictionary defines sī in just this way, as a verb of affirmative judgement that explains the subject and is generally followed by a noun, and its example is that very sentence.
Like every Hokkien verb, 是 never changes. English has "am, is, are, was, were, been"; Hokkien has 我是 (guá sī), 你是 (lí sī) and 伊是 (i sī), and time is given by a time word such as 今仔日 (kin-á-ji̍t, "today") or 昨昏 (tsa-hng, "yesterday"), not by a different form of the verb.
It is larger because English "be" does many jobs, and Hokkien gives each of them to a different word: - two nouns, "A is B": 是 (sī), the word of this lesson - an adjective, "the book is expensive": no verb at all, as in Lesson 1, where 彼本冊真貴 (hit pún tsheh tsin kuì) has no word for "is" - a place, "he is here": 佇 (tī), as in 伊佇遮 (i tī tsia) - existence, "there is a man": 有 (ū), as in 有一个查埔人 (ū tsi̍t ê tsa-poo-lâng) in Lesson 1
So an English speaker has to learn to leave "is" out as often as to put 是 in. The negative of 是 is 毋是 (m̄ sī), "is not". It is never 無是: 無 (bô) is the negative of 有 (ū), "there is".
The dictionary gives 是 nine senses, and several of them are used in every conversation. Alone, 是 means "yes, that is so". In 是毋是 (sī m̄ sī), "is it or isn't it", it makes a yes-or-no question. At the end of a statement, 是無 (sī--bô) asks "isn't that so?". In the pattern "A是A" it concedes a point: 近是近 (kīn sī kīn), "near, to be sure". In 攏是 (lóng sī), "all are", it can say that a place is full of something. It also appears in a family of compounds: 毋是 (m̄ sī), 攏是 (lóng sī), 抑是 (ia̍h-sī, "or") and 敢是 (kám-sī, "is it?").
The history of the word helps to remember it. In Classical Chinese 是 was a pointing word meaning "this", and it also meant "right, correct". The use as a link between two nouns grew out of the pointing word, which is why 是 stands in the same family as 這 (tsit) and 彼 (hit) from Lesson 1. The sense "right" is still alive in Hokkien, and the proverb of Section F depends on it.
Script note: 是 is a Han character of nine strokes, and it is the same character that Mandarin writes for shì, so a reader of Chinese knows it at once. The negative is different: Mandarin has 不是 (bú shì), and the Ministry of Education writes the Hokkien negative with 毋 (m̄). The syllable m̄ has no vowel: it is a hum made with the lips closed, with the mark of tone 7 above the m. The dictionary writes the two syllables of 毋是 as two words, m̄ sī. The tone of 是 is tone 7, the mid level tone. By the usual rule of tone change, a tone 7 syllable that has another syllable after it is said low and falling, so that sī is said as sì in 我是學生, and the Tâi-lô of this course, as before, gives the tone a syllable has when it is said alone. The respelling in brackets is for English readers and does not show tone.
Key Takeaways: - 是 (sī) is the link between two nouns: 我是學生 (guá sī ha̍k-sing), "I am a student" - It never changes for person or time; time words and 矣 (ah) show time and change - The negative is 毋是 (m̄ sī), never 無是 - Before an adjective, a place or "there is", Hokkien does not use 是: it uses the bare adjective, 佇 (tī) and 有 (ū) - 是毋是 (sī m̄ sī) and 敢是 (kám-sī) ask yes-or-no questions; 是 alone means "yes" and 毋是 means "no" - Question words 啥人 (siáng, "who"), 啥物 (siánn-mih, "what") and 佗位 (tó-uī, "where") stay in the place of the answer - 抑是 (ia̍h-sī) is "or"; "A是A, 毋過……" (A sī A, m̄-koh) is "A, to be sure, but……" - 叫 (kiò) is "to be called" and 姓 (sènn) is "to be surnamed": they do the work of "be" when names are given
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2.1a 我 I 是 is 學生 student
2.1b guá (gwah) 1SG sī (see) COP ha̍k-sing (hahk-sing) student
2.2a 這 this-thing 是 is 冊 book
2.2b tse (tseh) this-thing sī (see) COP tsheh (tseh) book
2.3a 伊 he-or-she 是 is 老師 teacher
2.3b i (ee) 3SG sī (see) COP lāu-su (low-soo) teacher
2.4a 彼 that-thing 是 is 狗 dog
2.4b he (heh) that-thing sī (see) COP káu (kow) dog
2.5a 你 you 是 are 臺灣人 Taiwan-person
2.5b lí (lee) 2SG sī (see) COP Tâi-uân-lâng (tie-wuan-lang) Taiwan-person
2.6a 這 this-thing 毋 not 是 is 我 I 的 of 冊 book
2.6b tse (tseh) this-thing m̄ (mm) NEG sī (see) COP guá (gwah) 1SG ê (eh) GEN tsheh (tseh) book
2.7a 伊 he-or-she 毋 not 是 is 醫生 doctor 伊 he-or-she 是 is 老師 teacher
2.7b i (ee) 3SG m̄ (mm) NEG sī (see) COP i-sing (ee-sing) doctor i (ee) 3SG sī (see) COP lāu-su (low-soo) teacher
2.8a 彼 that 个 (CL) 人 person 是 is 啥人 who
2.8b hit (hit) DEM.DIST ê (eh) CL.PERSON lâng (lang) person sī (see) COP siáng (syahng) who
2.9a 這 this-thing 是 is 啥物 what
2.9b tse (tseh) this-thing sī (see) COP siánn-mih (syann-mih) what
2.10a 你 you 是 is 毋 not 是 is 日本人 Japan-person
2.10b lí (lee) 2SG sī (see) COP m̄ (mm) NEG sī (see) COP Ji̍t-pún-lâng (jit-poon-lang) Japan-person
2.11a 彼 that 个 (CL) 查埔人 man 敢是 is-it 你 you 的 of 朋友 friend
2.11b hit (hit) DEM.DIST ê (eh) CL.PERSON tsa-poo-lâng (tsa-paw-lang) man kám-sī (kahm-see) Q.COP lí (lee) 2SG ê (eh) GEN pîng-iú (ping-yoo) friend
2.12a 今仔日 today 是 is 拜六 Saturday 咱 we 毋免 need-not 去 go 學校 school
2.12b kin-á-ji̍t (kin-ah-jit) today sī (see) COP pài-la̍k (pie-lahk) Saturday lán (lahn) 1PL.INCL m̄-bián (mm-byen) need-not khì (kee) go ha̍k-hāu (hahk-how) school
2.13a 你 you 欲 want 食 eat 飯 rice 抑是 or 食 eat 麵 noodles
2.13b lí (lee) 2SG beh (beh) want tsia̍h (tsyah) eat pn̄g (png) rice ia̍h-sī (yah-see) or tsia̍h (tsyah) eat mī (mee) noodles
2.14a 這 this 條 (CL) 路 road 近 near 是 is 近 near 毋過 but 傷 too 歹 hard 行 walk
2.14b tsit (tsit) DEM.PROX tiâu (tyow) CL.LONG lōo (law) road kīn (keen) near sī (see) COP kīn (keen) near m̄-koh (mm-koh) but siunn (syunn) too pháinn (pine) hard kiânn (kyann) walk
2.15a 門口 doorway 攏 all 是 is 鞋 shoe 有 there-is 人客 guest 來 come 矣 (PRT)
2.15b mn̂g-kháu (mng-kow) doorway lóng (long) all sī (see) COP ê (eh) shoe ū (oo) EXIST lâng-kheh (lang-keh) guest lâi (lye) come ah (ah) PRT.CRS
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2.1 我是學生。 (Guá sī ha̍k-sing.) "I am a student." 2.2 這是冊。 (Tse sī tsheh.) "This is a book." 2.3 伊是老師。 (I sī lāu-su.) "He is a teacher." 2.4 彼是狗。 (He sī káu.) "That is a dog." 2.5 你是臺灣人。 (Lí sī Tâi-uân-lâng.) "You are Taiwanese." 2.6 這毋是我的冊。 (Tse m̄ sī guá ê tsheh.) "This is not my book." 2.7 伊毋是醫生，伊是老師。 (I m̄ sī i-sing, i sī lāu-su.) "He is not a doctor; he is a teacher." 2.8 彼个人是啥人？ (Hit ê lâng sī siáng?) "Who is that person?" 2.9 這是啥物？ (Tse sī siánn-mih?) "What is this?" 2.10 你是毋是日本人？ (Lí sī m̄ sī Ji̍t-pún-lâng?) "Are you Japanese?" 2.11 彼个查埔人敢是你的朋友？ (Hit ê tsa-poo-lâng kám-sī lí ê pîng-iú?) "Is that man your friend?" 2.12 今仔日是拜六，咱毋免去學校。 (Kin-á-ji̍t sī pài-la̍k, lán m̄-bián khì ha̍k-hāu.) "Today is Saturday; we do not have to go to school." 2.13 你欲食飯抑是食麵？ (Lí beh tsia̍h pn̄g ia̍h-sī tsia̍h mī?) "Do you want to eat rice or noodles?" 2.14 這條路近是近，毋過傷歹行。 (Tsit tiâu lōo kīn sī kīn, m̄-koh siunn pháinn kiânn.) "This road is near, to be sure, but it is too hard to walk." 2.15 門口攏是鞋，有人客來矣。 (Mn̂g-kháu lóng sī ê, ū lâng-kheh lâi--ah.) "The doorway is full of shoes: guests have come."
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2.1 我是學生。 2.2 這是冊。 2.3 伊是老師。 2.4 彼是狗。 2.5 你是臺灣人。 2.6 這毋是我的冊。 2.7 伊毋是醫生，伊是老師。 2.8 彼个人是啥人？ 2.9 這是啥物？ 2.10 你是毋是日本人？ 2.11 彼个查埔人敢是你的朋友？ 2.12 今仔日是拜六，咱毋免去學校。 2.13 你欲食飯抑是食麵？ 2.14 這條路近是近，毋過傷歹行。 2.15 門口攏是鞋，有人客來矣。
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These are the grammar rules for expressing "to be" in Southern Min (Hokkien).
是 (sī) joins a subject to a noun. The order is subject, 是, noun: 我是學生 (2.1), 這是冊 (2.2), 伊是老師 (2.3), 你是臺灣人 (2.5). The noun that follows is bare: Hokkien has no article, as Lesson 1 showed, so "I am a student" is 我是學生 and the word for "a" is not added. The subject can be a pronoun, a noun, or a pointing word: the stand-alone forms are 這 (tse), "this thing", and 彼 (he), "that thing" (2.2, 2.4, 2.9). Before a measure word, the forms are tsit and hit (2.8, 2.14).
是 does not change. It has one form for every person and for every time. The verb gives no tense, so a time word does the work (今仔日 in 2.12 and 2.16), or the particle 矣 (ah), which marks a state that has arrived and is now true (2.29, 2.30). When a syllable follows it, sī is said low and falling, by the usual rule of tone change for tone 7.
The negative is 毋是 (m̄ sī). 毋 (m̄) is placed before 是 (2.6, 2.7, 2.25, 2.30). The dictionary's own example is 這毋是我的 (Tse m̄ sī guá ê), "This is not mine", and 2.6 is built on it. 無 (bô) is not used for this: 無 is the negative of 有 (ū, "there is"), as in the 無魚 (bô hî) of Lesson 1.
Where Hokkien leaves 是 out. English uses "be" where Hokkien has other patterns: - With an adjective, the adjective stands alone as the predicate: 近 and 歹行 (2.14), 真好 (2.28). Do not put 是 before it - For a place, 佇 (tī) is used: 坐佇彼張桌仔 (2.22), "sits at that desk" - For existence, 有 (ū) is used: 有一个新同學 (2.17), 有人客來矣 (2.15) - For names, 叫 (kiò) is "to be called" (2.18). For a surname the verb is 姓 (sènn), "to be surnamed", as in the dictionary's 你姓陳 (Lí sènn Tân), "Your surname is Chen"
是 before a noun phrase with a describing word. The describing words come before the noun, as in Lesson 1, and 的 (ê) joins them to it: 伊是真好的朋友 (2.30), "he is a very good friend". The 是 here still joins two nouns, 伊 and 朋友.
Questions. There are four ways to ask. - 是毋是 (sī m̄ sī), "is it so, or is it not so", is the question that offers both answers: 你是毋是日本人 (2.10), 你是毋是阿明 (2.19). The dictionary has the same pattern in 這是毋是你的 (Tse sī m̄ sī lí ê), "Is this yours?" - 敢是 (kám-sī) opens a question and expects the answer yes or no: 彼个查埔人敢是你的朋友 (2.11) - A question word takes the place of the answer and does not move: 啥人 (siáng) in 2.8, 啥物 (siánn-mih) in 2.9 and 2.26, 佗位 (tó-uī) in 2.23. The answer then has the same shape with the noun in the place of the question word: 彼是學校的冊店 (2.27), 我是臺北人 (2.24) - A statement can be turned into a question with 是無 (sī--bô) at its end, "isn't that so?": 你姓陳，是無 (Lí sènn Tân, sī--bô?), the dictionary's example
"Yes" and "no". Hokkien answers a yes-or-no question by repeating the verb. The answer to a question with 是 is 是 (2.20), and the answer "no" is 毋是 (2.25). The answer 有 (ū) belongs to questions with 有, not to questions with 是.
抑是 (ia̍h-sī) is "or". It joins two choices: 食飯抑是食麵 (2.13). It is a different word from the 是毋是 of a question, though it contains the same 是.
"A是A, 毋過……" is "A, to be sure, but……". The same adjective or verb is put on both sides of 是, and the second half, which begins with 毋過 (m̄-koh, "but"), states the objection: 近是近，毋過傷歹行 (2.14). The dictionary gives it as its third sense.
攏是 (lóng sī) is "all is". 攏 (lóng) is "all", and 門口攏是鞋 (2.15) says that the doorway is full of shoes: the 是 here is the dictionary's sense of "existence".
Pronouns. 咱 (lán) is "we" including the person spoken to (2.12, 2.28, 2.29), and 阮 (guán) is "we" without the person spoken to. 伊 (i) is "he", "she" or "it", so the translation has to choose.
Common Mistakes: - Putting 是 before an adjective, as in 彼本冊是貴. The adjective stands alone: 彼本冊真貴 (Lesson 1) - Using 無 as the negative of 是. Say 毋是 (m̄ sī), not 無是 - Answering "Are you a student?" with 有 (ū). The answer is 是 (sī) or 毋是 (m̄ sī) - Writing 不是, which is Mandarin. The dictionary writes the Hokkien negative with 毋 - Using 是 for place and for existence. "He is here" is 伊佇遮, and "there is a book" is 有一本冊 - Putting "a" in by reflex. The plain way to say what someone is, is the bare noun: 我是學生
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In Taiwanese Hokkien, 是 (sī) is the word of agreement, and it is one of the first words a learner is able to use in a real conversation. A question with 是 is answered by repeating it: 是 means "yes, that is so", and 毋是 means "no, that is not so". The dictionary lists this use as its own sense, "an expression of agreement, often used alone", with the example 是，我連鞭去做 (Sī, guá liâm-mi khì tsò), "Yes, I will go and do it right away". Hokkien has no one word for "yes" and none for "no" that answers every question: the answer repeats the verb of the question, so that a question with 有 is answered with 有 or 無.
A natural question to put to a newcomer is 你是佗位人 (Lí sī tó-uī lâng), "Where are you from?", and the answer takes the form of 2.24, 我是臺北人, "I am from Taipei". Another way to begin is to state a guess and ask for it to be confirmed, as the dictionary does with 你姓陳，是無 (Lí sènn Tân, sī--bô?), "Your surname is Chen, isn't it?". The tag 是無 (sī--bô) makes the guess a gentle question.
The negative 毋 (m̄) looks strange to a reader of Mandarin, which writes 不. The Ministry of Education recommends 毋 for the Hokkien word, and it is the form this course uses. A reader who meets 不是 in a text about Taiwanese is reading a form that follows Mandarin more closely.
The saying of Section F is a piece of everyday ethics, and it is put as a question. 是毋是 (sī m̄ sī) asks "is it right, or is it not", and the saying tells the speaker to put the blame on the self before looking at another person. The dictionary explains it in these terms: people who live with one another cannot avoid conflicts, and when trouble comes the first thing is to examine oneself.
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《是毋是，罵家己》— "Right or Wrong, Scold Yourself" — a traditional Taiwanese proverb, author unknown
A proverb of Taiwanese Hokkien, given in the form and the Tâi-lô of the Ministry of Education's dictionary (教育部臺灣台語常用詞辭典, the entry 是毋是，罵家己。). The dictionary explains it in Mandarin: when people live with one another there will be conflicts, and when trouble arises, one should first look at oneself. The passage is anonymous and traditional, and it is chosen because it is built on 是 itself: it contains 是 twice, in the question form 是毋是 (sī m̄ sī) that Section D teaches, and it uses the sense of 是 as "right, correct".
是毋是，罵家己。
F-A: Interlinear
F.1a 是 be-right 毋 not 是 be-right
F.1b sī (see) be-right m̄ (mm) NEG sī (see) be-right
F.2a 罵 scold 家己 self
F.2b mē (meh) scold ka-kī (kah-kee) self
F-B: Original and Translation
是毋是，罵家己。 (Sī m̄ sī, mē ka-kī.)
"Right or wrong, scold yourself first." (Translation: Latinum Institute.)
F-C: Original
是毋是，罵家己。
F-D: Grammar and Literary Commentary
Look first at 是毋是 (sī m̄ sī). It is the same question pattern as 你是毋是日本人 (2.10): the verb, then 毋, then the verb again, "is it so, or is it not so". In the lesson the 是 linked two nouns. Here there is no noun at all, and the 是 is used as the dictionary uses it elsewhere, in the sense "right, correct": "is it right or is it not right". The subject, the thing that is or is not right, is left out, because everyone who hears the proverb knows it: whatever has gone wrong between two people.
The second half is the advice. 罵 (mē) is "to scold, to blame", and 家己 (ka-kī) is "oneself", the reflexive word of Hokkien. As in 伊毋是醫生，伊是老師 (2.7), two short parts are set against each other, and they are not joined by any conjunction. The proverb has no subject and no marker of tense. It is an order, said to anyone: the verb 罵 stands first and its object 家己 follows it.
Notice what 是 does in the proverb that it does not do in Section A. It does not link a subject to a noun, and it does not say that something exists. It names a judgement of right and wrong, a sense the character has had since Classical Chinese, alongside its use as a link. The word that Section A used as a plain verb is also the word that means "right" in a Hokkien proverb.
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A short narrative in a school in Taiwan, composed for this lesson by the Latinum Institute (it is not a traditional text). The narrator speaks 2.16 to 2.18, 2.22 and 2.30. The teacher speaks 2.19 and 2.21. The new classmate, A-bîng, speaks 2.20, 2.24, 2.26 and 2.29. A classmate who sits next to him speaks 2.23, 2.25, 2.27 and 2.28. The word 是 is used for the day, for names, for people, for places and for friendship, and it is negated with 毋是 and asked with 是毋是.
2.16a 今仔日 today 是 is 拜一 Monday
2.16b kin-á-ji̍t (kin-ah-jit) today sī (see) COP pài-it (pie-it) Monday
2.17a 彼 that 間 (CL) 學校 school 有 there-is 一 one 个 (CL) 新 new 同學 classmate
2.17b hit (hit) DEM.DIST king (king) CL.SHOP ha̍k-hāu (hahk-how) school ū (oo) EXIST tsi̍t (tsit) one ê (eh) CL.PERSON sin (sin) new tông-ha̍k (tong-hahk) classmate
2.18a 伊 he-or-she 的 of 名 name 叫 be-called 阿明 A-bîng
2.18b i (ee) 3SG ê (eh) GEN miâ (myah) name kiò (kyo) be-called A-bîng (ah-bing) A-bîng
2.19a 老師 teacher 問 ask 你 you 是 is 毋 not 是 is 阿明 A-bîng
2.19b lāu-su (low-soo) teacher mn̄g (mng) ask lí (lee) 2SG sī (see) COP m̄ (mm) NEG sī (see) COP A-bîng (ah-bing) A-bîng
2.20a 伊 he-or-she 講 say 是 yes 我 I 是 am 阿明 A-bîng
2.20b i (ee) 3SG kóng (kong) say sī (see) yes guá (gwah) 1SG sī (see) COP A-bîng (ah-bing) A-bîng
2.21a 老師 teacher 講 say 真 very 好 good 彼 that 張 (CL) 桌仔 table 是 is 你 you 的 of
2.21b lāu-su (low-soo) teacher kóng (kong) say tsin (tsin) very hó (hoh) good hit (hit) DEM.DIST tiunn (tyunn) CL.FLAT toh-á (toh-ah) table sī (see) COP lí (lee) 2SG ê (eh) GEN
2.22a 阿明 A-bîng 坐 sit 佇 at 彼 that 張 (CL) 桌仔 table
2.22b A-bîng (ah-bing) A-bîng tsē (tseh) sit tī (tee) at hit (hit) DEM.DIST tiunn (tyunn) CL.FLAT toh-á (toh-ah) table
2.23a 隔壁 next-door 的 of 同學 classmate 問 ask 伊 he-or-she 你 you 是 are 佗位 where 人 person
2.23b keh-piah (keh-pyah) next-door ê (eh) GEN tông-ha̍k (tong-hahk) classmate mn̄g (mng) ask i (ee) 3SG lí (lee) 2SG sī (see) COP tó-uī (toh-wee) where lâng (lang) person
2.24a 伊 he-or-she 講 say 我 I 是 am 臺北人 Taipei-person
2.24b i (ee) 3SG kóng (kong) say guá (gwah) 1SG sī (see) COP Tâi-pak-lâng (tie-pak-lang) Taipei-person
2.25a 同學 classmate 講 say 我 I 毋 not 是 am 臺北人 Taipei-person 我 I 是 am 臺南人 Tainan-person
2.25b tông-ha̍k (tong-hahk) classmate kóng (kong) say guá (gwah) 1SG m̄ (mm) NEG sī (see) COP Tâi-pak-lâng (tie-pak-lang) Taipei-person guá (gwah) 1SG sī (see) COP Tâi-lâm-lâng (tie-lahm-lang) Tainan-person
2.26a 阿明 A-bîng 問 ask 彼 that-thing 是 is 啥物 what
2.26b A-bîng (ah-bing) A-bîng mn̄g (mng) ask he (heh) that-thing sī (see) COP siánn-mih (syann-mih) what
2.27a 同學 classmate 講 say 彼 that-thing 是 is 學校 school 的 of 冊店 bookshop
2.27b tông-ha̍k (tong-hahk) classmate kóng (kong) say he (heh) that-thing sī (see) COP ha̍k-hāu (hahk-how) school ê (eh) GEN tsheh-tiàm (tseh-tyam) bookshop
2.28a 同學 classmate 講 say 今仔日 today 天氣 weather 真 very 好 good 咱 we 做伙 together 食飯 eat-rice
2.28b tông-ha̍k (tong-hahk) classmate kóng (kong) say kin-á-ji̍t (kin-ah-jit) today thinn-khì (tinn-kee) weather tsin (tsin) very hó (hoh) good lán (lahn) 1PL.INCL tsò-hué (tsoh-hweh) together tsia̍h-pn̄g (tsyah-png) eat-rice
2.29a 阿明 A-bîng 講 say 好 good 咱 we 是 are 朋友 friend 矣 (PRT)
2.29b A-bîng (ah-bing) A-bîng kóng (kong) say hó (hoh) good lán (lahn) 1PL.INCL sī (see) COP pîng-iú (ping-yoo) friend ah (ah) PRT.CRS
2.30a 阿明 A-bîng 毋 not 是 is 新 new 同學 classmate 矣 (PRT) 伊 he-or-she 是 is 真 very 好 good 的 (REL) 朋友 friend
2.30b A-bîng (ah-bing) A-bîng m̄ (mm) NEG sī (see) COP sin (sin) new tông-ha̍k (tong-hahk) classmate ah (ah) PRT.CRS i (ee) 3SG sī (see) COP tsin (tsin) very hó (hoh) good ê (eh) REL pîng-iú (ping-yoo) friend
2.16 今仔日是拜一。 (Kin-á-ji̍t sī pài-it.) "Today is Monday." 2.17 彼間學校有一个新同學。 (Hit king ha̍k-hāu ū tsi̍t ê sin tông-ha̍k.) "There is a new classmate at the school." 2.18 伊的名叫阿明。 (I ê miâ kiò A-bîng.) "His name is A-bîng." 2.19 老師問：「你是毋是阿明？」 (Lāu-su mn̄g: "Lí sī m̄ sī A-bîng?") "The teacher asks, 'Are you A-bîng?'" 2.20 伊講：「是，我是阿明。」 (I kóng: "Sī, guá sī A-bîng.") "He says, 'Yes, I am A-bîng.'" 2.21 老師講：「真好。彼張桌仔是你的。」 (Lāu-su kóng: "Tsin hó. Hit tiunn toh-á sī lí ê.") "The teacher says, 'Good. That desk is yours.'" 2.22 阿明坐佇彼張桌仔。 (A-bîng tsē tī hit tiunn toh-á.) "A-bîng sits at that desk." 2.23 隔壁的同學問伊：「你是佗位人？」 (Keh-piah ê tông-ha̍k mn̄g i: "Lí sī tó-uī lâng?") "The classmate next to him asks, 'Where are you from?'" 2.24 伊講：「我是臺北人。」 (I kóng: "Guá sī Tâi-pak-lâng.") "He says, 'I am from Taipei.'" 2.25 同學講：「我毋是臺北人，我是臺南人。」 (Tông-ha̍k kóng: "Guá m̄ sī Tâi-pak-lâng, guá sī Tâi-lâm-lâng.") "The classmate says, 'I am not from Taipei; I am from Tainan.'" 2.26 阿明問：「彼是啥物？」 (A-bîng mn̄g: "He sī siánn-mih?") "A-bîng asks, 'What is that?'" 2.27 同學講：「彼是學校的冊店。」 (Tông-ha̍k kóng: "He sī ha̍k-hāu ê tsheh-tiàm.") "The classmate says, 'That is the school bookshop.'" 2.28 同學講：「今仔日天氣真好，咱做伙食飯。」 (Tông-ha̍k kóng: "Kin-á-ji̍t thinn-khì tsin hó, lán tsò-hué tsia̍h-pn̄g.") "The classmate says, 'The weather is very good today; let us eat together.'" 2.29 阿明講：「好，咱是朋友矣。」 (A-bîng kóng: "Hó, lán sī pîng-iú--ah.") "A-bîng says, 'Good. We are friends now.'" 2.30 阿明毋是新同學矣，伊是真好的朋友。 (A-bîng m̄ sī sin tông-ha̍k--ah, i sī tsin hó ê pîng-iú.) "A-bîng is not a new classmate any more; he is a very good friend."
2.16 今仔日是拜一。 2.17 彼間學校有一个新同學。 2.18 伊的名叫阿明。 2.19 老師問：「你是毋是阿明？」 2.20 伊講：「是，我是阿明。」 2.21 老師講：「真好。彼張桌仔是你的。」 2.22 阿明坐佇彼張桌仔。 2.23 隔壁的同學問伊：「你是佗位人？」 2.24 伊講：「我是臺北人。」 2.25 同學講：「我毋是臺北人，我是臺南人。」 2.26 阿明問：「彼是啥物？」 2.27 同學講：「彼是學校的冊店。」 2.28 同學講：「今仔日天氣真好，咱做伙食飯。」 2.29 阿明講：「好，咱是朋友矣。」 2.30 阿明毋是新同學矣，伊是真好的朋友。
是 for the day and for the name (2.16, 2.18). 今仔日是拜一 (2.16) is the plain pattern of Section A: a time word, 是, and a noun. For the name the narrator does not use 是 but 叫 (kiò, "to be called"): 伊的名叫阿明. A name and 是 do go together in the teacher's question and the answer (2.19, 2.20).
The question and the answer (2.19, 2.20). 你是毋是阿明 asks "are you A-bîng, or are you not", with the A-not-A pattern of Section D. The boy answers with 是 alone, "yes", and then repeats it in a full sentence: 是，我是阿明. The repetition of the verb is how Hokkien says yes.
Where a person is from (2.23 to 2.25). 你是佗位人 asks "you are where person", with the question word 佗位 (tó-uī) in the place of the answer. The answer 我是臺北人 puts the place before 人 (lâng), with a hyphen in Tâi-lô: Tâi-pak-lâng. The classmate's answer in 2.25 has the negative first and then the positive: 我毋是臺北人，我是臺南人, "not from Taipei, but from Tainan". There is no word for "but" between the two halves.
The pointing words (2.21, 2.22, 2.26, 2.27). 彼張桌仔 (hit tiunn toh-á) is "that desk", with 張 (tiunn) as the measure word for flat things, as in Lesson 1. 彼 (he) stands alone in the questions 彼是啥物 and 彼是學校的冊店, because it is not followed by a noun or a measure word.
Possession and ownership (2.21, 2.27). 彼張桌仔是你的 is "that desk is yours": 的 (ê) ends the phrase, as in 2.6, and the noun is left out because it is known. 學校的冊店 is "the school's bookshop", and 的 here joins a possessor to what it owns.
Time and the new state (2.29, 2.30). 咱是朋友矣 is "we are friends now": 矣 (ah) marks that this is now true, and was not true before. 毋是新同學矣 is "is no longer a new classmate": 矣 with 毋是 says that a state has stopped.
伊是真好的朋友 (2.30). The describing words 真好 (tsin hó) stand before 的 (ê) and 朋友. The sentence is the same as 伊是老師 (2.3) with a longer noun.
The weather (2.28). 天氣真好 is "the weather is very good", with no 是. The adjective stands alone, as in Lesson 1.
Polite words. 咱 (lán) is "we" including the person spoken to, the word of an invitation: 咱做伙食飯 (2.28) is "let us eat together", and 咱是朋友矣 (2.29) is "we are friends".
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Reading the romanisation: the system is Tâi-lô, as in Lesson 1, with the tone marked on the vowel. The tone values are approximate, and they differ from one speaker and region to another. The syllables m̄ and ng can stand alone as vowels, and nn after a vowel makes it nasal. The respellings in brackets are for English readers and do not show tone.
是 (sī) — IPA: /si/ — "see", mid level, tone 7. When a syllable follows, it is said low and falling. 毋 (m̄) — IPA: /m̩/ — A hum with the lips closed and no vowel, like the "mm" of "mm-hm". 毋是 (m̄ sī) — IPA: /m̩ si/ — Two words: the hum, then "see". 這 (tse) — IPA: /tse/ — The stand-alone "this thing": ts- and the vowel of "bed". 彼 (he) — IPA: /he/ — The stand-alone "that thing": h- and the vowel of "bed". 伊 (i) — IPA: /i/ — "ee". 醫生 (i-sing) — IPA: /i siŋ/ — "ee-sing". 啥人 (siáng) — IPA: /siaŋ/ — "syahng", falling from high. 啥物 (siánn-mih) — IPA: /sĩã miʔ/ — The first syllable is nasal, as in French; the second ends in a glottal stop. 日本人 (Ji̍t-pún-lâng) — IPA: /dzit̚ pun laŋ/ — The "j" is a voiced "dz" or "j"; the first syllable is short and checked. 敢是 (kám-sī) — IPA: /kã si/ — "kahm-see", with the first vowel falling from high. 抑是 (ia̍h-sī) — IPA: /iaʔ si/ — "yah-see", with the first syllable cut short by a glottal stop. 今仔日 (kin-á-ji̍t) — IPA: /kin a dzit̚/ — Three syllables; the last is short and checked. 拜六 (pài-la̍k) — IPA: /pai lak̚/ — "pie-lahk", with the last syllable checked. 毋免 (m̄-bián) — IPA: /m̩ bian/ — The hum, then "byen". 麵 (mī) — IPA: /mĩ/ — "mee", with the vowel slightly nasal after the m. 飯 (pn̄g) — IPA: /pŋ/ — A "p" and a syllabic "ng", with no vowel. 毋過 (m̄-koh) — IPA: /m̩ koʔ/ — The hum, then "koh" cut short. 傷 (siunn) — IPA: /sĩũ/ — "syunn", nasal. 門口 (mn̂g-kháu) — IPA: /mŋ kʰau/ — The first syllable is a hum followed by "ng". 鞋 (ê) — IPA: /e/ — The vowel of "bed" or "hey". 人客 (lâng-kheh) — IPA: /laŋ kʰeʔ/ — The last syllable is an aspirated "k" and a glottal stop. 罵 (mē) — IPA: /me/ — "meh", mid level. 家己 (ka-kī) — IPA: /ka ki/ — "kah-kee". 臺灣人 (Tâi-uân-lâng) — IPA: /tai uan laŋ/ — "tie-wuan-lang". 臺南人 (Tâi-lâm-lâng) — IPA: /tai lam laŋ/ — "tie-lahm-lang". 天氣 (thinn-khì) — IPA: /tʰĩ kʰi/ — The first syllable is an aspirated "t" with a nasal vowel.
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