HONG KONG · A1–C1
Cantonese course · A1 to C1 · 34 units
Practice speaking Cantonese in real conversations
Order at a cha chaan teng, pick dishes off a dim sum trolley, tell a red minibus driver where to stop. The course builds up to conversations you can actually have in Hong Kong, from your first tones to C1.
For iPhone, iOS 18 or later.
Your first conversation
Meet your Cantonese tutors
Your first mission is Cha chaan teng in Hong Kong with Ah Mei, a server at Wing Lee Café, Sham Shui Po. She greets you, takes your order, asks if it's for here or to go, and tells you the price. Rehearse the phrases first, then talk or type your answers.
As the course goes on you'll meet more of the cast, each with their own place and mission. Ask any of them to repeat, slow down, or show English.
早晨！食咩呀？Morning! What are you having?
Syllabus
Every Cantonese unit, A1 to C1
34 units across five levels, with 13 built-in speaking missions. You can also write your own.
A1 · Beginner
8 units
- Tones and JyutpingYou'll be able to hear and say Cantonese's six tones and greet people.Covers: The six tones, Reading Jyutping, Initials and finals, 早晨, 你好, 唔該 and 多謝Speaking mission: Greet a neighbor in the lift and thank them for holding the door
- Introducing yourselfYou'll be able to say your name, where you're from and what you do.Covers: 我係…, 我叫…, 邊度人, 唔係: not, 嗎 and 呀 questionsSpeaking mission: Introduce yourself to a new classmate in Hong Kong
- Numbers and moneyYou'll be able to count, ask prices and pay.Covers: Numbers 1–10,000, 幾多錢, 蚊 and 毫, 八達通
- Ordering at a cha chaan tengYou'll be able to order food and drinks the local way.Covers: 唔該, 要, 俾我, Measure words: 杯, 碗, 碟, 份, 凍 and 熱, 少甜Speaking mission: Order breakfast at a cha chaan teng: milk tea and pineapple bun
- Measure wordsYou'll be able to count anything with the right measure word.Covers: 個, 隻, 張, 架, 本, 呢個, 嗰個, Measure word + noun without a number
- Where things areYou'll be able to ask where places are and understand directions.Covers: 喺 for location, 邊度, 呢度, 嗰度, 轉左, 轉右, 直行Speaking mission: Ask for directions: Find the Star Ferry pier from Central
- Time and datesYou'll be able to tell the time and make plans.Covers: 點鐘, 骨, 半, 星期 and dates, 幾時: when
- Reading charactersYou'll be able to read 100 common Traditional characters.Covers: Radicals, Spoken-only characters: 嘅, 咗, 唔, 喺, Characters on signs and menus
A2 · Elementary
8 units
- Aspect: 咗, 緊, 過You'll be able to talk about what happened, what's happening, and what you've done.Covers: 咗: done, 緊: in progress, 過: have ever, 未 and 仲未
- Describing thingsYou'll be able to describe people, places and weather.Covers: 好 + adjective, 啲: a bit more, Comparisons with 過, 最: most
- Wanting and abilityYou'll be able to say what you want and can do.Covers: 想 and 要, 識: know how, 可以 and 會, 使唔使: need to
- Sentence-final particlesYou'll be able to sound natural with 呀, 啦, 喎, 咩 and 嘛.Covers: 呀 and 啦, 喎 and 嘛, 咩 and 呢, Particles change the feeling
- QuestionsYou'll be able to ask and answer any question.Covers: A唔A questions, 未 questions, Question words: 乜嘢, 邊個, 點解, 點樣
- Family and yum chaYou'll be able to talk about your family and eat dim sum together.Covers: Kinship terms, 我屋企人, Dim sum ordering phrasesSpeaking mission: Order dim sum: Yum cha with your partner's family
- Getting aroundYou'll be able to use buses, MTR and minibuses.Covers: 搭, 坐, 轉車, 有落 and 落車, 幾耐: how longSpeaking mission: Take a red minibus: Get off at the right stop in Mong Kok
- Giving reasonsYou'll be able to explain why.Covers: 因為…所以, 咁, 點解…?
B1 · Intermediate
7 units
- Giving and receivingYou'll be able to talk about gifts and favors.Covers: 俾 as give, 送, 幫 + person + verbSpeaking mission: Give lai see at Chinese New Year and say the right wishes
- ConditionalsYou'll be able to talk about what happens if….Covers: 如果…就, 嘅話, 唔係…就
- Resultative verbsYou'll be able to say whether actions succeed.Covers: 食完, 搵到, 聽明, Potential: 聽唔明, 搵唔到, 得 and 唔
- Passive with 俾You'll be able to say what happened to you.Covers: 俾 + agent + verb, Unlucky events, 畀 and 俾 spellings
- Workplace CantoneseYou'll be able to speak at work, including mixing in English.Covers: Polite register, Code-switching with English, Meeting phrasesSpeaking mission: Introduce yourself at a team meeting in a Hong Kong office
- Telling storiesYou'll be able to narrate events in order.Covers: 跟住, 之後, 最後, 嗰陣時, 一…就
- Everyday expressionsYou'll be able to use the expressions locals use every day.Covers: 正, 犀利, 好彩, Set phrases, ExclamationsSpeaking mission: Chat with a friend about a great new restaurant
B2 · Upper intermediate
6 units
- OpinionsYou'll be able to give and defend opinions.Covers: 我覺得, 我認為, 雖然…但係, 不過, 其實Speaking mission: Discuss Hong Kong housing prices with a friend
- Written vs. spoken ChineseYou'll be able to move between spoken Cantonese and written Chinese.Covers: 係 vs. 是, 嘅 vs. 的, 唔 vs. 不, Reading written Chinese aloud in Cantonese, When each is used
- News CantoneseYou'll be able to follow TV and radio news.Covers: Broadcast register, Formal vocabulary, Numbers and statistics
- IdiomsYou'll be able to understand and use four-character idioms and 歇後語.Covers: 成語, 歇後語, Everyday sayings
- Cantopop and filmYou'll be able to talk about songs, films and TV.Covers: Lyrics and their tones, Film vocabulary, Recommending and reviewingSpeaking mission: Recommend a Cantopop song to a friend and say why you love it
- Humor and wordplayYou'll be able to follow jokes and puns.Covers: Tone puns, Slang, Teasing and irony
C1 · Advanced
5 units
- Formal speechesYou'll be able to give a formal speech or toast.Covers: Formal register, Wedding and banquet phrases, Structuring a speechSpeaking mission: Give a toast at a Hong Kong wedding banquet
- Classical tracesYou'll be able to recognize classical Chinese in everyday Cantonese.Covers: Classical particles, Literary idioms, Reading classical lines aloud
- DebateYou'll be able to argue and persuade.Covers: Concession and rebuttal, Rhetorical questions, Persuasive phrasesSpeaking mission: Persuade your neighbors' committee to fix the building lift
- Varieties of CantoneseYou'll be able to understand Guangzhou and overseas Cantonese.Covers: Hong Kong vs. Guangzhou, Overseas communities, Vocabulary differences
- Cantonese for anythingYou'll be able to read specialist texts and speak with precision.Covers: Academic vocabulary, Precise verbs, Presentations
Levels
Spoken Cantonese, not textbook Chinese
Vivavoce teaches Cantonese as it's spoken in Hong Kong, with sentence-final particles, 咗 and 緊, and the measure words people actually use. A B2 unit covers how written Chinese differs from what you say.
The course opens with tones and Jyutping, and levels follow the CEFR scale from A1 to C1, the same scale used for Spanish.
Jyutping, your way
尾班車 · The Last Train · A2
而家係夜晚十一點。阿玲好趕。
It's eleven at night. Ah Ling is in a hurry.
Stories in traditional characters can show Jyutping over every word, only over words you haven't learned yet, or not at all.
FAQ
Questions about learning Cantonese with Vivavoce
Is this Cantonese or Mandarin?
Cantonese, as spoken in Hong Kong, written in traditional characters with Jyutping.
How does Vivavoce teach Cantonese tones?
The first unit is tones and Jyutping, and every phrase you rehearse can be replayed slower. Jyutping can stay on in stories until you're ready to turn it down.
Will I learn to read characters?
Yes, alongside speaking. A1 ends with a unit on reading characters, and B2 covers how written Chinese differs from spoken Cantonese.
Also on Vivavoce
Speaking practice in Japanese · Spanish · Thai. See how missions work, or read why speaking practice and flashcards work best together.
Start speaking today
Your first speaking mission takes about six minutes. For iPhone, iOS 18 or later.