1. … Even the word for 'quail' (the wrong word I wrote) was used by many people in discussion forums from HK! This can make things difficult.
This is sadly the truth. Native speakers know that the word is “quail” only from the context. Non-native speakers would have a hard time in realizing that the written word is wrong or sort of lazy writing.
2. … So if we have to use the dictionary to search a sound, often we will get it wrong.
For both Cantonese instructors and learners, they have to learn at least one romanization system (and study it like a new language) in order to teach or learn. The Yale romanization system is based on American English while the Jyutping system (used by this site) is based on International Phonetic Alphabets. But once we master one romanization system, the other systems are easy.
In other words, we will often get it wrong when we search CantoDict by using standard English sounds.
3. … but sometimes 得 is used in set phrases (like the one you mentioned). So the question is regarding the entire phrase, not just one word or how to use 得.
The sentence concerned is 你吹得佢像咩. Native speakers would know that 吹像 is merely a lazy way of typing 吹脹 from the context.
And 吹得脹 is not a set phrase (whereas 吹唔脹 is). If one knows that 得 means “able to” when placed between a verb and an adjective, then one would know that the phrase is composed of 得 (able to) + 吹脹 (annoy). The whole sentence could be translated as “You couldn’t be able to annoy him, could you?”
This is sadly the truth. Native speakers know that the word is “quail” only from the context. Non-native speakers would have a hard time in realizing that the written word is wrong or sort of lazy writing.
2. … So if we have to use the dictionary to search a sound, often we will get it wrong.
For both Cantonese instructors and learners, they have to learn at least one romanization system (and study it like a new language) in order to teach or learn. The Yale romanization system is based on American English while the Jyutping system (used by this site) is based on International Phonetic Alphabets. But once we master one romanization system, the other systems are easy.
In other words, we will often get it wrong when we search CantoDict by using standard English sounds.
3. … but sometimes 得 is used in set phrases (like the one you mentioned). So the question is regarding the entire phrase, not just one word or how to use 得.
The sentence concerned is 你吹得佢像咩. Native speakers would know that 吹像 is merely a lazy way of typing 吹脹 from the context.
And 吹得脹 is not a set phrase (whereas 吹唔脹 is). If one knows that 得 means “able to” when placed between a verb and an adjective, then one would know that the phrase is composed of 得 (able to) + 吹脹 (annoy). The whole sentence could be translated as “You couldn’t be able to annoy him, could you?”