Āi = Want
Use ai to express the idea of wanting something. Examples:
-
Goalang ai khi Singapo.
= We want to go to Singapore. -
Ako:ng ai cu tampok png, liau i ai khoa tiensi.
= Grandpa wants to cook some rice, then he wants to watch TV.
Māi = Do Not Want
To express the idea of not wanting something, use mai. Examples:
-
I mai ciak ama be e phengko:.
= He/She does not want to eat the apple grandma bought. -
Thai joak liau, goa ma kap phoitoa.
= It's too hot, I don't want to use the blanket.
Āi (...) Māi? = Do You Want (...) ?
To ask someone whether they want something, use ai mai consecutively at the end of a sentence. Examples:
-
Thama goalang u be phengko, li ai mai?
= We bought apples earlier, do you want some? -
Ch-peng thai ce png liau, ilang ai mai?
= There's too much rice on this side, do they want some?
You can also insert a verb between ai and mai to ask whether they want to do something. Examples:
-
Goa ai khi khoa hi, li ai toi mai?
= I want to go watch a movie, do you want to come along? -
Ch-le tiennau ho: hakseng cin ho iong, li ai be mai?
= This computer is great to use for students, do you want to buy it?
Learn Also
List of Hokkien Lessons in LingoNomad
For a list of Hokkien lessons in this website, visit this page.
