A1
緊 — happening now
How Cantonese marks an action in progress by attaching 緊 to the verb, the 喺度 alternative, and why 住 is a different thing.
緊 attaches to the back of the verb and says the action is going on right now. Mandarin puts 在 in front; Cantonese puts 緊 behind. Same idea, opposite side.
我食緊飯。
Ngo5 sik6gan2 faan6.
I’m eating.
佢瞓緊覺。
Keoi5 fan3gan2 gaau3.
He’s asleep.
你做緊乜嘢呀？
Nei5 zou6gan2 mat1je5 aa3?
What are you doing?
我在食飯。
我食緊飯。
在 before the verb is the Mandarin pattern. Cantonese has 喺 for location and 緊 for progress, and neither goes where 在 would.
喺度 does the same job
Literally at here, in front of the verb. It is very common and slightly more casual, and it can appear alongside 緊.
我喺度食飯。
Ngo5 hai2dou6 sik6faan6.
I’m having dinner.
佢喺度做緊嘢。
Keoi5 hai2dou6 zou6gan2 je6.
He’s working right now.
Not for states
The same restriction Mandarin has. 緊 marks an action under way, and living somewhere, knowing something or liking something are not actions. 我住緊香港 is heard, but 我住喺香港 is what to say.
Negating is awkward, so nobody does it
冇食緊 is grammatical and stilted. In practice a Cantonese speaker restructures — 我而家唔係食緊飯, or simply 我未食, or 我唔食. If you find yourself trying to negate 緊, that is a sign the sentence wants rebuilding rather than negating.
緊 is not 住
住 marks a state that an action left behind, the way Mandarin 着 does: 門開住, the door is open. 緊 is the action running; 住 is what it left. 佢著緊衫 is he’s getting dressed; 佢著住件褸 is he’s wearing a coat.