aux: auxiliary
An auxiliary is a functional modifier of a verb that is tagged AUX. In Cantonese this relation is used for preverbal auxiliaries as well as post-verbal aspect markers. The passive auxiliary 被 bei6 used in the formal register, however, should use aux:pass.
Preverbal auxiliaries may precede the main verb immediately (1) or before other intervening material (2).
# visual-style 4 3 aux color:blue
# visual-style 3 bgColor:blue
# visual-style 3 fgColor:white
# visual-style 4 bgColor:blue
# visual-style 4 fgColor:white
1 你 _ PRON _ _ 4 nsubj _ 2SG
2 都 _ ADV _ _ 4 advmod _ also
3 應該 _ AUX _ _ 4 aux _ should
4 幫幫 _ VERB _ _ 0 root _ help
5 佢哋 _ PRON _ _ 4 obj _ 3PL
1 "You _ _ _ _ 0 _ _ _
2 should _ _ _ _ 0 _ _ _
3 help _ _ _ _ 0 _ _ _
4 us, _ _ _ _ 0 _ _ _
5 too." _ _ _ _ 0 _ _ _
# visual-style 4 2 aux color:blue
# visual-style 2 bgColor:blue
# visual-style 2 fgColor:white
# visual-style 4 bgColor:blue
# visual-style 4 fgColor:white
1 一定 _ ADV _ _ 4 advmod _ certainly
2 要 _ AUX _ _ 4 aux _ need
3 慢慢 _ ADV _ _ 4 advmod _ slowly
4 做 _ VERB _ _ 0 root _ do/work
1 "One _ _ _ _ 0 _ _ _
2 must _ _ _ _ 0 _ _ _
3 work _ _ _ _ 0 _ _ _
4 slowly." _ _ _ _ 0 _ _ _
Some preverbal auxiliaries may also stack next to each other, in which case the head of all the auxiliaries is still the main verb.
# visual-style 3 1 aux color:blue
# visual-style 3 2 aux color:blue
# visual-style 1 bgColor:blue
# visual-style 1 fgColor:white
# visual-style 2 bgColor:blue
# visual-style 2 fgColor:white
# visual-style 3 bgColor:blue
# visual-style 3 fgColor:white
1 應該 _ AUX _ _ 3 aux _ should
2 可以 _ AUX _ _ 3 aux _ can
3 做 _ VERB _ _ 0 root _ do
1 "should _ _ _ _ 0 _ _ _
2 be _ _ _ _ 0 _ _ _
3 able _ _ _ _ 0 _ _ _
4 to _ _ _ _ 0 _ _ _
5 do" _ _ _ _ 0 _ _ _
有 jau5 and 冇 mou5 may also function as auxiliaries.
# visual-style 3 2 aux color:blue
# visual-style 3 4 aux color:blue
# visual-style 2 bgColor:blue
# visual-style 2 fgColor:white
# visual-style 3 bgColor:blue
# visual-style 3 fgColor:white
# visual-style 4 bgColor:blue
# visual-style 4 fgColor:white
1 你 _ PRON _ _ 3 nsubj _ 2SG
2 有 _ AUX _ _ 3 aux _ PERF
3 入 _ VERB _ _ 0 root _ enter
4 過 _ AUX _ _ 3 aux _ EXP
5 秘密 _ ADJ _ _ 6 amod _ secret
6 通道 _ NOUN _ _ 3 obj _ tunnel
1 "You _ _ _ _ 0 _ _ _
2 have _ _ _ _ 0 _ _ _
3 entered _ _ _ _ 0 _ _ _
4 the _ _ _ _ 0 _ _ _
5 secret _ _ _ _ 0 _ _ _
6 tunnel _ _ _ _ 0 _ _ _
7 before." _ _ _ _ 0 _ _ _
# visual-style 3 2 aux color:blue
# visual-style 2 bgColor:blue
# visual-style 2 fgColor:white
# visual-style 3 bgColor:blue
# visual-style 3 fgColor:white
1 我 _ PRON _ _ 3 nsubj _ 1SG
2 冇 _ AUX _ _ 3 aux _ NEG.PERF
3 變 _ VERB _ _ 0 root _ change
1 "I _ _ _ _ 0 _ _ _
2 haven't _ _ _ _ 0 _ _ _
3 changed." _ _ _ _ 0 _ _ _
Post-verbal aspect markers include 過 guo3 (experiential), 住 zyu6 (continuous), and 咗 zo2 (perfective), 緊 gan2 (progressive), 開 hoi1 (habitual), etc., which immediately follow the verb or predicate adjective it modifies, as seen in (4) and (6).
# visual-style 2 3 aux color:blue
# visual-style 2 bgColor:blue
# visual-style 2 fgColor:white
# visual-style 3 bgColor:blue
# visual-style 3 fgColor:white
1 我 _ PRON _ _ 2 nsubj _ 1SG
2 盯 _ VERB _ _ 0 root _ stare
3 住 _ AUX _ _ 2 aux _ CONT
4 佢 _ PRON _ _ 2 obj _ 3SG
1 "I'm _ _ _ _ 0 _ _ _
2 staring _ _ _ _ 0 _ _ _
3 at _ _ _ _ 0 _ _ _
4 him." _ _ _ _ 0 _ _ _
aux in other languages: [bej] [bg] [bm] [cop] [cs] [de] [el] [en] [es] [et] [eu] [fi] [fr] [fro] [gsw] [gub] [hy] [id] [it] [ja] [ka] [kk] [ky] [myv] [no] [pcm] [pt] [qpm] [ro] [ru] [sl] [ssp] [sv] [swl] [tr] [u] [urj] [vi] [xcl] [yue] [zh]