<ol>
<li><p>Normally <code>介唔介意</code> is used in situations where you expect your action may cause <em>mild displease</em> to the listener.</p>
<p>In the context of an invitation, you may cause mild displease to someone unfamiliar if they do not wish to dine with you. Conversely, you would not expect a good friend of yours to react negatively to your invitation, so <code>介唔介意</code> will sound awkward. <code>介唔介意</code> is a fairly polite way of invitation for new acquaintances / strangers.</p>
<p>However, in the following example, it can also be applied to people dear to you as well, for the simple fact that we cannot always read others' minds:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>你介唔介意我開冷氣呀？我有啲熱。</p>
<p>Do you mind if I turn on the air conditioner? I'm feeling a bit hot.</p>
</blockquote>
</li>
<li><p>Possible alternatives to <code>介唔介意</code> of similar extent of politeness are: <code>想唔想</code>, <code>肯唔肯</code> (somewhat blunt), <code>願唔願意</code>, <code>會唔會(想)</code> etc. You can even use the expression <code>唔知+sentence+呢？</code> as well for invitations, as in <code>唔知你願唔願意同我食飯呢？</code>.</p>
</li>
<li><p>Usually you expect an affirmative answer when using <code>不如</code> and <code>一於</code>. You can soften the headstrong-ness by adding sentence final particles like <code>～囉 lo3</code> and <code>～啦 laa1</code>.</p>
</li>
</ol>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-04-16T08:13:24.573Z
Thanks for your response. I am intrigued by this: 唔知你願唔願意同我食飯呢？It is longer than the rest. In what situations would this be useful?
cgo
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-04-16T08:24:32.600Z
A courteous (perhaps a bit too courteous; somewhat old-fashioned) way of inviting new acquaintances to dinner. Less awkward than 介唔介意 to me (介唔介意 can at times be somewhat self-deprecating; or sarcastic when you want to mock others as being arrogant).
L Parker
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-04-16T08:03:21.967Z
2021-04-16T08:46:25.253Z
2021-04-16T08:46:25.253Z
L Parker
<p>介意 =  'mind' (v),</p>
<p>When you ask someone &quot;你介唔介意 (do you mind) doing something&quot;, you are suggesting this something might inconvenience, trouble,  or displease him or her.</p>
<p>&quot;你介唔介意今晚同我食飯?&quot; = &quot;Do you mind having dinner with me tonight?&quot;</p>
<p>It sounds less asserted. Implies having dinner with you is doing you a favor.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>&quot;今晚不如同我食飯&quot; = &quot;It is better to have dinner with me tonight&quot;</p>
</blockquote>
<p>It is not a proper sentence structure for requesting</p>
<p>You can use a requesting phrase like &quot;好唔好&quot; as in &quot;今晚同我食飯好唔好?&quot; to make it a proper request</p>
<p>Another way to make &quot;今晚不如同我食飯&quot; a request is to use a final particle.</p>
<p>Different final particle expresses different tone, emotion or meaning</p>
<p>Example:</p>
<p>&quot;今晚不如同我食飯<strong>吖</strong>&quot; -- 吖 (suggesting/ casual/ inviting)</p>
<p>&quot;今晚不如同我食飯<strong>啦</strong>&quot; -- 啦 (casual/ suggesting/ asserted)</p>
<p>There are many other ways to make an invitation. For example, '今晚一齊食飯好唔好?' or  '今晚一齊食飯啦'</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-04-16T08:26:39.357Z
2021-04-16T08:33:56.027Z
2021-04-16T08:33:56.027Z
Tang Ho
<p>I recently came across this statement to invite someone to dinner.</p>
<p>你介唔介意今晚同我食飯.</p>
<p>As this is my first time learning cantonese, I wanted to know what the nuance of 介意 is? Are there alternative statements in inviting someone to dinner?</p>
<p>In my mind, I would have said: 今晚不如同我食飯? Is this too aggressive and headstrong?</p>
<p>Thanks for your insights</p>

<cantonese><nuance>
inviting someone to dinner (in cantonese)
# inviting someone to dinner (in cantonese)

(Asked by: username_0 on 2021-04-16)

I recently came across this statement to invite someone to dinner.

你介唔介意今晚同我食飯.

As this is my first time learning cantonese, I wanted to know what the nuance of 介意 is? Are there alternative statements in inviting someone to dinner?

In my mind, I would have said: 今晚不如同我食飯? Is this too aggressive and headstrong?

Thanks for your insights

**Tags:** cantonese, nuance


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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2021-04-16. Score: 1 | Accepted answer

1. Normally `介唔介意` is used in situations where you expect your action may cause *mild displease* to the listener.

   In the context of an invitation, you may cause mild displease to someone unfamiliar if they do not wish to dine with you. Conversely, you would not expect a good friend of yours to react negatively to your invitation, so `介唔介意` will sound awkward. `介唔介意` is a fairly polite way of invitation for new acquaintances / strangers.

   However, in the following example, it can also be applied to people dear to you as well, for the simple fact that we cannot always read others' minds:

   > 你介唔介意我開冷氣呀？我有啲熱。
   >
   > Do you mind if I turn on the air conditioner? I'm feeling a bit hot.
2. Possible alternatives to `介唔介意` of similar extent of politeness are: `想唔想`, `肯唔肯` (somewhat blunt), `願唔願意`, `會唔會(想)` etc. You can even use the expression `唔知+sentence+呢？` as well for invitations, as in `唔知你願唔願意同我食飯呢？`.
3. Usually you expect an affirmative answer when using `不如` and `一於`. You can soften the headstrong-ness by adding sentence final particles like `～囉 lo3` and `～啦 laa1`.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Thanks for your response. I am intrigued by this: 唔知你願唔願意同我食飯呢？It is longer than the rest. In what situations would this be useful?  
> **username_1**: A courteous (perhaps a bit too courteous; somewhat old-fashioned) way of inviting new acquaintances to dinner. Less awkward than 介唔介意 to me (介唔介意 can at times be somewhat self-deprecating; or sarcastic when you want to mock others as being arrogant).  

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### Answer by username_2 on 2021-04-16. Score: 2

介意 = 'mind' (v),

When you ask someone "你介唔介意 (do you mind) doing something", you are suggesting this something might inconvenience, trouble, or displease him or her.

"你介唔介意今晚同我食飯?" = "Do you mind having dinner with me tonight?"

It sounds less asserted. Implies having dinner with you is doing you a favor.

> "今晚不如同我食飯" = "It is better to have dinner with me tonight"

It is not a proper sentence structure for requesting

You can use a requesting phrase like "好唔好" as in "今晚同我食飯好唔好?" to make it a proper request

Another way to make "今晚不如同我食飯" a request is to use a final particle.

Different final particle expresses different tone, emotion or meaning

Example:

"今晚不如同我食飯**吖**" -- 吖 (suggesting/ casual/ inviting)

"今晚不如同我食飯**啦**" -- 啦 (casual/ suggesting/ asserted)

There are many other ways to make an invitation. For example, '今晚一齊食飯好唔好?' or '今晚一齊食飯啦'


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