Grammar – P

Pái / tē N pái – [Nth] time

Pān-ián … kak-sek – Play a … role

Pêⁿ-pêⁿ – Both / same / in same way

Pèng bô – Actually / certainly / really not

Pèng (negative) – Is certainly not

Pèng-chhiáⁿ – And also / in addition

A pí B koh khah [Stative Verb] – A is even more [Stative Verb] than B

Pí chit ê lē lâi kóng - To give an example…

(Kap/ham X ) pí khí lâi, Y … – Compared to X, Y …

Pī [verb] – Can be used with some verbs to make the passive tense

Piān-nā - Every time / whenever

Pit-kèng – After all…

Pō·pō· – Often; always, at every turn

Pún-lâi – Originally / at root

[Noun] pún-sin – Itself / themselves / himself / herself

Put-chì-î/put-chì-û – Will not go so far as to… / not so serious as to…

Put-jû - 1. Might as well…; no harm in…; should; 2. Not as good as; (Rather than A) it would be better to B

Put-kò – (is) only

(Nā beh X ) put-jû Y – Rather than X, it would be better to Y

Put-sî – Often

Put-tān – Not only … but also …

Put-tōan – Continuously / without stopping

Put-tek-í (tio̍h …) – Unavoidable / (reluctantly) have to

Put-tit-í – Have to / have no choice but to

Pái / tē N pái

[Nth] time

 

Góa kok-tiong pit-gia̍p hit-nî, gún poaⁿ tē sì pái ê chhù.

The year that I graduated from junior high school, we moved for the fourth time.

 

Góa tē-it-pái thiaⁿ-tio̍h “Tâi-kheh” chit-khóan kóng-hoat, lóng thiaⁿ-bô.

The first time I heard someone say “Tai-ke,”I didn’t understand.

 

I chin chē pái tùi tiâu-têng kiàn-gī chhut-má kàu pak-peng sio-thâi, siu-ho̍k sit-khì ê thó·-tōe.

He recommended to the imperial court many times that they send armies north to battle and re-take the lost territory.

Pān-ián … kak-sek / kong-lêng

Play the role of; function as

Related: Poaⁿ …  kak-sek; poaⁿ …  kong-lêng

 

Tī Tâi-oân Kok-gí kap Tâi-gí tiāⁿ pān-ián bô-kāng ê sîa-hōe kong-lêng.

In Taiwan, Mandarin and Taiwanese play often have different societal functions.

 

Liân-ha̍p-kok keng-siông tī tiōng-iào kok-chè būn-tôe siōng pān-ián tiong-kan-lâng ê kak-sek.

The United Nations often plays the role of intermediary in international problems.

 

Chiàu lí khòaⁿ, Tiong-kok tī chit ê būn-tôe siōng pān-ián sím-mi̍h khóan ê kak-sek?

In your opinion, what kind of role does China have to play regarding this problem?

Pêⁿ-pêⁿ

Both; same; in same way

 

Pháng kap bí lóng pêⁿ-pêⁿ hó-chia̍h.

Bread and rice are both equally delicious.

 

Pêⁿ-pêⁿ sī môe, ū lâng ài chia̍h ám ê, ū lâng ài chia̍h khó ê, chāi lâng kah-ì.

Although it’s all still congee, some people eat it watery, some thick, whichever they prefer.

 

Pêⁿ-pêⁿ sī hiaⁿ-tī, chi̍t ê hàu-tai, lēng-gōa chi̍t ê sī chi̍t ê ū thian-châi ê lâng.

They are both brothers, but one is an idiot, and the other one is a genius.

Pèng (negative)

Certainly (not); actually (not)

Note: sometimes written pēng.

 

Chit pái ê hong-thai pèng bô lī-hāi.

This time the typhoon really wasn’t too bad.

 

Si̍t-chè-siōng, Pak-hân pèng bô hi-bāng kiâⁿ chiūⁿ bú-chong chhiong-thu̍t ê lō·, kan-na hi-bāng tit-tio̍h bîn-seng ōan-chō·.

In reality, North Korea doesn’t actually wish to go down the road of armed conflict, but only hopes to get civilian humanitarian aid.

 

Chòe-hó ê pān-hoat sī tâm-phòaⁿ, pèng bô it-tēng sī iōng chè-chhâi ê hong-hoat.

The best way is negotiations, and certainly isn’t necessarily to use sanctions.

 

In-ūi gia̍p-chiá í-keng ū tāi-liōng tún-chek, só·-í pún-thó· sán-gia̍p ê gûi-ki pèng bô kái-tû.

Because businesses have already stockpiled, the threat to local manufacturers has not been eliminated.

Pēng-chhiáⁿ

And also; in addition; furthermore

Related: jî-chhiáⁿ

 

I 21 hòe ê sî khòaⁿ-tio̍h Kim-kok ê lâng chhìm-lio̍k Lâm Sòng tio̍h hòng-khì chò tha̍k-chu-lâng li̍p khì kun-tūi, pèng-chhiáⁿ bat chin chē pái tùi tiâu-têng kiàn-gī chhut-má kàu pak-peng sio-thâi, siu-ho̍k sit-khì ê thó·-tōe.

When he was 21 years old, seeing that that the peoples of Jin had occupied the Southern Song, he quit his studies and joined the military, and in addition recommended to the court many times that they send armies north to battle and re-take the lost territory.

 

Tâi-ôan chèng-hú mā chù-ì tio̍h chit ê būn-tôe, pèng-chhiáⁿ tùi kū-nî khia-sí lio̍k-sio̍k tī chôan-kok kok phian-óan hiong-tìn, sêng-li̍p liáu la̍k-cha̍p keng “phian hiong sò·-ūi ki-hōe tiong-sim.”

The government of Taiwan has also noticed this problem, and since last year’s start has been continuously establishing 60 “Remote Village Digital Opportunity Centers” in towns all across the country.

Pī [verb]

Can be used with some verbs to make the passive tense.

Note: literary only

 

Tân Chóng-thóng thê “sì beh chi̍t ê bô” chha-put-to ôan-chôan thui-hoan kòe-khì ê sêng-lo̍k, sī m̄-sī beh koh hō· Tâi-Bí ê koan-hē kín-tiuⁿ, pī siū koan-chù.

By proposing the “Four desires and one no,” President Chen is essentially completely overturning his past promises, and whether or not this will cause tensions in Taiwan-U.S. relations is receiving a lot of attention.

 

Siā-phêng kóng, Sun Tiong-san pī Tâi-to̍k hun-chú khòaⁿ chò “bûn-hòa tâi-to̍k” ê chiòng-gāi, i ê chun-chheng “Kok-hū” mā tùi sin-pán khò-pún tiong san-tû.

The editorial said that Sun Yat-sen is viewed by advocates for Taiwan independence as a barrier to “cultural independence,” and that his “National Father” title has also been excised from newly-published textbooks.

 

2005-nî siōng-chió lóng-chóng ū 1,770 lâng pī chhú-koat, sí-hêng sò·-bo̍k ta̍t-kàu 3,900 kiāⁿ.

In 2005 there was a total of at least 1,770 people executed, and death-penalty cases reached 3,900.

Pí chit ê lē lâi kóng

To give an example…

See: kí chi̍t ê lē lâi kóng

A pí B koh khah [Stative Verb]

A is (even) more [Stative Verb] than B

 

Kīn-nî ê hong-thai pí kū-nî koh khah chē.

This year’s typhoons were more numerous than last year’s.

 

Lán ôan-ná ài chù-ì tio̍h kiông-pek tńg-ōaⁿ kap chū-gōan tńg-ōaⁿ tiong-kan kài tōa ê phú-sek tē-tài; chit kiám-chhái pí kì-tiong chi̍t lūi koh khah tōa.

We still need to pay attention to the very large grey area between forced and voluntary conversion; it is perhaps even larger than either one of them. 

 

Kháu-thôan bûn-ha̍k pí chu-bīn bûn-ha̍k koh khah tn̂g.

Orally-transmitted literature has a longer history than written literature.

 

Put-sî-á chi̍t-ê siā-khu ê lâng khai-sí ì-sek tio̍h in kóng pa̍t-khóan ōe-gú ē pí kóng pún-chiâⁿ ê ōe-gú khah hó.

Often a community’s members start to realize that using another kind of speech would be better than using their original way of speaking.

(Kap/ham X ) pí–khí-lâi, Y …

Compared to

 

Kap í-chêng pí–khí-lâi, Tâi-ôan ê mûi-thé koh khah chū-iû ah.

Compared to before, Taiwan’s media is freer now.

 

Kap Siōng-hái pí–khí-lâi, Tâi-pak ê kau-thong ke chin hong-piān.

Compared to before, transportation in Taipei is much more convenient.

 

Kun-kù kó·-kè siōng-chió ū saⁿ-ek pún tō-pán-chu tī Tāi-lio̍k liû-thôan, kap chiàⁿ-pán 1000-bān pún ê siau-siū-liōng pí–khí-lâi ke-chhut chiok chē pōe.

According to estimates, there are at least three hundred million pirated books circulating in the Mainland, which is many times more than the 10 million sales figure for legitimate copies.