2.8 Key Vocabulary and Useful Expressions
| IPA | English |
|---|---|
| kruu-bɔng-rian | teacher |
| kruu-bpeet | doctor |
| jon-jiat | nationality |
| tvəə-kaa | to work |
| kɔn-laeng tvəə-kaa | workplace |
| kaa-gnia | occupation/job |
| IPA | English |
|---|---|
| khnhom jia kruu-bɔng-rian | I am a teacher. |
| joh-neak-venh? | how about you? |
| lia-sən-haəy! | bye! |
| khnhom mən-meen jia kruu-bɔng-rian dtee. | I am not a teacher. |
| som-toh |
I am sorry. |
| ɔt-ey-dtee | That is alright. |
| Grammar Point |
Summary |
|---|---|
| “Yes” in Khmer: | Baat (for male speaker) and Jaa (for female speaker) are the terms for the English word “Yes” |
| Question sentence with “Dtau” and “Dtee” | “Dtau” is the initial particle in a question sentence. However, it is commonly used in written language and in formal situations. “Dtee” is another question particle placed at the end of the question sentence.
· Dtau neak sok-sab-baay dtee? = How are you? · Neak sok-sa-baay dtee? = How are you?
|
| Seeking confirmation with question mee- dtee “Is that right? | The word “meen-dtee” can be translated as “right?” or “isn’t that so?”, and is placed at the end of a statement to seek confirmation or to confirm that you have made a correct assumption. There are several ways to respond to meen-dtee questions. You can either say meen-haəy or baat (if it is male) and jaa (if it is female). |
| Negative formers: ɔt-dtee and men-dtee
|
The negative former “ɔt-dtee and mən-dtee” are placed before the main verb and dtee at the end of the statement. |
| Question word: “Where” | The word Naa is the contraction of Ae-naa. However, Naa and Ey can be interchangeable when asking about the country you are from.
Nouw “at” is placed before Naa when asking about the location. For example: saa-laa neak nouw naa? “Where is your school?” |
