| Past Tense in Khmer |
To express a past-tense action, the particle Baan “បាន” is placed in front of the the main verb. However, the particle is often omitted when the context is clear or the past expressions are introduced in the sentence.
Examples:
- I learned Khmer last year.
Khnhom baan rian pia-saa Khmer chnam-mun.
ខ្ញុំបានរៀនភាសាខ្មែរឆ្នាំមុន។
- I drank tea yesterday.
Khnhom baan pək dtae m’səl-menh.
ខ្ញុំបានផឹកតែម្សិលមិញ។
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| Nih “This” and Time Expressions |
To indicate a more specific period of time, expression such as Bprək-nih “this morning”, Aa-dtet-nih “this week, Khae-nih “this month” and Chnam-nih “this year” are used. |
| Time Expressions |
In Cambodian, verbs are not conjugated to indicate past or future. Time expressions such as M’səl-menh “Yesterday”, T’ngai-nih “Today” and S’aek “Tomorrow” are used to indicate tenses. Another way to express past or future tense is to add “Mun” or “Kraoy”. |
