Khmer (/kʰmɛər/; ខ្មែរ, pronounced [kʰmae]; also spelled C[h]mer) is an Austroasiatic language of the Mon–Khmer branch spoken by the Khmer people, the majority ethnic group in Cambodia. It is the official language of Cambodia and is also spoken by significant minorities in Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar. Khmer is written with an alphabet derived from the Brahmi script.
Khmer is a tonal language, with five tones: high, rising, falling, low, and level. It is also a verb-final language, meaning that the verb comes at the end of the sentence. Khmer has a complex system of morphology, with many affixes that can be added to words to change their meaning.
Khmer is a beautiful and expressive language with a rich history. It is the language of the ancient Khmer Empire, which was one of the most powerful empires in Southeast Asia. Khmer is also the language of the great Khmer literature, which includes the famous epic poem the Ramayana.
Let’s learn some basic vocabulary and phrases:
Greetings:
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- Hello – Sabaydee
- Goodbye – Laa
- How are you? – Sabay khyea?
- I am fine, thank you – Khob srey, ach aa
- Nice to meet you – Sopheap lea
- You’re welcome – Khob srey
Pronouns:
-
- I – khnyom
- You (singular) – ong
- You (plural) – lou
- He – ong
- She – m’leuy
- It – neak
- We – rao
- They – lou
Basic phrases:
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- Where is the bathroom? – sralay thmei ee?
- Do you speak English? – ana srey angkouch srey?
- Excuse me – srey ach
- Thank you – khob srey
- Please – srey
- Yes – bai
- No – chah
- I don’t understand – khnyom m’lai
- How much does this cost? – neak srey pii teel?
- I’d like to buy this – khnyom srey sralay neak
Asking for directions:
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- Excuse me, can you tell me how to get to the Royal Palace? – Srey ach, srey sopheap lea, khnyom srey sralay thmei pi Preah Reacheay Vatta?
- I’m lost. Can you help me find my way back to my hotel? – Khnyom srey loy, srey sopheap lea, khnyom srey sralay thmei pi sralay khnyom?
Ordering food and drinks:
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- I’d like a Khmer iced coffee, please. – Khnyom srey kopi srey kroeung, srey.
- I’d like a plate of Amok Trey, please. – Khnyom srey tray amok, srey.
- I’d like a bottle of Angkor beer, please. – Khnyom srey tom beer Angkor, srey.
Making small talk:
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- The weather is beautiful today, isn’t it? – Chrey srey srey, neak mean chhmae srey srey.
- I’m really enjoying my time in Cambodia. – Khnyom srey sopheap srey pi Preah Reacheay.
- I’m looking forward to visiting Angkor Wat. – Khnyom srey sopheap srey pi Angkor Wat.
Numbers:
1 – muy
2 – pi
3 – bai
4 – buhn
5 – prum
Now, that we have that in place, the rule to remember the numbers 6 through 9 is the ‘5+n’ format.
So 6 is 5 + 1 which is prum muy.
We have:
6 – prum muy
7 – prum pi
8 – prum bai
9 – prum buhn
The word for 10 is dop and then the same logic applies. The numbers 11 through 19 follow the rule ’10 + n’.
11 – dop muy
12 – dop pi
13 – dop bai
…
So now, you just need to remember the numbers 20, 30, 40, 50,60, 70,80 and 90 to count until 99 with the same rule as above.
20 – mphai
30 – saam / saamsuhp
40 – sai / saisuhp
50 – hay / haysuhp
60 – hok / hoksuhp
70 – chet / chetsuhp
80 – paet / paetsuhp
90 – kau / kausuhp
Now, The keyword for the ‘hundreds’ is ‘roy’.
100 is muy roy, 200 is pi roy, and so on.
Now you can count in Khmer until 999 
Example: If you have to say 527, you will say prum roy mphai prum pi.
Next, the keyword for the ‘thousands’ is ‘puan’ and based on the same rule as the hundreds:
1000 – muy puan
2000 – pi puan
3000 – bai puan
4000 – buhn puan
5000 – prum puan
6000 – prum muy puan
And now, you can officially count in Khmer!
If you are interested in learning Khmer, there are many resources available to help you. There are many textbooks and online courses available, and there are also Khmer language schools in many countries. Learning Khmer can be a rewarding experience, and it will give you a deeper understanding of Cambodian culture and history.
Originally posted 2023-04-24 17:41:16.
