Language/Central-khmer/Vocabulary/Express-Surprise

Central Khmer Vocabulary - Express Surprise

Hi Central Khmer learners! 😊
In this lesson, you will learn how to express surprise in Central Khmer. Surprise is an important emotion because it helps us react to unexpected situations, events or information. A good command of the language will allow you to communicate more effectively with native speakers and express yourself more precisely.

Finish this lesson and explore these related pages: Telling Time & Common Foods.

Basic expressions

Let's start with the basic expressions. To express surprise in Central Khmer, you can use the following words:

Central Khmer	Pronunciation	English
ប្រសើរ!	/prɑhsaa/	Oh my goodness!/Wow!
វាយបង្គាំ!	/vaiʔ bɑŋkam/	My word!/Good grief!
ព្រះគុណ!	/preah koun/	My god! (Lit. Buddha)
ម៉ាសេង៉ាង!	/ma-seng-saŋ/	Unbelievable!/Incredible!

These expressions can be used to show you are surprised by something amazing or shocking.

For example:

• Person 1: កម្ពុជាខ្លាំងញ្ញុំស្រលាញ់។ (Kâmpŭchea klâm nhyŏm srâlanh.) (I love Cambodia.)
• Person 2: វាស្រលាញ់ណាស់យ៉ាងតិច។ (Voa srâlanh nĕah yaang tiĕk.) (That is a bit surprising!)

Questions

Sometimes, you need to ask questions to clarify what is making you feel surprised. Here are some helpful questions:

Central Khmer	Pronunciation	English
តើ...គឺអ្វី?	/toə...kəʔ ʔvəy?/	What is...?
ប៉ូលី.ម៉េចករ?	/polii meh kak?/	Really?/Is that right?

For example:

• Person 1: ខ្ញុំធ្លាប់ទទួលបានព័ត៌មានថ្មីៗ។ (Knhom tlâp tôtoul bântom nĕy tmey.) (I just received some new information.)
• Person 2: ប៉ូលី។ (Polii.) (Really?)

Useful expressions

Here are some useful expressions you can use to express surprise in different situations:

Central Khmer	Pronunciation	English
មិនអាចទទួលបានថ្មីៗនេះទេ!	/min ɑc tôtoul bântom nĕy têh/	I can't believe this is happening!
ដូចម្តេចទេ?	/duch-mdêk-tê?/	Is that really true?
ខ្ញុំមិនចង់ឲ្យម៉ាសេងច្រើនប៉ុណ្ណោះ!	/knhom min châng yey ma-seng chraan ponnôh!/	I don't want too many surprises.

For example:

• Person 1: ខ្ញុំស្រលាញ់ច្រើនហើយមានតម្លៃថេរ។ (Knhom srâlanh chraan heuy mean tam-leh.) (I'm very surprised but it's cheap.)
• Person 2: មិនអាចទទួលបានថ្មីៗនេះទេ! (Min ac tôtoul bântom nĕy têh!) (I can't believe this is happening!)

Culture and fun facts

Did you know that in Cambodia, the traditional greeting is called a "sampeah"? It is done by pressing the palms together in a prayer-like gesture while bowing slightly. It is a sign of respect and humility. You can use it to express surprise when meeting someone unexpectedly, for example. To learn more about Cambodian culture, visit Polyglot Club.

Also, did you know that in Central Khmer, the word "មិនអាច" (min ac) means "cannot"? The auxiliary particle "និយាយ" (niyeay) can be added to form the negative form of a verb. For example, "ខ្ញុំមិនអាចនិយាយភាសាអង់គ្លេសឡើយ" (Knhom min ac niyeay pheasa Anglais ley) means "I cannot speak English".

Dialogue

• Person 1: កក្រើកក្រឮម! តើអ្នកមានជំនួញអ្វីទេ? (Kraek kraeum! Toə nĕak mean chomnuoch âvei tê?)(Oh my gosh! What happened?)
• Person 2: គាត់ផ្អែកបាន! (Kaat paeak baan!)(He/she won!)
• Person 1: វា..វា...មានត្រៀមបំផ្លាញថ្លៃណាស់ទៀត។ (Vaa...vaa...mean traimean bamplean til néah tiă.) (Uh...uh...it's a really surprising result.)

Exercises

Now, let's practice! Translate the following sentences into Central Khmer:

1. Wow! That's amazing! 2. Is this really happening? 3. I can't believe it! 4. What's going on? 5. It's a big surprise!

Sources

• Khmer language
• Culture of Cambodia
• Buddhism in Cambodia

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