Language/Central-khmer/Vocabulary/Introducing-Yourself

Central Khmer → Vocabulary → 0 to A1 Course → Basic Greetings → Introducing Yourself

Basic Greetings

Common Greetings

Before we dive into introducing ourselves, let's take a look at common greetings used in Central Khmer. Knowing how to properly greet someone is important in Khmer culture as it shows politeness and respect.

Here are some common greetings:

• ជំរាបសួរ (jom-reab suor) - Hello/Good morning
• សួស្តី (suostei) - Hello/Hi
• ចូលពី (choul pi) - Welcome
• លាហើយ (lear hoy) - Goodbye
• អរុណសួស្តី (arun soastai) - Thank you

As you can see, "Hello" can be expressed in different ways in Khmer. "Jom-reab suor" is used specifically in the morning or before noon, while "suostei" can be used throughout the day. "Choul pi" is used to welcome someone and "lear hoy" is used to say good bye. "Arun soastai" is used to express gratitude.

Let's practice pronouncing these common greetings:

Central Khmer	Pronunciation	English Translation
ជំរាបសួរ	jom-reab suor	Hello/Good morning
សួស្តី	suostei	Hello/Hi
ចូលពី	choul pi	Welcome
លាហើយ	lear hoy	Goodbye
អរុណសួស្តី	arun soastai	Thank you

Introducing Yourself

Now that you know how to say "Hello" and "Goodbye" in Khmer, it's time to learn how to introduce yourself. Introducing yourself is a great way to start a conversation in Khmer, especially if you are meeting someone for the first time.

Here are some phrases to use when introducing yourself in Khmer:

• ខ្ញុំឈ្មោះ... (knhom chhmaw...) - My name is...
• អ្នកប្រើប្រាស់ឈ្មោះអតីតទេ? (neak bruey Brahsa chhmaa atit tae?) - What's your name?
• បាទ/ខ្ញុំមាន...ឆ្នាំ (baht/knhom mean... chhnam) - I am...years old.
• ខ្ញុំនៅក្នុងប្រទេសមួយចំណែក... (knhom novknaom bratei mui chaamnak...) - I come from...
• ខ្ញុំធ្វើការនៅក្រៅមានអនុជាតិរបបខ្មែរ... (knhom tverkak novkrawe mui anochyat roubbah Khmer...) - I work outside the country as a Cambodian national...

Let's practice pronouncing these common phrases:

Central Khmer	Pronunciation	English Translation
ខ្ញុំឈ្មោះ...	knhom chhmaw...	My name is...
អ្នកប្រើប្រាស់ឈ្មោះអតីតទេ?	neak bruey Brahsa chhmaa atit tae?	What's your name?
បាទ/ខ្ញុំមាន...ឆ្នាំ	baht/knhom mean... chhnam	I am...years old.
ខ្ញុំនៅក្នុងប្រទេសមួយចំណែក...	knhom novknaom bratei mui chaamnak...	I come from...
ខ្ញុំធ្វើការនៅក្រៅមានអនុជាតិរបបខ្មែរ...	knhom tverkak novkrawe mui anochyat roubbah Khmer...	I work outside the country as a Cambodian national...

Remember, it's important to pronounce the Khmer words correctly to avoid any misunderstandings. Practice these phrases until you feel comfortable speaking them.

Sentence Structure

Now that we've learned some basic greetings and how to introduce ourselves in Khmer, let's review the sentence structure of the Khmer language.

1. 1. 1. Basic Word Order ###

The most common sentence structure in Central Khmer follows a subject-verb-object (SVO) order. Here's an example of a basic sentence in Khmer:

ខ្ញុំស្រលាញ់ដូច្នេះបាន។ (knhom srolanh dounhean baan)

This translates to: "I love you."

The sentence structure is S + V + O, or Subject + Verb + Object.

Let's break down the sentence and take a look at the individual words:

Column 1: Central Khmer Column 2: Pronunciation Column 3: English Translation

Central Khmer	Pronunciation	English
ខ្ញុំ	knhom	I
ស្រលាញ់	srolanh	love
ដូច្នេះបាន	dounhean baan	you

1. 1. 1. Yes/No Questions ###

In Khmer, yes or no questions are formed by adding a question particle, either "ឬ" (ou) or "មិន" (min), to the end of a statement. Here's an example:

ខ្ញុំចង់ទិញតាមដានមែនទេ? (knhom chngao tinh tamnean mean tae?)

Which translates to: "Do I buy it by cash?"

The question is formed by adding the question particle "ទេ?" (tae?) to the end of the statement. This is one way of forming a yes or no question in Khmer.

Numbers and Time

Now, let's move on to numbers and time. Being able to tell time and use numbers correctly is essential in daily conversations.

1. 1. 1. Counting from 1 to 100 ###

Here are the Khmer numbers from 1 to 10:

• ១ (mouy) - one
• ២ (pii) - two
• ៣ (bei) - three
• ៤ (buon) - four
• ៥ (pram) - five
• ៦ (pramm-muoy) - six
• ៧ (pramm-pii) - seven
• ៨ (pramm-bei) - eight
• ៩ (pramm-buon) - nine
• ១០ (dop) - ten

To form numbers in the twenties, thirties, forties and so on, simply add the Khmer word for ten (ដប់, dop) after the corresponding number. For example, to say 20 in Khmer, you would say "mouy dop" (មួយដប់).

Here are some examples:

Central Khmer	Pronunciation	English Translation
១	mouy	1 (one)
១០	dop	10 (ten)
២០	pii dop	20 (twenty)
២២	pii dop pii	22 (twenty-two)
៣០	bei dop	Table of Contents - Central Khmer Course - 0 to A1 Course Presentation Basic Greetings Common Greetings Introducing Yourself Sentence Structure Basic Word Order Yes/No Questions Numbers and Time Counting from 1 to 100 Telling Time Nouns and Pronouns Personal Pronouns Possessive Pronouns Family and Relationships Family Members Relationship Status Verbs and Tenses Present Tense Past Tense Future Tense Food and Drink Common Foods Ordering at a Restaurant Central Khmer Customs and Traditions Greetings and Polite Behavior Festivals and Celebrations Travel and Transportation Modes of Transportation Asking for Directions Adjectives and Adverbs Describing People and Things Describing Actions and States Weather and Seasons Weather Vocabulary Seasons and Months Central Khmer Literature and Arts Literature and Poetry Music and Dance Shopping and Money Shopping Vocabulary Money and Currency Prepositions and Conjunctions Using Prepositions Using Conjunctions Hobbies and Leisure Activities Common Hobbies Discussing Interests Central Khmer History and Geography Historical Overview Geographical Features Other Lessons Seasons and Months Telling Time Drinks Money and Currency Health Express Surprise Education Common Foods Shopping Vocabulary