Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
phrases around - and that some sounds in Khmer have no English equivalent.
Cambodians use intonation for emphasis, but while you're learning Khmer it's best to
keep your speech somewhat monotonous in order to avoid causing misunderstanding.
CONSONANTS
Most consonants in our transliteration scheme are pronounced as they would be in
English, though note that consecutive consonants are pronounced individually. The
following combinations should also be noted:
bp
sharp sound, between the English “b” and “p”.
dt
sharp sound between the English “d” and “t”.
gk
guttural sound between the English “g” and “k”.
ng
as in sing; often found at the beginning of words.
ny
as in canyon.
VOWELS
a
as in ago.
aa
as in bar.
ai
as in tie.
ao
or
ou
as in cow.
ay
as in pay.
e
as in let.
ea
as in ear.
ee
as in see.
eu
is similar to the French fleur.
i
as in fin.
o
as in long.
oa
as in moan.
ohs
as in pot (the
hs
is practically silent).
oo
as in shoot.
OO
as in look.
ow
as in toe.
oy
as in toy.
u
as in fun.
Useful words and phrases
The polite
form of address
for men is “
loak
”, for women “
loak srei
”; in a formal
situation Cambodians will often introduce themselves with one of these two terms,
then give their full name with the family name first. Although you will be asked
your name a lot as you travel around, Cambodians do not really use names in
everyday situations, preferring to use a range of respectful forms of address. These
terms can be either polite or familiar depending on the situation, and are used even
when meeting someone for the first time. The choice of term depends not only on
whether the person being spoken to is male or female, but also on whether they are
older or younger than the speaker. An older person is often (both politely and
familiarly) addressed as either
yeah
or
dah
(grandmother or grandfather), or
ming
or
boh
(auntie or uncle), depending on just how much older they are than the speaker.
When speaking to someone younger,
kmoouy bprohs
or
kmoouy srei
(nephew or
niece) can be used, or more familiarly,
bpohn bprohs
or
bpohn srei
(younger brother
or sister). Take your lead from the Cambodians and listen to how they address you
or other people.
GREETINGS AND CIVILITIES
hello (formal/informal
)
chum ree-eu-bp soo-a/
(formal/informal)
haowee
soo-a s'day
see you later
chewubp kynear t'ngai
welcome
swah-ghOOm
keraowee
how are you?
nee'ak sok sa bai gee-ar
please
som
dtey?
if you please
unchurn
I'm well/fine
k'nyom sok sa bai
thank you
or-kOOn
goodbye
chum ree-eu-bp lear/lear
excuse me/sorry
som dtohs
BASIC TERMS AND PHRASES
yes (spoken by
baht/jahs
large or big
tom
a male/female)
no
little or small
toight
dtay
come/go
mow/dhow
