Narration: Learning Cambodian

This is a narration and review unit covering material from the preceding units on classroom activities, books, colors, reading, and studying. The narration describes a typical classroom scene, and the drills review completive verbs, the /haey/ particle, and the /krón-taɛ/ modifier.

Basic Dialogue

This unit uses a narration format rather than a standard dialogue. The narration describes classroom activities:

Cambodian (romanized)	English
look cɛh róp tee?	Do you know how to count?
bae look min cɛh tee, soum look cam sdap.	If you don’t know, just wait and listen.
ɛylow kruu suo tiw seh thaa: look mian siew-phiw pɔmaan téŋ-oh?	Now the teacher asks the students: ‘How many books do you have in all?‘
koun seh chlaey thaa: khñom mian siew-phiw buon.	The students answer: ‘I have four books.‘
ɛylow kee niyiey ompii póa mɔdooŋ.	Now they are talking about colors for a moment.
póa téŋ-nuh kii: póa meek, póa soo póa khmaw, haey niŋ póa lieŋ tum.	The colors are: light blue, white, black, and orange.
kruu suo thaa: siew-phiw khaaŋ-kraom póa ɛy?	The teacher asks: ‘What color is the book on the bottom?‘
koun seh mɔné⁹ chlaey phliem: póa meek.	A student answers immediately: ‘It’s light blue.‘
koun seh prap kruu tiet thaa siew-phiw lee kee póa soo.	The students tell the teacher further that the book on top is white.
taɛ koun seh mɔné⁹ tiet niyiey too: póa khmaw nuh min mɛɛn siew-phiw mɔel tee, kii siew-phiw sosee.	But another student makes the point that the black one is not a book for reading—it’s a notebook.

Key Vocabulary

Cambodian	English
cɛh	to know how to
róp	to count
bae	if
suo	to ask
chlaey	to answer
niyiey	to speak, to say
prap	to tell
ompii	about
mɔdooŋ	a moment, a while
phliem	immediately
mɔné⁹	one (person)
cop	to finish
praɛ	to translate
hat	to practice
ntɛc-ntɛc	a little
punyúl	to explain

Grammar Notes

Use of Completive Verbs

Completive verbs follow the main verb to indicate the result of the action: mɔel cop (finished reading), niyiey cop (finished speaking), praɛ cop (finished translating), sdap baan (understood by listening).

The /haey/ Particle in Review

haey marks completed action: khñom mɔel cop haey. (I have finished reading.) It contrasts with min-tón (not yet): khñom min-tón cop tee. (I haven’t finished yet.)

The Modifier /krón-taɛ/ ‘only’

krón-taɛ is a pre-verbal modifier meaning ‘only’: krón-taɛ rien mɔel tee. (Only to read.) / krón-taɛ aoy look prae tee. (They only let me use it.)

Practice Drills

Drill A. Multiple Substitution

Cambodian	English
yeeŋ cap pii naa?	Where do we start from?
yeeŋ cap pii tumpóa naa?	What page do we start from?
look cap pii tumpóa naa?	What page do you start from?
look cap pii troŋ nih.	You start from here.
khñom cap pii troŋ nih.	I start from here.
yeeŋ cap pii troŋ naa?	Where do we start from?

Drill B. Completive Expressions

Cambodian	English
khñom mɔel cop haey.	I have finished reading.
khñom praɛ cop haey.	I have finished translating.
look praɛ cop haey.	You have finished translating.
look niyiey cop haey.	You have finished speaking.
yeeŋ praɛ cop haey.	We have finished translating.
look kruu mɔel cop haey.	The teacher has finished reading.

Drill C. Use of Completive Verbs

Cambodian	English
khñom min cɛh niyiey khmaɛ tee. → khñom niyiey khmaɛ min baan tee.	I don’t know how to speak Cambodian. → I can’t speak Cambodian.
khñom min cɛh mɔel onglee tee. → khñom mɔel onglee min baan tee.	I don’t know how to read English. → I can’t read English.
khñom min cɛh sosee khmaɛ tee. → khñom sosee khmaɛ min baan tee.	I don’t know how to write Cambodian. → I can’t write Cambodian.