Buying Train Tickets

In this unit, a traveler buys a train ticket to Poipet at the ticket office. The dialogue covers purchasing tickets, inquiring about available seats, sleeping compartments, train schedules, connections, and crossing into Thailand. The unit practices travel and transportation vocabulary in a practical setting.

Basic Dialogue

Between a Traveler and an Official:

#	Cambodian	English
1	khñom coŋ tɨñ səbot muoy tɨw póoy-peet,	I want to buy a ticket to Poipet.
2	ot tooh, alew oh kəlaeŋ’ əh. nɨw mian te maoŋ pɨɨ-ndop yup’m.	I’m sorry. All the seats are taken now. There is still (space) only on the midnight (train).
3	m ɛy’ teh, khñom khmian peñap pəmaan’ teh,	That’s all right. I’m in no hurry.
4	thee tmnae yup, ko suol məyaaŋ dae, púh trocéʔ’ phooŋ.	Travelling at night is nice, in one way, because it’s cool.
5	coh look coŋ baan səbot thómedaa, rɨɨ coŋ mian ktup keeŋ?	Sir, do you want an ordinary ticket, or do you want to have a sleeping compartment?
6	khñom coŋ baan ktup muoy tə-menéʔ aeŋ,	I want a compartment, all by myself.
7	ou, thlay ntɛc’ əh.	Oh, that’s a little expensive!
8	mian ɛyʔ atiah-phleeŋ tedol póoy-peet maoŋ pəmaan?	That’s all right. At what time does the train arrive in Poipet?
9	ou, pəhael maoŋ dop pɛ̀k khaaŋ-sʔaek’ŋ.	Oh, about ten o’clock in the morning day after tomorrow.
10	púh look tɛ̀w-te cam atiah-phleeŋ nɨw battəbooŋ meŋay,	Because you must wait for the train in Battambang one day.
11	coh dol khñom tedol póoy-peet, khñom thee mɛc’ tɨw?	And then, when I arrive in Poipet, what do I do?
12	baat, look tɛ̀w-tə pdou atiah-phleeŋ nɨw póoy-peet.	You have to change trains in Poipet.
13	púh alew atiah-phleeŋ m coul sòk siem’ teh,	Because now the trains don’t go into Thailand.
14	dol tedol sòk siem, thee mɛc’ deh?	When I arrive in Thailand, what do I do then?
15	ou, khmian cmnaot’ tehʔ	Oh there’s no problem.
16	look tɨw téʔ-tóoŋ nɨŋ polih siem’ tɨw. kee cuoy nae-nóm look’ əh.	You go and contact the Thai police, and they’ll help guide you.

Key Vocabulary

Cambodian	English
atiah-phleeŋ	train
səbot	ticket
póoy-peet	Poipet
battəbooŋ	Battambang
sòk siem	Thailand
ktup	compartment
keeŋ	to sleep
thómedaa	ordinary
pdou	to change (vehicles)
trocéʔ	cool
yup	night
pɛ̀k	morning
khaaŋ-sʔaek	day after tomorrow
polih	police
nae-nóm	to guide
cmnaot	problem
peñap	hurry
tmnae	to travel
tedol	to arrive

Grammar Notes

1. Expressing obligation with /tɛ̀w-te/: The pattern /look tɛ̀w-te/ means ‘you must, you have to,’ as in /look tɛ̀w-te cam atiah-phleeŋ/ ‘you must wait for the train.’

2. Alternative questions with /rɨɨ/: The word /rɨɨ/ ‘or’ is used in offering choices, as in /coŋ baan səbot thómedaa, rɨɨ coŋ mian ktup keeŋ?/ ‘want an ordinary ticket, or want a sleeping compartment?’

3. Temporal clause with /dol/: The conjunction /dol/ ‘when, upon arriving’ introduces temporal clauses about arrival.

Practice Drills

Drill A: Response — Buying Tickets

Cambodian	English
khñom coŋ tɨñ sombot muoy tɨw póoy-peet.	I want to buy a ticket to Poipet.
ot tooh, əylew oh konlaeŋ haəy. nɨw mian taɛ maoŋ pɨɨ-dondop yup.	I’m sorry. All the seats are taken. There is still space only on the midnight train.
mɨn ɛy tee, khñom khmian proñap ponmaan tee.	That’s all right. I’m in no hurry.
thvee domnae yup koo sruol məyaaŋ dae, prúh trocéʔ phooŋ.	Travelling at night is nice, in one way, because it’s cool.

Drill B: Substitution — Comparative Adjectives

Cambodian	English
thmoo thŋún ciaŋ somley,	Stone is heavier than cotton.
somley sraal ciaŋ thmoo,	Cotton is lighter than stone.
aatouc lʔoo ciaŋ aathom,	The little one is better than the big one.
aathom akroʔ ciaŋ aatouc,	The big one is worse than the little one.
aasoo cɔ́p ciaŋ aakhmaw,	The white one is firmer than the black one.
aakhmaw phoy ciaŋ aasoo,	The black one is less firm than the white one.