Comparing Possessions

In this unit, Sareth and Sarin go shopping for cloth to make a suit. They discuss where to buy fabric, compare different stores, talk about types of cloth (wool, dacron, cord), and debate the relative merits of different materials. The dialogue practices comparing possessions, shopping vocabulary, and expressing preferences.

Basic Dialogue

Between Sareth and Sarin:

#	Cambodian	English
1	khñom kɨt tətɨñ kenat kat króazee me-kmphlee,	I’m going to go buy some cloth for a cord suit.
2	coŋ tɨw cemuoy khñom’ eh?	You want to go with me?
3	tɨw tɨñ inaa?	Where are you going to buy it?
4	tɨw tɨñ haaŋ khleŋ cɨt psaa thmey,	At the Indian store near the New Market.
5	phtéh naa-muoy?	Which one?
6	oo pətɨɨ bombaay,	‘Au Petit Bombay.‘
7	kom tɨw kəlaeŋ nɨŋ, thlay’ ah.	Don’t go there, it’s too expensive.
8	tɨw palee deswaa’ viñ.	Go to the ‘Palais de Soie.‘
9	cia pisɛh, bae look coul-cet laen,	Especially if you like wool.
10	khñom m coul-cet laen’ eh, kdaw’ ah.	I don’t like wool, it’s too hot.
11	khñom kɨt terɔ́o tɨñ daakron’ viñ.	I’m going to try to find dacron.
12	púh trocéʔ haəy suol baek phooŋ,	Because it’s cool and also easy to wash.
13	suol’ əh, taɛ douc-cia m-sew lʔoo douc laen’ eh,	Okay, but I don’t think it’s nearly as good as wool.
14	tɨw palee deswaaʔ ketɨw.	Let’s go to the Palais de Soie, then.

Key Vocabulary

Cambodian	English
kenat (kronat)	cloth (general)
khao-aaw	clothing (general)
kòazee (króazee)	twill, cord
kmphlee (komphlee)	suit (also classifier)
laen	wool
daakron	dacron
sout	silk
mboh (omboh)	cotton
mɛt (maɛt)	meter
maaʔ (maak)	brand, trademark
thnam	medicine, drugs
peley, perey (barɛy)	cigarettes, tobacco
kpúh	tall, high
tiap	short, squat
phlɨɨ	light, lit up
leŋɨt (ŋóoŋɨt)	dark, extinguished
chlaat	smart, clever
leŋúŋ	stupid, slow
kdaw	hot, warm
trocéʔ (trocéʔ)	cold, cool

Grammar Notes

1. Comparison with /ciaŋ/: The comparative structure uses /A + Adj + ciaŋ + B/ for ‘A is more [adjective] than B,’ as in /laan look lien ciaŋ laan khñom/ ‘Your car is faster than mine.’

2. Negative comparison with /douc/: The pattern /m-sew lʔoo douc laen/ means ‘not as good as wool,’ using /douc/ for comparison.

3. Adjective opposites: This unit introduces many pairs of adjective opposites which are drilled in the practice exercises.

Practice Drills

Drill A: Transformation — Comparing Possessions

Cambodian	English
laan khñom póa soo,	My car is white.
laan look póa soo’ dɛh,	Your car is white too.
laan look nɨŋ laan khñom póa soo douc khnia,	Your car and my car are both white.
khñom mian koun pɨɨ,	I have two children.
look mian koun pɨɨ’ dɛh,	You have two children too.
look nɨŋ khñom mian koun pɨɨ douc khnia,	You and I both have two children.

Drill B: Response — Opposite Adjectives

Cambodian	English
pəpún look lʔoo’ nah. (akroʔ)	Your wife is very pretty. (unattractive)
pəpún khñom akroʔ’ nah.	My wife is quite unattractive.
phtéh look thom’ ah. (touc)	Your house is very large. (small)
phtéh khñom touc’ nah.	My house is quite small.
ktup look phlɨɨ’ nah. (leŋɨt)	Your room is very bright. (dark)
ktup khñom leŋɨt’ nah.	My room is quite dark.
koun look chlaat’ nah. (leŋúŋ)	Your children are very smart. (stupid)
koun khñom leŋúŋ’ nah.	My children are quite stupid.