Positive Commands and the Particle /viñ/

This unit introduces positive commands and vocabulary-building exercises. Students learn to ask about English equivalents of Cambodian words, discuss word meanings, and practice pronunciation of difficult sounds like /ŋiey/ (easy). The teacher corrects student pronunciation, distinguishing between the consonants /n/ and /ŋ/. The particle /viñ/ continues to be used for reciprocal questioning.

Basic Dialogue

Cambodian (romanized)	English
pia? ‘rien’ oŋglee thaa mɛc?	What’s the English word for ‘rien’?
oŋglee thaa ‘learn’.	The English is ‘learn’.
‘difficult’ khmae thaa mɛc?	How do you say ‘difficult’ in Khmer?
kee thaa ‘pibaa’?.	They say ‘pibaa?’.
pia? ‘sruol’ mian ney thaa mɛc?	What does the word ‘sruol’ mean?
mian ney thaa ‘ŋiey’.	It means ‘easy’. (Mispronounces the word /ŋiey/)
khoh tee.	That’s wrong!
soum thaa mədooŋ tiet: ŋiey.	Please say it again: ‘easy’.
ŋiey.	‘Easy’. (Says it correctly)
trəw haəy. nέ? bontóp: ŋiey.	That’s correct. Next person: ‘easy’.
niey.	‘Easy’. (Mispronounces the word)
kom prae a?soo nóo. prae a?soo nóo viñ. thaa ‘ŋiey’.	Don’t use the consonant n. Use ng instead. Say /ŋiey/.
ŋiey.	‘Easy’. (Says it correctly)
yii, khmae pibaa? rien nah.	Gee, Khmer is certainly hard to learn.

Key Vocabulary

Cambodian	English
pia?	word
mian ney	mean, have meaning
ney	meaning
kee	they, people (indefinite)
ŋiey	easy (synonym of sruol)
a?soo	consonant, letter
nóo	the consonant /n/
kom	don’t (negative imperative)
prae	use; translate
viñ	instead; back; again
nah	very, certainly
yii	gee! (exclamation)
mɛc	how, what

Grammar Notes

Positive Commands

Positive commands in Cambodian use the bare verb or add /soum/ (please) for politeness:

• thaa mədooŋ tiet — Say (it) again.
• soum thaa mədooŋ tiet — Please say (it) again.
• sdap khlia nih — Listen to this sentence.

The Negative Imperative /kom/

To form a negative command (prohibition), place /kom/ before the verb. No /tee/ is needed:

• kom prae a?soo nóo. — Don’t use the consonant /n/.
• kom thaa taam khñom. — Don’t repeat after me.

Asking About Word Meanings

Several patterns for asking about vocabulary:

• pia? ‘X’ oŋglee thaa mɛc? — What’s the English word for ‘X’?
• ‘X’ khmae thaa mɛc? — How do you say ‘X’ in Khmer?
• pia? ‘X’ mian ney thaa mɛc? — What does the word ‘X’ mean?

Practice Drills

Drill 1: Asking for Translations

Cambodian	English
pia? ‘rien’ oŋglee thaa mɛc?	What’s the English for ‘rien’?
pia? ‘sruol’ oŋglee thaa mɛc?	What’s the English for ‘sruol’?
‘difficult’ khmae thaa mɛc?	How do you say ‘difficult’ in Khmer?
‘easy’ khmae thaa mɛc?	How do you say ‘easy’ in Khmer?

Drill 2: Pronunciation Correction

Practice saying the following words with the correct initial /ŋ/:

Word	Meaning
ŋiey	easy
ŋiey yúl	easy to understand
ŋiey sose	easy to write
ŋiey rien	easy to learn