Asking “What is this?” — Cultural note


អីគេហ្នឹង? គឺជាពាក្យប្រើញឹកញាប់ជាងគេក្នុងភាសានិយាយ ជំនួសឲ្យពាក្យ នេះជាអ្វី? / នោះជាអ្វី?
ការសួរពីនេះពីនោះនៅពេលជួបគ្នាក៏ជាទម្លាប់នៃការគួរសមផងដែរ ក្រៅពីសួរសុខទុក្ខ ដូចជាសួរថា
មកពីណាហ្នឹង?
ទៅណាហ្នឹង?
អីគេហ្នឹង? (ពេលឃើញមានរបស់នៅនឹងដៃ)
មកទិញអីវ៉ាន់?
ទិញអីបានខ្លះហើយ? (ពេលជួបគ្នានៅផ្សារ)

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KhmerPronunciationEnglish/Notes
អីគេ ʔəy kee 1. what {អីគេ? = Pardon?/What?} {អីគេហ្នឹង? = What is this?} {ជប់លៀងអីគេ វុទ្ធី? = What party, វុទ្ធី?}
2. something, anything {តែដូចភ្លេចអីគេម្យ៉ាង … = But it’s as if I’ve forgotten something …}
Notes: colloquial
ហ្នឹង nɨŋ this, that, right here, right now (colloquial form of នេះ = this, that)
គឺ kɨɨ 1. to be (equal to)
2. as follows, namely
ជា cie 1. to be (equal to), to be as
2. to be well, in good health, recovered
3. to be effective (of medicines)
ពាក្យ piek word, term, expression, phrase
ប្រើ praə to use
ញឹកញាប់ ɲɨk ɲoap 1. repeatedly, many times
2. often, frequently, on many occasions
ជាងគេ cieŋ kee superlative marker: the most, the ...-est
ក្នុង knoŋ 1. in, inside
2. during + (time word)
ភាសា pʰiesaa 1. language
2. speech, words
និយាយ niʔyiey to speak, say, talk, relate, tell, to narrate, to talk over, discuss
ជំនួស cumnuəh 1. instead of, in place of
2. to replace
3. replacement
ឲ្យ ʔaoy 1. to give
2. to let, to allow
3. for, to, in order to, so as to {ចង់ឲ្យខ្ញុំកុម្ម៉ង់អីញ៉ាំឲ្យហើយអត់? = Do you want me to order something for you already?}
4. in a... manner (forms adverbial phrases from predicatives)
Notes: also written អោយ, ឱ្យ
នេះ nih 1. this, these
2. often serves simply to emphasize something already referred to or something nearby in time or space
អ្វី ʔvəy 1. what?
2. anything, something, nothing
នោះ nuh 1. that, those (often serves simply to emphasize something already referred to or something distant in time or space)
2. then
ការ kaa 1. commonly occurs as a nominalizing particle deriving abstract nouns or noun phrases from verbs or verb phrases
2. work, occupation
3. business, affair, matter
4. to protect, defend, prevent
5. to marry
6. marriage
7. wedding
8. interest (e.g., on a loan)
9. profit
10. usury
11. to wind (into a skein/bobbin/reel)
12. to spin (silk)
សួរ suə 1. to ask, question, enquire
2. to visit, come to see
ពី pii from, since, of, about, at
នៅ nɨv 1. in, at
2. to be located at, to live in or at, to reside, to stay, to be in
3. still, yet (pre-verbal marker of a durative or continuative aspect, as a final particle in the tag question ហើយឬនៅ it means 'yet' and as a reply to a question of this kind, it means 'not yet') {ញ៉ាំអីហើយនៅ? = Have you eaten already?}
ពេល peel 1. time
2. moment, instant, period of time
ជួបគ្នា cuəp knie to meet each other
ក៏ kɑɑ marker of sequential or consecutive action: also, so, then, therefore, accordingly
ទម្លាប់ tumloap 1. habit, custom
2. to make a habit of, to be accustomed to
នៃ ney 1. of, belonging to (more literary and formal than របស់)
2. links verb and its object
គួរសម kuə sɑɑm 1. polite, acceptable, appropriate
2. reasonable, moderate {មានច្រើនគួរសមដែរ = it has a reasonably/relatively many}
ផងដែរ pʰɑɑŋ dae also, too, as well
ក្រៅពី krav pii besides, in addition to
សុខទុក្ខ sok tuk (personal physical) health
ដូចជា douc cie such as, like, as though, to seem as though, for instance
ថា tʰaa 1. to say, tell, pronounce
2. that (introduces a question or indirect discourse)
3. I've [just] said, [...]
មក mɔɔk 1. to come (toward the speaker in space or time)
2. to come to/towards (often used as a final particle indicating that the action began at some point in the past and continued up to the present)
3. (from then) on, (from that time) forth
4. to, toward
ណា naa 1. which, any
2. where, somewhere, anywhere
ទៅ tɨv 1. to go (away from the speaker in space or time), to go to/towards, go on, continue, advance, go away
2. towards
3. from now on, from then on (often used as a particle indicating that the action began at some point in the past or present and continued on into the future or that the action is directed away from the speaker)
4. imperative particle, go ahead and ...! {ញ៉ាំទៅ = Go ahead and eat/drink!}
ឃើញ kʰəəɲ 1. to see, to perceive
2. to understand, to recognize
3. គិត ... ឃើញ = to find a solution, figure out, solve
4. to come to a conclusion, realize, understand
មាន mien 1. to have, possess, own
2. to exist, there is, there are
3. to be rich, own property
4. indicates the accomplishment of an action, to happen to, to have occasion to
Notes: in spoken Khmer, negated មាន (មិនមាន or គ្មាន) can be contracted into មាន, e.g., មានអ្នកណាចង់ជួបឯង = ‘there's nobody who wants to meet you’ — contrast this with the affirmative: មានគេចង់ជួបឯង = ‘there’s somebody who wants to meet you’
របស់ rɔbɑh 1. object, thing, belonging, property
2. of, belonging to
នឹង nɨŋ with, by (means of), (attached) to
ដៃ day 1. arm, hand
2. handle, lever, crank
3. branch (of a tree, bamboo, or a river), offshoot
4. tendril
5. trunk (of an elephant)
6. sleeve
7. steering wheel
8. clf. for handfuls of young rice plants/grass
9. clf. for slaps
10. command to an elephant not to move its trunk or not to pull up something with its trunk
11. clf. for a bunch of 10 areca nuts
ទិញ tɨɲ to buy
អីវ៉ាន់ ʔəyvan objects, things, merchandise, goods, baggage
អី ʔəy 1. what? {អីហ្នឹង?/អីគេ?/អីគេហ្នឹង? = what is this?/what?} {កាន់អីនៅនឹងដៃហ្នឹង? = What are [you] holding in [your] hand?}
2. something, anything {មានអីអត់ = Are you all right?/Is everything ok?/Did anything happen?} {ខ្ញុំទៅក្រៅញ៉ាំអី = I’m going out to eat something}
Notes: variant of អ្វី
បាន baan 1. to have completed/done something
2. to intend to complete something
3. marker of completed action
4. to get, obtain, acquire, to achieve, have been able to, to get/have the opportunity to do something
5. to get someone or something to do something (often translated by the English passive in this sense)
6. to be able to
7. not ... until, then and only then
8. to pass to someone through inheritance
9. to be OK, fine, all right
10. [spoken language] however, though, in contrast {ម្សិលមិញបានក្ដៅខ្លាំង = yesterday, however, it was very hot}
11. {បានហើយ = I'm done, I give up, I'm finished (depending on the context)}
ខ្លះ klah some (serves as a plural marker with ណា​​ and អ្វី)
ហើយ haǝy 1. to be finished, ended, completed
2. enough!
3. final particle indicating completed action, already, by now
4. in a future context indicates action that will be completed at some future time
5. and, afterwards, next, then, after that
ផ្សារ psaa market, bazaar, fair