Asking “What is this?” — Dialogue 2


ធារីពិសិដ្ឋ! កាន់អីនៅនឹងដៃហ្នឹង?
ពិសិដ្ឋវចនានុក្រមអេឡិចត្រូនិច ធារីស្គាល់អត់?
ធារីធ្លាប់តែគេនិយាយ តែអត់ដែលឃើញសោះគេប្រើយ៉ាងម៉េចអាហ្នឹង?

Link to overview page
Link to dictionary

KhmerPronunciationEnglish/Notes
ធារី tʰierii female Cambodian name
ពិសិដ្ឋ piʔsət male Cambodian name
កាន់ kan 1. to hold, carry in the hand, grasp, hang on to
2. to control, be in charge of, be responsible for
3. to withstand, support, sustain, bear
4. to hold to, believe in, keep/observe (e.g., a religion) {កាន់សាសនាព្រះពុទ្ធ = to believe in Buddhism}
5. (of a spirit) to possess
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
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?}
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
ហ្នឹង nɨŋ this, that, right here, right now (colloquial form of នេះ = this, that)
វចនានុក្រម veaʔcaʔnaanuʔkrɑm dictionary
អេឡិចត្រូនិច eeləttrounɨt electronic
Notes: also written អេឡិចត្រូនិក; neither in Headley nor Chuon
ស្គាល់ skoal 1. to know (someone), recognize, have seen before
2. to be familiar with
អត់ ʔɑt 1. no, not
2. to be without, lacking
3. to restrain oneself, abstain from
4. particle to form yes/no questions
ធ្លាប់តែ tloap 1. to become accustomed to, familiar with, to be used to
2. to have the habit/custom of
3. marker of continuous action in the past
Notes: equivalent to ធ្លាប់
lɨɨ 1. to hear
2. independent vowel representing the Sanskrit vowel លឭៃ (words spelled with ឮ may also be spelled with លឺ)
Notes: also written លឺ
គេ kee 1. he, she
2. one, someone
3. other(s)
និយាយ niʔyiey to speak, say, talk, relate, tell, to narrate, to talk over, discuss
តែ tae 1. but, however
2. only, just
3. tea
អត់ដែល ʔɑt dael never [to have done something] (used only for past actions)
Notes: see also មិនដែល
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
សោះ sɑh 1. final particle: (in negative clauses) at all, in the least, completely, utterly, absolutely, finally
2. to be completely out of
3. to be empty, devoid of content
4. to be tasteless, insipid, flavorless, lifeless
5. tired, exhausted
6. pale, anemic
7. it’s just … {សំឡេងទូរស័ព្ទសោះ = it’s just the sound of the phone}
ប្រើ praə to use
យ៉ាងម៉េច yaaŋ məc 1. how, in what way
2. in any way, however
អាហ្នឹង ʔaa nɨŋ this thing, that thing
Notes: less polite, used in casual conversation; see also អានោះ