Language/Central-khmer/Grammar/Plurals
Hi Central Khmer learners! π
In this lesson, we will learn about plurals in Central Khmer. Plurals are easy to form, but it is important to keep in mind a few rules. We will also discuss some interesting facts about the Khmer language and culture. So, let's get started!
Finish this lesson and explore these related pages: Personal Pronouns & Pronouns.
Plurals[edit | edit source]
In Central Khmer, plurals are formed by adding a suffix to a noun. The most common suffix is "-ααα" ("-teing") or "-α" ("-ng"). The choice of suffix depends on the noun's final consonant or vowel.
For example:
Singular | Plural |
---|---|
αααα½α (sΙmnuΙ) | αααα½αβααα (sΙmnuΙ-teing) |
αααααα (knaelΙΙΕ) | ααααααβααα (knaelΙΙΕ-teing) |
ααα αΌα (hΙp) | ααα αΌαβααα (hΙp-teing) |
As you can see in the examples above, the suffix "-teing" is added to the end of the noun to form the plural. However, in the case of the noun "αααααα" (place), the suffix "-ng" is used instead of "-teing" because the final consonant is a "Ε" sound.
It's important to note that the final consonant of the noun is not always the deciding factor in which suffix to use. In some cases, the final vowel of the noun determines the suffix used. For example, the noun "αα αααα‘αΆαα" (dog) becomes "αα αααα‘αΆααβα" (dogs), using the "-ng" suffix instead of "-teing" because the final vowel of the noun is "Ι".
Another way to form plurals is by repeating the noun. This is less common, but it is used for some types of nouns such as animals and birds. For example, "ααΌαααααΆα" (house) becomes "ααΌαααααΆαβααΌαααααΆα" (houses).
There are also some irregular plural nouns in Central Khmer that do not follow these rules, such as:
ααΈαα (jiv) - meaning "life", becomes ααΈααααΆαα· (jiv chet) meaning "lives" αααΆ (sahaa) - meaning "star", becomes ααα·ααΆααααα (sattireamreut) meaning "stars"
Interesting facts about Central Khmer[edit | edit source]
1. Central Khmer, also known as Khmer or Cambodian, is the official language of Cambodia. It is spoken by over 16 million people worldwide.
2. Khmer language and culture share many similarities with Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam. However, Khmer has its own unique script and pronunciation.
3. The Khmer script is one of the oldest scripts in the world and has been in use for over 2000 years. It is a syllabic script with each character representing a consonant sound plus a vowel sound.
4. Buddhism has had a big influence on Khmer culture and language. Many Khmer words related to religion and spirituality come from Sanskrit, which was the language of Buddhism.
5. The Khmer language has many loanwords from French, which was the country's colonial language. For example, "α αΆα" (haang) means shop, which comes from the French word "hangar".
To improve your Central Khmer Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!
Dialogue[edit | edit source]
Let's practice using plurals in a conversation:
- Person 1: αααα»αααΆαβααΌαβαααα»αβαααΈαα (khnhom mean kun brohoun be-ng) (I have two brothers)
- Person 2: ααΎβααΌαβααΈαβα’αΆα βααααΆαβαα βααΆααΆβααΆαβα¬? (toΕ koun pii-ar-caol tlaat-touy s'laa baaen?) (Can both brothers go to school?)
- Person 1: ααα»ααααΆααβααΈααβαα·αβααΆαβα αΌαβααΆααΆβααα (ponleav pii-koy-mean bon-jeul sa-la teh) (Unfortunately, they cannot go to school)
Sources[edit | edit source]
Other Lessons[edit | edit source]
- Conditional Mood
- Gender
- Adjectives
- How to Use Have
- Pronouns
- Negation
- Questions
- How to Use Be
- Give your Opinion