Language/Lao/Grammar/Pronouns

Lao Grammar - Pronouns

Hi Lao learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will explore Lao Pronouns. Pronouns are crucial in communication as they help avoid repetition and assist in clarity.

After mastering this lesson, these related pages might interest you: Personal pronouns, Negation, Plurals & How to Use Have.

Lao Personal Pronouns

In Lao, personal pronouns are used in place of a noun that refers to a person or thing. Let's look at the Lao Personal pronouns in the table below:

Lao	Pronunciation	English
ຂ້ານ	khăan	I/me
ທ່ານ	thaan	You
ເຂົ້າ	khăo(h)	He/him/it/she/her
ລາວ	láw	We/us
ທີ່ມ	thîi-mây	You all
ພວກເຮົາ	pheûak-hăo	They/them/ those

Here are some examples in context:

• Person 1: ຂ້ານໄດ້ໃສ່ເຮົາແລ້ວ. (khăan dai săi hăo leu.) (I have told him.)
• Person 2: ຜູ້ນີ້ເຄີຍບໍ່ແມ່ນທ່ານຫລືບໍ່? (phûu nii kăe bò mâi mae thaan hǎr bò?) (Is this person yours or not?)

Lao Demonstrative Pronouns

Demonstrative pronouns in Lao are used to point out something or someone. They can also assist in avoiding repetition.

Lao	Pronunciation	English
ນີ້	nii	This (near)
ມີນີ້	míi-nii	These (near)
ນີ້ໄດ້	nii dai	This (far)
ມີນີ້ໄດ້	míi-nii dai	These (far)
ນີ້​ແມ່ນ	nii-mae	That (near)
ມີນີ້​ແມ່ນ	míi-nii mae	Those (near)
ນີ້ໄດ້ແມ່ນ	nii dai-mae	That (far)
ມີນີ້ໄດ້ແມ່ນ	míi-nii dai-mae	Those (far)

Let's see these examples below:

• Person 1: ມີນີ້​ບໍ່ສໍາເລັດ. (míi-nii bò sǎm-lɛɛ.) (These are not useful.)
• Person 2: ສະບາຍດີທີ່ມ, ນີ້ແມ່ນ​ຫຍັງ? (sà-baai-dii thîi-mây, nii-mae yang?) (Hello everyone, what is that?)

Lao Indefinite Pronouns

Indefinite pronouns refer to non-specific nouns. In Lao, they are used when referring to things or persons that are not identified.

Lao	Pronunciation	English
ຫຼີ້	lǔu	One/some
ຄົນຫວັງ	khon-wăng	Someone
ຫວ່າງວ່າງ	wăng-waang	Anybody

Here are some examples in context:

• Person 1: ຫລັງຈະປະສົດຈາກນີ້ຫຼາຍບໍ? (lang jar pasot jḁ̀aj.ni̥.lua by nḁ̀ak pôn.) (How will we recover from this big mistake?)
• Person 2: ຫວ່າງວ່າງຂ້ອຍຮັກທີ່ເຮົາລອງ​. (wăng-waang khǎo hûk thîi hǎo lǭng.) (Anybody can go wherever they want.)

Lao Interrogative Pronouns

Interrogative pronouns are used to ask questions. Here are the Lao Interrogative pronouns with their pronunciations and English translations:

Lao	Pronunciation	English
ຈົດ	chót	Who
ຈົດ​ຫວ່າງ	chót wăng	Anyone
ຄວາມ	khuaa(m)	What
ຈົດເທົ່າ	chót thĕuu	Whose
ຢຸດຢູ່ແມ່ນ	yùt-yùu mae	Where
ຈົດ​ແມ່ນ	chót mae	Which

Here are some examples in context:

• Person 1: ມີຄຳສັ່ງ​ທີ່ເປັນຄຳຕອບແທກນັ້ນແລ້ວບໍ? (mîi kham sḁ̀engthîi pĕun khuaam-tôob thǎek nûan laew bò?) (What is the main instruction of this task?)
• Person 2: ຢຸດຢູ່ແມ່ນຕວາກທີ່ເຮົາຫລື? (yùt-yùu mae tuḁ̀ak thîi-hăo hǎr?) (Where are you going?)

Lao Reflexive Pronouns

Reflexive pronouns are used when the object of a sentence is the same as the subject. In Lao, reflexive pronouns are formed by adding the prefix "ຊອກ" (sok) before a personal pronoun. Let's see some reflexive pronouns in the table below:

Lao	Pronunciation	English
ຕັນ	tan	Myself
ຕັ້ງ	tang	Yourself
ຕັກ	tak	Himself/herself/itself
ຕອບ	tḁ̀w	Ourselves
ທີ່ມຕັ້ງ	thîi-mây tang	Yourselves
ພວກເຮົາຕັກ	pheûak-hăo tak	Themselves

Here are some examples in context:

• Person 1: ຂ້ານລອງເຈົ້າໄດ້ຮັກຕັກແລ້ວ. (khăan lǭng jĕuu dai hûk tak leu.) (I hurt myself)
• Person 2: ຮັກຕອບໂຫຼດໄຟ້ແລະເຂົ້າມາ​. (hûk tḁ̀w hòolóa và khăo-maa.) (Let's download and install ourselves.)

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have learned about Lao pronouns. Practicing with native speakers is one of the most efficient strategies to improve your language skills. Polyglot Club is an online community where you can meet people from all over the world and improve your Lao language skills. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!

Don't forget that grammar is an important aspect of learning any language. You can also check our Grammar resource to improve your Lao language proficiency. Keep up the good work! 😊

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➡ If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below.
➡ Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎

Sources

• Lao grammar - Wikipedia
• How to say I or me in Lao | Lao Lessons

Excellent job on conquering this lesson! Consider delving into these related pages: Adjectives, Say Hello and Greetings in Lao, How to Use Be & Demonstrative Pronouns.

Other Lessons

• Adjectives
• Give your Opinion
• Future Tense
• Personal pronouns
• Plurals
• Conditional Mood
• Demonstrative Pronouns
• Questions
• Negation