Language/Lao/Vocabulary/Telling-Time

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Lao → Vocabulary → 0 to A1 Course → Numbers and Time → Telling Time

Introduction

Welcome to the lesson on telling time in Lao! In this lesson, we will explore the vocabulary and expressions related to time in the Lao language. Being able to tell time is essential for daily life, and it will greatly enhance your ability to communicate and navigate the Lao-speaking world. By the end of this lesson, you will be able to confidently ask for the time and understand common expressions related to time in Lao.

This lesson is part of the larger course titled "Complete 0 to A1 Lao Course". It is designed for complete beginners who want to learn Lao and reach the A1 level. The lesson assumes no prior knowledge of the Lao language and will guide you step by step through the process of learning how to tell time in Lao. So let's get started!

Vocabulary

Before we dive into the intricacies of telling time in Lao, let's first familiarize ourselves with the vocabulary related to time. Here are some essential words and phrases you need to know:

Lao	Pronunciation	English
ເວລາ	wela	time
ຄິດໄລ່	kit lai	o'clock
ນາທີ	nathi	hour
ນາທີຊາດ	nathi saad	minute
ນາທີສິບ	nathi sip	second
ຊາດ	saad	minute
ສິບ	sip	second
ໂມງ	mong	clock
ຊາດໂມງ	saad mong	clock
ນາທີບາດ	nathi bat	half hour
ນາທີສຸດ	nathi sut	quarter hour

It is important to remember these words as they will form the foundation of our lesson on telling time. Take your time to practice pronouncing each word correctly.

Telling Time in Lao

Now that we have learned the essential vocabulary related to time, let's move on to the actual process of telling time in Lao. In Lao, the basic format for telling time is:

[Hour] + [Minutes] + [Kit Lai]

Let's break down each component and explore how to express them in Lao:

Hours

To express the hours in Lao, we use the word "nathi" followed by the number corresponding to the hour. Here are some examples:

• ນາທີເຈັດ || nathi chet || one o'clock
• ນາທີສອງ || nathi song || two o'clock
• ນາທີສາມ || nathi sam || three o'clock
• ນາທີສີ່ || nathi si || four o'clock
• ນາທີຫ້າ || nathi ha || five o'clock
• ນາທີເຈັດຫົກ || nathi chet hok || six o'clock
• ນາທີສອງຫົກ || nathi song hok || seven o'clock
• ນາທີສາມຫົກ || nathi sam hok || eight o'clock
• ນາທີສີ່ຫົກ || nathi si hok || nine o'clock
• ນາທີຫ້າຫົກ || nathi ha hok || ten o'clock
• ນາທີເຈັດສິບ || nathi chet sip || eleven o'clock
• ນາທີສອງສິບ || nathi song sip || twelve o'clock

Note that the numbers in Lao are used to express the hours. If you haven't learned the numbers yet, don't worry! We will cover them in a separate lesson. For now, focus on familiarizing yourself with the structure and pronunciation of the expressions.

Minutes

The minutes in Lao are expressed using the word "nathi saad" or simply "saad" followed by the number corresponding to the minutes. Here are some examples:

• ເຂົ້າວຽກສາມັນນາທີສາດ || khao wiang sam sip saad || It's ten minutes past three.
• ເຂົ້າທ່ຽງນາທີສອງສາມ || khao thiang nathi song sam || It's twenty minutes to four.
• ເຂົ້າທ່ຽງນາທີສີ່ || khao thiang nathi si || It's twenty minutes past four.
• ເຂົ້າທ່ຽງນາທີຫ້າ || khao thiang nathi ha || It's twenty minutes past five.
• ເຂົ້າທ່ຽງນາທີເຈັດ || khao thiang nathi chet || It's twenty minutes past one.

As you can see, the minutes are expressed by combining the word "nathi saad" or "saad" with the corresponding number.

Kit Lai (O'Clock)

To indicate that it is a specific hour on the dot, we use the phrase "kit lai" in Lao, which is equivalent to saying "o'clock" in English. Here are some examples:

• ນາທີເຈັດຄິດໄລ່ || nathi chet kit lai || It's one o'clock.
• ນາທີສອງຄິດໄລ່ || nathi song kit lai || It's two o'clock.
• ນາທີສາມຄິດໄລ່ || nathi sam kit lai || It's three o'clock.
• ນາທີສີ່ຄິດໄລ່ || nathi si kit lai || It's four o'clock.
• ນາທີຫ້າຄິດໄລ່ || nathi ha kit lai || It's five o'clock.

Remember to always include "kit lai" when expressing a specific hour.

Common Expressions

Now that we have learned how to tell time in Lao, let's explore some common expressions related to time that you might encounter in daily conversations. These expressions will help you understand and communicate effectively when discussing time in Lao.

Morning, Afternoon, Evening, and Night

In Lao, there are specific words to denote different parts of the day. Here are the words you need to know:

• ພະຍາດ || phayad || morning
• ສາມ || sam || afternoon
• ຕໍ່ເມືອງ || dto meuang || evening
• ກັນຍາ || kan ya || night

To express the time in relation to these parts of the day, you can simply add the corresponding word after the time expression. For example:

• ນາທີເຈັດຄິດໄລ່ແລ້ວ || nathi chet kit lai laew || It's one o'clock now.
• ນາທີເຈັດຄິດໄລ່ພະຍາດ || nathi chet kit lai phayad || It's one o'clock in the morning.
• ນາທີເຈັດສອງສາມຄິດໄລ່ || nathi song kit lai sam || It's two o'clock in the afternoon.
• ນາທີເຈັດສອງສາມຕໍ່ເມືອງ || nathi song kit lai dto meuang || It's two o'clock in the evening.
• ນາທີເຈັດສອງສາມກັນຍາ || nathi song kit lai kan ya || It's two o'clock at night.

By adding these time expressions, you can specify the time in relation to different parts of the day.

Half Past, Quarter Past, and Quarter To

In addition to expressing specific hours and minutes, Lao also has expressions for "half past," "quarter past," and "quarter to." Let's take a look at these expressions:

• ນາທີສາມເທົ່າສາດ || nathi sam theo saad || half past three
• ນາທີສາມສອງສາມເທົ່າ || nathi sam song sam theo saad || quarter past three
• ນາທີສາມສອງສາມເຂົ້າທ່ຽງ || nathi sam song sam khao thiang || quarter to four

These expressions allow you to indicate time more precisely, especially when the minutes are not on the hour.

Cultural Insights

Time plays an important role in Lao culture, and there are a few cultural insights worth mentioning when it comes to telling time in Lao.

Firstly, Lao people tend to have a more relaxed attitude towards time compared to Western cultures. It is common for appointments to be flexible and for meetings to start a bit later than scheduled. Punctuality is not always strictly adhered to, especially in more informal settings. However, it is still important to be respectful of others' time and make an effort to arrive on time for formal occasions.

Secondly, Lao people often use the 12-hour clock system rather than the 24-hour system. This means that when telling time, Lao speakers typically use expressions like "one o'clock" instead of "13:00." However, the 24-hour system is also understood and used in certain situations, such as public transportation schedules and official documents.

Lastly, Lao people have their own traditional ways of measuring time. In rural areas, the position of the sun and natural landmarks are often used to estimate the time of day. For example, the length and direction of a shadow can indicate the approximate time. This traditional knowledge is still passed down through generations and is a testament to the resourcefulness and connection with nature that is deeply ingrained in Lao culture.

Practice Exercises

Now it's time to practice what you have learned! Complete the following exercises to reinforce your understanding of telling time in Lao.

Exercise 1: Translate the following sentences into Lao:

1. It's nine o'clock in the morning. 2. It's half past six in the evening. 3. It's ten minutes to twelve at night. 4. It's quarter past two in the afternoon. 5. It's twenty minutes past three in the morning.

Exercise 2: Translate the following sentences into English:

1. ນາທີສາມສອງສາມເທົ່າສາດ. 2. ເຂົ້າທ່ຽງນາທີຫ້າ. 3. ນາທີເຈັດສີ່ຄິດໄລ່. 4. ນາທີເຈັດສອງສາມນາທີສີ່. 5. ນາທີເຈັດຄິດໄລ່ແລ້ວ.

Exercise 3: Write the time in Lao for the following clock faces:

1. ![Clock 1: 4 o'clock]() 2. ![Clock 2: 9 o'clock]() 3. ![Clock 3: 2 o'clock]()

Solution

Exercise 1:

1. ນາທີສີ່ຕໍ່ເມືອງ. 2. ນາທີສາມສອງສາມເທົ່າຕໍ່ເມືອງ. 3. ນາທີສາມນາທີສີ່ຫ້າທ່ຽງ. 4. ນາທີສອງສາມນາທີສາດ. 5. ນາທີສອງສາມຄິດໄລ່ນາທີສາດ.

Exercise 2:

1. It's quarter past three. 2. It's twenty minutes to six. 3. It's four o'clock in the afternoon. 4. It's two o'clock in the morning. 5. It's six o'clock at night.

Exercise 3:

1. ນາທີເຈັດສີ່. 2. ນາທີເຈັດສີ່ຕໍ່ເມືອງ. 3. ນາທີເຈັດສອງສາມ.

Congratulations on completing the exercises! You're well on your way to mastering the skill of telling time in Lao.

Summary

In this lesson, we have learned how to tell time in Lao and understand common expressions related to time. We explored the vocabulary necessary for expressing hours, minutes, and specific parts of the day. We also delved into cultural insights surrounding time in Lao and practiced our skills through various exercises.

Remember to continue practicing and using these new expressions in your daily conversations to reinforce your learning. Understanding how to tell time will greatly enhance your ability to navigate the Lao-speaking world and communicate effectively with native speakers.

Keep up the great work and see you in the next lesson!

Table of Contents - Lao Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

  ---

Greetings and Introductions

• Basic Greetings
• Introducing Yourself

  ---

Pronouns and Verb to be

• Personal Pronouns
• Verb to be

  ---

Numbers and Time

• Numbers 1-10
• Telling Time

  ---

Nouns and Plurals

• Nouns
• Plurals

  ---

Family and Relationships

• Family Members
• Relationships

  ---

Adjectives and Adverbs

• Adjectives
• Adverbs

  ---

Food and Drinks

• Common Foods
• Ordering at a Restaurant

  ---

Lao Customs and Etiquette

• Greetings and Social Etiquette
• Festivals and Celebrations

  ---

Questions and Negations

• Question Words
• Negations

  ---

Travel and Transportation

• Modes of Transportation
• Asking for Directions

  ---

Prepositions and Conjunctions

• Prepositions
• Conjunctions

  ---

Shopping and Money

• Shopping Vocabulary
• Money and Currency

  ---

Lao Food and Dining

• Traditional Lao Dishes
• Eating Customs and Etiquette

  ---

Tenses and Verb Conjugation

• Present Tense
• Past Tense

  ---

Weather and Seasons

• Weather Vocabulary
• Seasons

  ---

Comparatives and Superlatives

• Comparatives
• Superlatives

  ---

Hobbies and Interests

• Common Hobbies
• Sports and Activities

  ---

Lao Music and Arts

• Traditional Music
• Arts and Crafts

Sources

• Telling The Time In Lao: The #1 Awesome Need-To-Know Guide ...
• Lao-tse - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms | Vocabulary.com
• Learning my first hard language: Lao – A Latina Diplomat's Journey

Other Lessons

• House Home
• Introducing Yourself
• Geography
• Colors
• Family Members
• Asking for Directions
• How to Say Hello and Greetings
• Basic Survival Word and Phrases
• Basic Greetings
• Vegetables

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