Language/Central-khmer/Vocabulary/Common-Greetings
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In this lesson, you will learn how to exchange basic greetings and other polite expressions in Central Khmer. Greetings are a crucial part of Cambodian culture, and learning how to use them correctly will help you make a good impression and build relationships with the local people.
Consider exploring these related pages after completing this lesson: Food & Ordering at a Restaurant.
Basic Greetings
Hello and Goodbye
The most common way to say hello in Central Khmer is សួស្តី (soo-stay). This can be used at any time of the day or night. The response to soo-stay is usually ជំរាបសួរ (jom-reap-soo-ah), which means "I greet you with respect."
To say goodbye in Central Khmer, you can use either ជួយលាហើយ (jouy-lah-heuy) or ជូរសេវា (juh-sweh-ah). The first expression is more informal and can be used with friends, while the second expression is more formal and can be used in business or professional settings.
Here are some other common greetings you may hear or use in Cambodia:
- សូមស្វាគមន៍ (sohm-svea-kom) - "Welcome"
- ជំរាបសួរ (jom-reap-soo-ah) - "I greet you with respect"
- សូមអរគុណ (sohm-ahkoon) - "Thank you"
- សូមស្រឡាញ់ (sohm-slaanh) - "Excuse me"
- អរុណសួស្តី (ah-roon-soo-stay) - "Goodbye (informal)"
- ជូរសេវា (juh-sweh-ah) - "Goodbye (formal)"
Other Polite Expressions
In addition to basic greetings, there are many other polite expressions that you can use to show respect and build rapport with Cambodian people. Here are a few examples:
- សូមអញ្ចឹងថា (sohm-angchung-taa) - "Please"
- សូមអរគុណច្រើន (sohm-ahkoon-krern) - "Thank you very much"
- សូមអភ័យទោស (sohm-ahp-yay-toh) - "I'm sorry"
- មិនបាច់ប្រើនោះទេ (min-by-jaa-preh-now-tay) - "No, thank you"
- សូមហេតុអ្វី? (sohm-heht-ah-vey?) - "What's the matter?"
To learn more about how to use these expressions correctly, it's important to study the context in which they are used as well as their proper pronunciation.
Here is a table with some common greetings and polite expressions in Central Khmer:
Central Khmer | Pronunciation | English |
---|---|---|
សួស្តី | soo-stay | Hello |
ជំរាបសួរ | jom-reap-soo-ah | I greet you with respect |
សូមអញ្ចឹងថា | sohm-angchung-taa | Please |
សួមអរគុណ | sohm-ahkoon | Thank you |
មិនបាច់ប្រើនោះទេ | min-by-jaa-preh-now-tay | No, thank you |
សូមអរគុណច្រើន | sohm-ahkoon-krern | Thank you very much |
សូមអភ័យទោស | sohm-ahp-yay-toh | I'm sorry |
Congratulations! You have just learned the most common greetings and polite expressions in Central Khmer. Keep practicing these phrases and you'll soon be able to communicate effectively with local people in Cambodia. In the next lesson, we will cover how to introduce yourself and exchange basic personal information.
Other Lessons
- Geography
- Seasons and Months
- Money and Currency
- Days of the Week
- Introducing Yourself
- Count to 10
- Modes of Transportation
- Animals
- Common Foods
Next Lesson — Introducing Yourself ▶️ |