Language/Central-khmer/Grammar/Future-Tense

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Central Khmer → Grammar → 0 to A1 Course → Verbs and Tenses → Future Tense

Central Khmer is the official language of Cambodia and is a fascinating language to learn. In this lesson, you will learn how to form and use the future tense in Central Khmer, including regular and irregular verbs, and proper pronunciation.

Once you've mastered this lesson, take a look at these related pages: Pronouns & Give your Opinion.

Forming the Future Tense

To form the future tense in Central Khmer, you need to use the auxiliary verb "នឹង" (nəng). This is similar to the English auxiliary verb "will".

The basic sentence structure for the future tense in Central Khmer is:

[Subject] + [នឹង + Verb]

Let's take a look at some examples:

Central Khmer	Pronunciation	English
ខ្ញុំនឹងត្រឡប់មកវិញ	knhŭm nəng trâlăp mɔ̆k vìə	I will come back
អ្នកនឹងទប់ទល់ខ្ញុំ	nɛək nəng tôp tăl knhŭm	You will call me
គាត់នឹងចាំបាច់់	kɑt nəng jâm pác	She will wait
យើងនឹងមកវិញមិនដែលបាននៅទីនេះទេ	yəəng nəng mɔ̆k vìə min dâl baaŋ ti nəh	We will come here not for a long time

Using Irregular Verbs in the Future Tense

Like in many languages, there are some verbs in Central Khmer which are irregular in the future tense. They do not follow the basic sentence structure [Subject] + [នឹង + Verb]. Here are some examples:

Central Khmer	Pronunciation	English
ខ្ញុំនឹងឆ្លាត	knhŭm nəng chlaat	I will eat
បាទនឹងធ្វើ	baaŏt nəng tvəəh	You will do
គាត់នឹងមិនឃើញ	kɑt nəng min kəəy	She will not see

Using Time Markers

In Central Khmer, you can use time markers to indicate when a future action will take place. Here are some common time markers:

• ថ្ងៃសប្តាហ៍នេះ (tngai saɓdaah neəh) - today
• ថ្ងៃស្អែក (tngai saeək) - tomorrow
• ម្សិលមិញ (msil mɔ̆k) - tonight
• សប្តាហ៍ក្រោយ (saɓdaah krɔy) - in a few days
• ខែនេះ (khsae neəh) - this month
• ខែក្រោយ (kh sah krɔy) - next month

Here are some examples of using time markers in the future tense:

• ខ្ញុំនឹងទៅជួបក្បាលថ្ងៃសប្តាហ៍នេះ (knhŭm nəng twa juəb kbaal tngai saɓdaah neəh) - I will go shopping today
• ខ្ញុំនឹងទៅរកលុយពេលប្រកួតដ៏មានអ្វីដែលអាចសន្តិសុខបាន (knhŭm nəng twa ruk luy pĕəl prakaut daə mɨən avey dɑl sɑntohkbɑn) - I will find money when I need something important
• យើងនឹងមកបានត្រលែកកន្សែងក្នុងរាជធានីហ្វេលមិញ (yəəng nəng mɔ̆k baaŋ tra laek knsaeng knŭŏng rieəh trɑəni hael mɨən) - We will travel to Vietnam next year

Negating the Future Tense

To create a negative sentence in the future tense, you simply add the negative marker "មិន" (min) before the auxiliary verb "នឹង" (nəng).

Here are some examples:

Central Khmer	Pronunciation	English
ខ្ញុំមិននឹងទៅដែរ	knhŭm min nəng twa dae	I will not go
អ្នកមិននឹងស្រលាញ់ខ្ញុំ	nɛək min nəng sralanh knhŭm	You will not call me
គាត់មិននឹងចាំ	kɑt min nəng jâm	She will not wait

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have now learned how to form and use the future tense in Central Khmer. Remember to use the auxiliary verb "នឹង" (nəng) and to add time markers when needed. Keep practicing and don't forget to have fun with this fascinating language!

Well done on mastering this lesson! Don't miss these related pages to expand your knowledge: Plurals & Describing Actions and States.

Table of Contents - Central Khmer Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

  ---

Basic Greetings

• Common Greetings
• Introducing Yourself

  ---

Sentence Structure

• Basic Word Order
• Yes/No Questions

  ---

Numbers and Time

• Counting from 1 to 100
• Telling Time

  ---

Nouns and Pronouns

• Personal Pronouns
• Possessive Pronouns

  ---

Family and Relationships

• Family Members
• Relationship Status

  ---

Verbs and Tenses

• Present Tense
• Past Tense
• Future Tense

  ---

Food and Drink

• Common Foods
• Ordering at a Restaurant

  ---

Central Khmer Customs and Traditions

• Greetings and Polite Behavior
• Festivals and Celebrations

  ---

Travel and Transportation

• Modes of Transportation
• Asking for Directions

  ---

Adjectives and Adverbs

• Describing People and Things
• Describing Actions and States

  ---

Weather and Seasons

• Weather Vocabulary
• Seasons and Months

  ---

Central Khmer Literature and Arts

• Literature and Poetry
• Music and Dance

  ---

Shopping and Money

• Shopping Vocabulary
• Money and Currency

  ---

Prepositions and Conjunctions

• Using Prepositions
• Using Conjunctions

  ---

Hobbies and Leisure Activities

• Common Hobbies
• Discussing Interests

  ---

Central Khmer History and Geography

• Historical Overview
• Geographical Features

Other Lessons

• Gender
• Using Prepositions
• How to Use Have
• Plurals
• 0 to A1 Course
• How to Use Be
• Describing People and Things
• Possessive Pronouns
• Give your Opinion
• Questions

Sources

• Central-khmer

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