Language/Central-khmer/Grammar/Using-Prepositions
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Central Khmer has many prepositions that are used to indicate relationships between words in a sentence. In this lesson, you will learn about the most commonly-used prepositions in the Central Khmer language, how to use them properly, and how to pronounce them.
Don't miss the chance to check out these pages as you wrap up this lesson: 0 to A1 Course & Negation.
Prepositions
Prepositions are words that describe the relationship between a noun or pronoun and other words in a sentence. They can indicate direction, time, location, or other relationships. Here are some of the most common prepositions in Central Khmer:
- ក្នុង (knuh): in
- នៅ (nov): at
- ពី (pi): from
- ទៅ (taw): to
- ជាមួយ (chamuh): with
- ដោយ (doh): by
- ដើម្បី (daembey): for
- រយៈ (ray): on
- ចំណុច (chomnup): towards
- ច្បាស់សរណ៍ (bpaasang): according to
- ចាប់ពីរបៀប (chabpierbeyop): in the style of
- ចង់ (chang): want to
- វាមិនចាំបាច់ (vea min cham baac): not interested in
- ដឹងលុយ (deng loi): aware of
Each preposition has various uses and can be combined with other words to create idiomatic expressions. Here are some examples:
| Central Khmer | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| នៅក្នុង សារៈអតីត | nov knuh saa-otit | at the official ceremony |
| ពីរមកពីស្រុកទីបី | pi mohk pi srok tik bei | from district three |
| ទៅកាន់ផ្សារ | taw kanhaa pasaa | to the market |
As you can see, prepositions can be combined with other words to form an idiomatic expression, which may not always be predictable from the individual words' meanings.
Proper Usage
The usage of prepositions depends on the context and the relationship between the words in a sentence. However, there are some general rules that can guide you in using prepositions correctly:
1. The preposition should be placed before the noun or pronoun it describes, for example: នៅពេលយប់ (nov pel yob) means "in the winter", while យប់នៅពេល (yob nov pel) would be incorrect.
2. Some prepositions can take different nouns or pronouns depending on the context, for example: ទៅកាន់សាលាវិទ្យាល័យ (taw kanhaa saalaa vithey ley) meaning "go to school", and កាន់បណ្តុះបណ្តាល (kanhaa bontoh bondaal) meaning "go to work".
3. Prepositions can also be combined with verbs to create idiomatic expressions, such as ផ្ញើដោយ (pnh daoh) meaning "send by", or ស្គាល់ដោយ (sklaah daoh) meaning "know by".
Learning to use prepositions correctly in Central Khmer takes time and practice, but it's vital to communicating effectively.
Pronunciation
Central Khmer prepositions often have a complex pronunciation, with irregularities in stress and intonation. Here are some guidelines to help you pronounce prepositions correctly:
1. Pay attention to the vowel sounds in the preposition, as they can change depending on the word they are modifying. For example, នៅ (nov) has a different vowel sound in សាលានៅ (saala nov) than in សាលាពីរ (saala pi).
2. Some prepositions have a final consonant that changes depending on the noun or pronoun they are modifying, such as រយៈ (ray) in រយៈពេល (ray pel) and រយៈមិន (ray min) .
3. Stress is also important and can vary depending on the preposition and the word it's modifying. For example, the stress in ទៅនឹង (taw nung) is on the second syllable, while the stress in ក្រោយពី (kraoh pi) is on the last syllable.
By paying attention to these pronunciation guidelines, you can improve your Central Khmer speaking skills and communicate more accurately.
Conclusion
Prepositions are an essential part of the Central Khmer language, allowing speakers to indicate the relationships between words and create idiomatic expressions. By learning to use and pronounce prepositions correctly, you will be better able to communicate in Central Khmer and make the most of your language-learning experience.
With this lesson finished, you may want to explore these additional pages: Personal Pronouns & Gender.
Other Lessons
- Describing People and Things
- Past Tense
- How to Use Have
- Adjectives
- Questions
- 0 to A1 Course
- Negation
- How to Use Be
- Possessive Pronouns
- Using Conjunctions
Sources
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