Language/Lao/Grammar/Present-Tense
Introduction
In this lesson, you will learn about the present tense in Lao, including how to form and use regular and irregular verbs. The present tense is used to describe actions that are happening right now, habitual actions, and general truths.
Regular Verbs
Regular verbs in Lao follow a predictable pattern when conjugated in the present tense. Most verbs end in "-ດ" (d) or "-ບ" (b) and replace these endings with "-ະດ" (ad) or "-ະບ" (ab) in the present tense.
Let's take the verb "ດີ" (to eat) as an example:
| Lao | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ຂ້ອຍກໍເຮັດອາຫານ | koy ke het aan | I am eating |
| ຜູ້ໃຫຍ່ກໍເຮັດອາຫານ | phu nyai ke het aan | she is eating |
| ພັນຕະຫຼາດຝົນ | pan ta lot fon | we eat |
| ຜູ້ຍິງຂ້ື້ນກໍເຮັດອາຫານ | phu ying khoon ke het aan | they are eating |
As you can see, the endings -ad and -ab are added to the verb root to form the present tense. Note that the subject pronouns are frequently omitted in Lao when the context makes it clear who is performing the action.
Irregular Verbs
Not all verbs in Lao follow the regular verb conjugation pattern. Some have irregular stems or are formed in completely unique ways in the present tense. Let's look at a few examples:
The verb "ມັກ" (to come) is irregular in the present tense:
| Lao | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ຂ້ອຍມັກສິ່ງ | koy maa seng | I am coming |
| ຜູ້ໃຫຍ່ມັກສິ່ງ | phu nyai maa seng | she is coming |
| ພັນຕະຫຼາດມັກສົດ | pan ta lot maa sod | we are coming |
| ຜູ້ຍິງມັກສິ່ງ | phu ying maa seng | they are coming |
As you can see, the verb stem changes from "ມັກ" (maak) to "ມັກສິ່ງ" (maak sing) in the present tense.
Here's another example with the verb "ກຳລັງ" (to work):
| Lao | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ຂ້ອຍກຳລັງເຮັດ | koy kum-lang het | I am working |
| ຜູ້ໃຫຍ່ກຳລັງເຮັດ | phu nyai kum-lang het | she is working |
| ພັນຕະຫຼາດກຳລັງເຮັດ | pan ta lot kum-lang het | we are working |
| ຜູ້ຍິງກຳລັງເຮັດ | phu ying kum-lang het | they are working |
In this case, the verb root remains the same, but the ending "-ລັງ" (lang) is added to it.
Usage
The present tense in Lao is used to describe actions that are happening right now, habitual actions, and general truths.
For example, you can use the present tense to say:
- "ຂ້ອຍທີ່ນີ້ເຮັດຕາມເວລາ" (I am eating now)
- "ຜູ້ໃຫຍ່ມັກມື້ນີ້" (She is coming today)
- "ພັນອາຫານຕາມວັນນີ້" (We eat every day)
- "ຜູ້ຍິງຍັງດີຂ້ອຍແນ່ນອນ" (They still like me)
In addition to its primary use, the present tense is also frequently used to express future actions or plans. For example, you can say "ຂ້ອຍຈະເຮັດຕາມວັນນີ້" (I will eat today).
Summary
In this lesson, you have learned about the present tense in Lao, including how to form and use regular and irregular verbs. Remember that the present tense is used to describe actions that are happening right now, habitual actions, and general truths. To form the present tense for regular verbs, add -ad or -ab to the verb root. Irregular verbs have unique conjugation patterns that must be memorized.