Saying “I don’t understand” — Dialogue 3


ធារីបងតារា ម៉េចក៏បង ... ?
តារាព្រោះ ...។ យល់អត់ / យល់នៅ?
ធារីអូ អីចឹងទេ ខ្ញុំយល់ហើយ!
តារាទាល់អីចឹងបានយល់!

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KhmerPronunciationEnglish/Notes
ធារី tʰierii female Cambodian name
បង bɑɑŋ 1. elder sibling
2. you (addressing an acquaintance, friend, elder sibling, or husband), or I (if elder than the addressee)
3. you (politely addressing a stranger who's not too much younger than oneself)
តារា taaraa male Cambodian name
ម៉េចក៏ məc kɑɑ how come, how is it that, why is it that, why
Notes: colloquial
ព្រោះ prʊəh because (of), since
យល់ yʊəl 1. to understand, comprehend
2. to learn
3. to see, perceive
4. recognize, know
5. to favor, be partial to
អត់ ʔɑt 1. no, not
2. to be without, lacking
3. to restrain oneself, abstain from
4. particle to form yes/no questions
នៅ nɨv 1. in, at
2. to be located at, to live in or at, to reside, to stay, to be in
3. still, yet (pre-verbal marker of a durative or continuative aspect, as a final particle in the tag question ហើយឬនៅ it means 'yet' and as a reply to a question of this kind, it means 'not yet') {ញ៉ាំអីហើយនៅ? = Have you eaten already?}
អូ ʔou oh, aha (exclamation expressing sudden realization, or loss of doubt)
អីចឹង ʔəycəŋ 1. like this, like that, in that way, then {គិតម៉េចទៅអីចឹង? = What are you going to do next?} {ធ្វើមុខអីអីចឹង? = Why are you making such a face?}
2. really?
Notes: variant: អ៊ីចឹង
ទេ tee 1. particle: negative particle occurring in phrase final position especially after មិន, ពុំ, etc.
2. interrogative particle occurring in phrase final position, often in the combination ឬទេ
3. neutral/positive particle to add emphasis {ខ្ញុំសុខសប្បាយទេ = I'm fine!} {យកតែមួយទេ = I’ll take only one!}
ខ្ញុំ kɲom I
ហើយ haǝy 1. to be finished, ended, completed
2. enough!
3. final particle indicating completed action, already, by now
4. in a future context indicates action that will be completed at some future time
5. and, afterwards, next, then, after that
ទាល់ toal 1. up to, as far as, until
2. to do all the way, to be through to the end {ទាល់អីចឹងបានយល់! = Finally, you've understood it!}
3. to run out of, exhaust
4. to bar, block, impede
5. to be blocked, stymied, held in check
6. kind of plant with an edible tuber
បាន baan 1. to have completed/done something
2. to intend to complete something
3. marker of completed action
4. to get, obtain, acquire, to achieve, have been able to, to get/have the opportunity to do something
5. to get someone or something to do something (often translated by the English passive in this sense)
6. to be able to
7. not ... until, then and only then
8. to pass to someone through inheritance
9. to be OK, fine, all right
10. [spoken language] however, though, in contrast {ម្សិលមិញបានក្ដៅខ្លាំង = yesterday, however, it was very hot}
11. {បានហើយ = I'm done, I give up, I'm finished (depending on the context)}