Answering the phone — Cultural note


នៅពេលទទួលទូរស័ព្ទ ជាទូទៅ ជនជាតិខ្មែរមិនណែនាំខ្លួនទៅកាន់អ្នកដែលទូរស័ព្ទមកនោះទេ គឺ គ្រាន់តែនិយាយថាអាឡូឬក៏អាឡូ ជម្រាបសួរតែប៉ុណ្ណោះ
ប៉ុន្តែ សម្រាប់ក្រុមហ៊ុនដែលផ្ដល់សេវាកម្មផ្សេងនៅពេលលើកទូរស័ព្ទរបស់អតិថិជន ត្រូវណែនាំឈ្មោះក្រុមហ៊ុន ឧទាហរណ៍អាឡូ ក្រុមហ៊ុន ... ជម្រាបសួរ មានអីឲ្យជួយដែរបង?”។

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KhmerPronunciationEnglish/Notes
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?}
ពេល peel 1. time
2. moment, instant, period of time
ទទួល tɔtuəl 1. to receive, to take
2. to accept, to agree
3. to meet (e.g., at an airport or station)
ទូរស័ព្ទ tuureaʔsap 1. telephone
2. to call (by phone)
Notes: also written ទូរសព្ទ
ជាទូទៅ cie tuu təv in general, as a whole, generally
ជនជាតិ cɔɔn ciet 1. citizen, people {ជនជាតិខ្មែរ = Khmer people}
2. nationality
ខ្មែរ kmae Khmer, Cambodian
មិន mɨn negative particle not, non- (usually requires the final particle ទេ)
ណែនាំ nae noam 1. to advise, guide, lead
2. ណែនាំ … ឲ្យស្គាល់ = to introduce [someone]
3. ណែនាំខ្លួន(ឯង) = to introduce oneself
ខ្លួន kluən 1. body, figure, person, self
2. reflexive pronoun: myself, yourself, himself etc.
ទៅកាន់ tɨv kan to, toward
អ្នក neak 1. you (to equals of both sexes)
2. person, one who... (used as an agentive particle to create nouns from predicatives)
ដែល dael 1. who, whom, which, where, when
2. of/to/in/at which/whom
3. the fact/reason that
4. ever, happened to, having done at least once, having been to, already, always, had occasion to, have ever {អត់ដែលដឹងសោះ = I’ve never known this!}
មក mɔɔk 1. to come (toward the speaker in space or time)
2. to come to/towards (often used as a final particle indicating that the action began at some point in the past and continued up to the present)
3. (from then) on, (from that time) forth
4. to, toward
នោះ nuh 1. that, those (often serves simply to emphasize something already referred to or something distant in time or space)
2. then
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!}
គឺ kɨɨ 1. to be (equal to)
2. as follows, namely
គ្រាន់តែ kroan tae just, only, only just
និយាយ niʔyiey to speak, say, talk, relate, tell, to narrate, to talk over, discuss
ថា tʰaa 1. to say, tell, pronounce
2. that (introduces a question or indirect discourse)
3. I've [just] said, [...]
អាឡូ ʔaalou hello (answering the phone)
Notes: colloquial
ឬក៏ rɨɨ kɑɑ or (on the other hand)
ជម្រាបសួរ cumriep suǝ 1. hello
2. to say hello
Notes: also written ជំរាបសួរ
តែប៉ុណ្ណោះ tae ponnɑh only, only that much
ប៉ុន្តែ pontae but, however
Notes: ជើង ត; root: តែ
សម្រាប់ sɑmrap 1. for
2. used for, used to (make or do something)
ក្រុមហ៊ុន kromhun company, corporation
ផ្ដល់ pdɑl 1. to provide, supply
2. to fullfill, add to/supplement, complete
Notes: ជើង ដ
សេវាកម្ម seevaakam, seeviekam service
ផ្សេង pseeŋ to differ, to be different (from each other), to be separate
លើក lǝǝk 1. to lift, raise, elevate, boost, hoist {លើកដៃសំពះ = to raise the hands in a greeting or respectful gesture} {លើករបស់ = to lift something} {លើកទូរស័ព្ទ = to pick up the phone}
2. to erect, build, establish, create
3. to form
4. to levy/raise (e.g., troops)
5. to perform/celebrate (a ritual or ceremony)
6. to exalt
7. to rouse
8. to transport
9. to exhume, dig up
10. to postpone, adjourn, cancel
11. time, occasion, instance, session {លើកមុន = last time}
12. except, unless
របស់ rɔbɑh 1. object, thing, belonging, property
2. of, belonging to
អតិថិជន ʔaʔteʔtʰeʔ cɔɔn customer, client
Notes: formal
ត្រូវ trəv 1. must, have to
2. to be correct, right, proper, exact, accurate
3. to concern, have to do with, to agree/jibe with, coincide with
4. to be affected with/by, to suffer, undergo (ត្រូវ + CLAUSE marks a passive-like construction in which the subject of the clause introduced by ត្រូវ is translated as the agent in the passive construction)
ឈ្មោះ cmʊəh 1. name
2. to be named/called
ឧទាហរណ៍ ʔuʔtiehɑɑ 1. example
2. for example
មាន mien 1. to have, possess, own
2. to exist, there is, there are
3. to be rich, own property
4. indicates the accomplishment of an action, to happen to, to have occasion to
Notes: in spoken Khmer, negated មាន (មិនមាន or គ្មាន) can be contracted into មាន, e.g., មានអ្នកណាចង់ជួបឯង = ‘there's nobody who wants to meet you’ — contrast this with the affirmative: មានគេចង់ជួបឯង = ‘there’s somebody who wants to meet you’
អី ʔəy 1. what? {អីហ្នឹង?/អីគេ?/អីគេហ្នឹង? = what is this?/what?} {កាន់អីនៅនឹងដៃហ្នឹង? = What are [you] holding in [your] hand?}
2. something, anything {មានអីអត់ = Are you all right?/Is everything ok?/Did anything happen?} {ខ្ញុំទៅក្រៅញ៉ាំអី = I’m going out to eat something}
Notes: variant of អ្វី
ឲ្យ ʔaoy 1. to give
2. to let, to allow
3. for, to, in order to, so as to {ចង់ឲ្យខ្ញុំកុម្ម៉ង់អីញ៉ាំឲ្យហើយអត់? = Do you want me to order something for you already?}
4. in a... manner (forms adverbial phrases from predicatives)
Notes: also written អោយ, ឱ្យ
ជួយ cuəy to help, to assist
ដែរ dae 1. also, too, likewise, in the same way
2. indeed, quite, rather
3. marks a polite, gentler, less abrupt statement: all the same, even so, nevertheless
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)