Position
❃ Position
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តើវានៅឯណា?
[ tae vea nov aena? ] -
Where is it?
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នៅពីមុខមន្ទីរពេទ្យ
[ nov pi mok monti pety ] -
In front of the hospital
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នៅពីក្រោយភោជនីយដ្ឋាន
[ nov pi kraoy phochaniyadthan ] -
Behind the restaurant
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នៅក្បែរធនាគារ
[ nov kbaer thoneakear ] -
Next to the bank
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នៅទល់មុខសណ្ឋាគារ
[ nov tol mok sonthakear ] -
Opposite the hotel
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នៅខាងក្នុងអគារ
[ nov khang knong akear ] -
Inside the building
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នៅខាងក្រៅ
[ nov khang krav ] -
Outside
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នៅចន្លោះហាងនិងឱសថស្ថាន
[ nov chanloh hang ning osothasthan ] -
Between the shop and the pharmacy
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នៅជិតទីនេះ
[ nov chet ti nih ] -
Near here
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ឆ្ងាយពីទីនេះ
[ chhngay pi ti nih ] -
Far from here
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នៅកែងផ្លូវ
[ nov kaeng phlov ] -
On the corner of the street
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នៅលើតុ
[ nov leu tok ] -
On the table
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នៅក្រោមដើមឈើ
[ nov kraom daeum chheu ] -
Under the tree
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នៅជាន់លើ
[ nov choan leu ] -
Upstairs
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នៅជាន់ក្រោម
[ nov choan kraom ] -
Downstairs
Understanding how to express position and location in Khmer reveals a lot about how Cambodians perceive the space around them. Historically, the entire geography of Cambodia is deeply tied to its waterways, primarily the mighty Mekong River and the Tonle Sap lake. Because of this, when locals give you a location, they might unconsciously reference where a building is relative to the riverfront, or relative to the direction of the sunrise (East). Linguistically, Khmer uses prepositions to describe positions, much like English, where the preposition comes before the noun. Two of the most commonly used spatial words you will hear and need to use are Kbaer (ក្បែរ), which means "next to" or "nearby," and Tol mok (ទល់មុខ), meaning "opposite" or "facing." If you are trying to find a specific café, a local might tell you it is Nov kbaer voat (នៅក្បែរវត្ត), meaning "next to the pagoda." Knowing how to describe these relative positions is incredibly practical, especially when you are sitting in a tuk-tuk trying to spot your destination. Furthermore, when specifying a location, Cambodians often use the prefix Nov (នៅ), which acts as a locative verb meaning "to be at/in/on." By mastering phrases like Nov khang sdam (on the right side) or Nov pi mok (in front of), you ensure that your driver will drop you off exactly at the front door rather than at the wrong end of a long street.
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