Basic questions
❃ Basic questions
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ຫ້ອງນໍ້າຢູ່ໃສ?
[ hong nam yu sai? ] -
Where is the bathroom?
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...ຢູ່ໃສ?
[ ...yu sai? ] -
Where is...?
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ຕອນໃດ?
[ ton dai? ] -
When?
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ແນວໃດ?
[ naew dai? ] -
How?
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ແມ່ນໃຜ?
[ maen phai? ] -
Who?
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ເປັນຫຍັງ?
[ pen nyang? ] -
Why?
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ອັນນີ້ແມ່ນຫຍັງ?
[ an ni maen nyang? ] -
What is this?
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ອັນນີ້ລາຄາເທົ່າໃດ?
[ an ni lakha thao dai? ] -
How much is this?
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ເຈົ້າຊິໄປໃສ?
[ chao si pai sai? ] -
Where are you going? (Friendly greeting)
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ເຈົ້າຊິຮອດຕອນໃດ?
[ chao si hot ton dai? ] -
When will you arrive?
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ເຈົ້າມີ...ບໍ່?
[ chao mi... bo? ] -
Do you have...?
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ອັນໃດດີກວ່າ?
[ an dai di kwa? ] -
Which one is better?
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ມີໃຜຢູ່ບໍ່?
[ mi phai yu bo? ] -
Is there anyone here?
-
ອັນນີ້ເຮັດແນວໃດ?
[ an ni het naew dai? ] -
How do you do this?
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ຂ້ອຍໄປນຳໄດ້ບໍ່?
[ khoi pai nam dai bo? ] -
Can I come with you?
One of the greatest joys for English speakers learning basic Lao is discovering the simplicity of its grammar. Lao is an isolating language, which means there are absolutely no conjugations, no tenses, no gendered nouns, and no plural forms. Words remain in their base form, and time or context is established simply by adding time markers. However, the syntax of asking a question requires a slight mental adjustment. Unlike in English, where question words (who, what, where, when, why) are placed at the beginning of the sentence, in Lao, they generally go at the end. For example, to ask "Where are you going?", you literally say "You go where?" (ເຈົ້າຊິໄປໃສ? - chao si pai sai?). The word for "where" is ໃສ (sai), and a crucial verb you will use constantly is ຢູ່ (yu), which means "to be at" or "to be located." When you combine them into ຢູ່ໃສ (yu sai?), you have the ultimate survival phrase: "Where is...?". Whether you are looking for the bathroom (ຫ້ອງນໍ້າຢູ່ໃສ? - hong nam yu sai?) or your hotel, simply put the noun first, followed by "yu sai". Similarly, to ask "How much is this?" you place the object first, then the question word: ອັນນີ້ລາຄາເທົ່າໃດ? (an ni lakha thao dai?). Embracing this reversed sentence structure is incredibly rewarding. Because the grammar is so mathematically straightforward, learning just a handful of these question words at the end of sentences will allow you to navigate markets, bus stations, and restaurants with surprising ease and confidence.
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