Cambodia Expats Online: Forum | News | Information | Blog

Can anyone recommend a good way to speak Khmer ? Writing comes later but it seems there are not so many internet courses I can use before getting in country. When I am in country, does anyone know of a good but cheap person who can help me learn ? Prefereably on the coast, Kep, kampot, Sihanoukville, Koh Kong. Thanks for any advice, respect and peace, Rob

Don't learn the countryside Khmer stuff (from a previous post). Uttering it may get you in trouble with the ladies. It sure got me in a heap 'o trouble.

jadeface wrote:Can anyone recommend a good way to speak Khmer ? Writing comes later but it seems there are not so many internet courses I can use before getting in country. When I am in country, does anyone know of a good but cheap person who can help me learn ? Prefereably on the coast, Kep, kampot, Sihanoukville, Koh Kong. Thanks for any advice, respect and peace, Rob

tbh id wait until you get in-country
the only real way to learn khmer properly is by practicing and talking with the locals, getting the right sounds and pronunciations, as there are some that arent in English, the basics can be easy to pick up, with basic grammar, if you want to learn how to say something just ask a local and they will help,
i went to Don Bosco school in Siahnoukville was $70 per month for private 1-1 tutoring 3x 1-1.5 hour lessons a week, worked out about $5 per lesson, my teacher was very strict with pronunciation which was great, i learnt a lot there, would recommend them, but there are others

Believe me, learn speaking Khmer first. If you learn how to speak and write at the same time , you will not learn fast.

Sent from my MI 5 using Tapatalk

prahkeitouj wrote:Believe me, learn speaking Khmer first. If you learn how to speak and write at the same time , you will not learn fast.

Sent from my MI 5 using Tapatalk

100% agree, becoming familiar with all the sounds first makes learning all the consonants and vowels so much easier

Much appreciated, thanks for the help and information.

I got a good laugh from this, "Don't learn the countryside Khmer stuff (from a previous post). Uttering it may get you in trouble with the ladies. It sure got me in a heap 'o trouble."

Look, I clearly indicated that it was said in a moment of great anger and I might add by a woman who is not prone to use such expressions.
I offered two other variants much more polite in nature. There is absolutely nothing wrong with village colloquial speech. I find it highly imaginative and colorful. I do however assume a certain amount of sophistication on the part of the reader. If you try to "show off" vocabulary without giving any thought to the outcome, especially with an idiom containing the word -pussy- you deserve what you get.

taabarang wrote: If you try to "show off" vocabulary without giving any thought to the outcome, especially with an idiom containing the word -pussy- you deserve what you get.

and when singing along to this song


ពូក = Puuk = mattress

I met a Japanese friend of my friend. She speaks Khmer very clear , she forgets many words then told her go to market and talk to sellers often.

Sent from my MI 5 using Tapatalk

Hi,
As you are interested in learning the Khmer language and you want to improve your speaking skill so I would like to suggest you watch the videos in the Khmer language. It will be useful to you to understand the correct accent of the language. I hope it will be helpful to you.