Hello all khmer language lovers. Would you like to improve your speaking skill in greater level. I think i can do something to help those who want speak khmer like native speaker. You can't speak 100 percent like Cambodian, at least you would sound like Cambodian. I heard some foreigners speaking, but i have never jumped in the conversation with them as i felt that it would be really bizarre since i don't know them. What i noticed is that they spoke really formal khmer, i guess they just spoke what they learnt from their teachers. We native speaker don't speak that way in daily life. I think it would be fun to speak it like local and like you know it naturally. In addition, i noticed some reasons that khmer couldn't get what you were saying:

1. Unclear pronunciation

2. Disorder of word arrangement

Therefore you can write any words, phrases and sentences you have spoken to khmer people, but you felt like they didn't get what you meant. i will try to figure out what was the reason and simplify it and make it even more like local way.

After 15 years of practice I still sometimes put the words in the wrong order but pronunciation wise I do speak like an everyday life cambodian. It must be rare as it amazes people on a everyday basis

Thanks Samouth, that's really nice of you.

The biggest "problem" I have isn't with Khmer itself, but with the people I talk to. One of two things usually happen.

1. People try to speak Vietnamese to me when they find I don't speak Khmer well, probably because I'm Asian. I doubt this happens to other foreigners often, so it's likely just me. Problem, I speak Vietnamese so it's easier for me to communicate so I keep using Vietnamese more often.

2. If people figure out I speak English or Japanese (I am Japanese), they want to only speak English or Japanese to practice, so I never hear Khmer much, so I have the problem of not hearing Khmer very often. I think this happens to a lot of foreigners, which makes it harder for us to learn Khmer because all we hear is English from Khmer people.

I think what would help us the most to be honest, is a set of "important" phrases that would help us communicate better. Maybe like "I'm sorry, one more time?" "I didn't hear you." "I'm sorry, I don't understand. Does anyone speak English?" and if they don't "That's okay, I will just look for it myself." (if you're shopping) etc etc.

Samouth, have you thought of doing a youtube video set at all? Most Khmer youtube videos I see are done by foreigners, and to be honest, the ones I've seen are not all that brilliant.

Barang_doa_slae wrote:After 15 years of practice I still sometimes put the words in the wrong order but pronunciation wise I do speak like an everyday life cambodian. It must be rare as it amazes people on a everyday basis

Right then when Cambodian speak really good English, our people seem to be just feel like normal.

General Mackevili wrote:I hope I haven't forgotten all my Khmer skills when I get back.

To be fair, I only know about 30 words. The words I do know I pronounce well though.

haha maybe we should have another thread all what i know in khmer language. I hope you don't pronounce the word delicious as cooking pot.

1. People try to speak Vietnamese to me when they find I don't speak Khmer well, probably because I'm Asian. I doubt this happens to other foreigners often, so it's likely just me. Problem, I speak Vietnamese so it's easier for me to communicate so I keep using Vietnamese more often.

I think this has a lot more to do with your appearance. Vietnamese also have white skin. They actually can be confused with Japanese. Therefore i don't think it happened a lot to other foreigner.

2. If people figure out I speak English or Japanese (I am Japanese), they want to only speak English or Japanese to practice, so I never hear Khmer much, so I have the problem of not hearing Khmer very often. I think this happens to a lot of foreigners, which makes it harder for us to learn Khmer because all we hear is English from Khmer people.

I completely agree with you on this. You would hear more Thai people speak Thai with foreigners, but Cambodians we seemed to believe that all foreigners don't speak our language. That's why we try to speak whatever we know in English to communicate and help out. In addition, many Cambodians believed that the best way to improve their speaking skills is to speak with native speaker which is true.
That's they would take every chances they were given to speak in English. If we happened to meet one day, i wouldn't speak English with you, unless you can't get what i mean.

I think what would help us the most to be honest, is a set of "important" phrases that would help us communicate better. Maybe like "I'm sorry, one more time?" "I didn't hear you." "I'm sorry, I don't understand. Does anyone speak English?" and if they don't "That's okay, I will just look for it myself." (if you're shopping) etc etc.

Will do this in another thread.

Samouth, have you thought of doing a youtube video set at all? Most Khmer youtube videos I see are done by foreigners, and to be honest, the ones I've seen are not all that brilliant.

I have never thought of doing it. First, i don't have video camera and second, my accent is really awful. So it would be better to not let people here it and i want to be anonymous.

Samouth, I have a question for you. My wife's family often uses the Khmer word toin, rhymes with the English word join, to ask me if I am stressed at big family parties that are loud and have many screaming kids running around. I've asked one other person what toin means, and he suggested it meant bored. I'm pretty sure that's not what they're asking, but it seems to be one of those words that for some reason I can't get a good explanation of. I think this thread is a great idea, as I am trying to focus on "everyday speaking" myself. I don't plan on being in too many formal situations any time soon. Thanks for your help.

Mr. Yan wrote:Samouth, I have a question for you. My wife's family often uses the Khmer word toin, rhymes with the English word join, to ask me if I am stressed at big family parties that are loud and have many screaming kids running around. I've asked one other person what toin means, and he suggested it meant bored. I'm pretty sure that's not what they're asking, but it seems to be one of those words that for some reason I can't get a good explanation of. I think this thread is a great idea, as I am trying to focus on "everyday speaking" myself. I don't plan on being in too many formal situations any time soon. Thanks for your help.

I am not sure which word you mean. I thought of words that rhyme with "join" but sound more like "toin" and the only thing that came to my mind was "tuinj" (which sounds a bit similar to "join" but doesn't exactly rhyme, so I am not sure if you mean this one?). "Tuinj" from my understanding means like "to be bothered" or even "to be annoyed/irritated/bugged/troubled".

Samouth wrote:

General Mackevili wrote:I hope I haven't forgotten all my Khmer skills when I get back.

To be fair, I only know about 30 words. The words I do know I pronounce well though.

haha maybe we should have another thread all what i know in khmer language. I hope you don't pronounce the word delicious as cooking pot.

LOL. Oh yeah I remember exactly this example when somone tried to say "tchnainj" they would always say "tchnang" - it would be really funny during a conversation when everybody got confused then.