Language/Lao/Grammar/How-to-Use-Be

Lao Grammar - How to Use "Be"

Hi Lao learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will learn how to use the verb "to be" in Lao. We use "to be" to describe and identify things or people. We'll cover three main concepts of "to be": identifying, describing, and location. At the end of the lesson, you'll have a good understanding of how to use "to be" in Lao.

Take some time to dive into these other pages after completing this lesson: Future Tense & Questions.

Identifying

We use "to be" to identify things or people. To do that in Lao, we use the word "ແມ່ນ" (mâi néeo) before the subject. "ແມ່ນ" means "to be" in Lao. It is equivalent to "is" in English.

For example, let's say you want to identify yourself:

Lao	Pronunciation	English
ຂ້ອຍເປັນຍິງ	khouy pen nying	I am a girl

Here is a sample dialogue:

• Person 1: ຂ້ອຍເປັນຍິງ (khouy pen nying)
• Person 2: ຂ້ຽນແມ່ນເງິນໃນກີງ (khǎo mâi néo ngern nai king) You are money in the bank.

Describing

We also use "to be" in Lao to describe someone or something. To do that, we place the word "ເປີດ" (bao) after the subject. This word means "to exist" or "to be present". For example:

Lao	Pronunciation	English
ນ້ອຍເປີດທີ່ຢູ່ມີຕອນ	nǭi bao thî yù mii tǭng	I am here right now.

Here is a sample dialogue:

• Person 1: ນ້ອຍເປີດທີ່ຢູ່ມີຕອນ (nǭi bao thî yù mii tǭng)
• Person 2: ຂ້ຽນແມ່ນຊື້ ແຂວງສະຫວາດ (khǎo mâi néo sǔua kǣo'thīeng sǎwăt) You are called Savannakhet.

Location

In Lao, we use "ເປີດ" (bao) and "ແມ່ນ" (mâi néeo) to describe location. We place "ແມ່ນ" after the object and "ເປີດ" after the place.

Lao	Pronunciation	English
ເຊົ່າໃດເປີດທີ່ນີ້ຜົນໄດ້	sǒr dao bao thî nǭi pon dai	Sor Dao is here now.

Here is a sample dialogue:

• Person 1: ຊົ່ງທີ່ນີ້ເປີດມີອັດຕາແລ້ວໃນ່ (sǭng thî nǭi bao mi òt ta'lēw ngaī)
• Person 2: ຂ້ຽນເມື່ອເປີດທີ່ມີຈຳປາສັກໂດຍແກ້ງ (khǎo mēlao bao thî mii chaman pasǭk dǭ kēng) I exist where there is a lotus pond.

Remember, grammar is only a part of language learning. To practice and reinforce these concepts, try speaking with native speakers. Use Polyglot Club to find native speakers and ask them any questions!

I hope that you found this lesson helpful in understanding how to use "to be" in Lao. For more grammar lessons, check out the Grammar section of the Lao language on Polyglot.

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➡ If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below.
➡ Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎

Other Lessons

• Questions
• Future Tense
• Pronouns
• Give your Opinion
• Adjectives
• Plurals
• How to Use Have
• Negation
• Demonstrative Pronouns

Sources

• Lao grammar - Wikipedia
• Lao Grammar - How to Use "Be"
• A Grammar of Lao