LAO BASIC COURSE Volume 1 ‘This work wos compiled ond pub- lished with the support of the Office of Education, Depart fo WARREN G. YATES and SOUKSOMBOUN SAYASITHSENA FOREIGN SERVICE INSTITUTE WASHINGTON, D.C. 1970 DEPARTMENT OF STATEFOREIGN SERVICE INSTITUTE BASIC COURSE SERIES Edited by AUGUSTUS A. KOSKI ‘For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Goverament Printing Ome Washington, D.C, 2402 - Price $4.00 diPREFACE FSI Lao Basic Course, Volume 1, provides introductory material in modern spoken Lao for the student who wishes to achieve proficiency in the language spoken by about three million persons in Laos and an additional ten million persons in Thai- land. The Vientiane dialect, used in official government communications and general- ly the most useful for American students, is the dialect represented here. The initial volume of this course is the product of collaboration between Warren G. Yates, chairman of the FSI Department of East Asian Languages and Souksomboun Sayasithsena, Lao language instructor. Dr. Yates has provided the general plan for the work and the English language content. Mr. Sayasithsena has been responsible for the authenticity of the Lao language material, Assisting in the classroom trial of most of the material in this volume were Malichanh Svengsouk, Kongkam Thanasack, Doungkeo Sayasithsena, and Somsangouane Thanasack. Mrs. Svengsouk also provided assistance in proof reading. Irma C. Ponce did the final typing. Unlike most FSI language textbooks, this volume is not accompanied by tape re= cordings. Lao Basic Course, Volume 1, follows the “microwave” format and is not s0 much a set of materials to be mastered as a set of guidelines for conversational interplay between students and their native-speaking Lao instructor. The format, which owes much to the work of another FSI linguist, Dr. Earl W. Stevick, does not lend itself readily to presentation on magnetic tapes. FSI is indebted to Warren Ziegler and Marcelle Carlier of the Agency for Inter- national Development for early encouragement and financial support for the develop- ment of Lao teaching material. FSI also gratefully acknowledges the financial assist- ance of the U.S. Office of Education in the development and publication of this volume. Rath James R. Frith, Dean School of Language Studies Foreign Service Institute iiiLAO BASIC COURSE TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE .. INTRODUCTION . GREETING CYCLE: ‘How are you? REM Ane eile eeetete clele ete eteted Telfer terete er fesse er bdS as question word CYCLE 1: What's this? It's a book.! méEn as a copula verb CYCLE 2: Whose pen is this? ihadis| ee your Dense eee eee Personal Pronouns CYCLE 3: ‘Is this a book? Weds UG ee ecto tee tee chet [ater m&En 1Sew as a confirmatory response CYCLE 4: Where are you going? I'm going to the market. ! ..sssseeeceeeeeeeeeee s&Jj as a locative question word CYCLE 5: 'Hets going to school, isn't he? No, he isn't, Hels going to the bank.! Negative responses to méEn boo? questions CYCLE 6: That's your name? My namels...t ..eeseeee Bese eee eee Position of nj&n ‘what?! in the sentence iv did xvi ob) 16 20 24LAO BASIC COURSE CYCLE 7: 'Is she pretty? Wes giehe W6qu rece woe ers Stative verbs in questions and responses CYCLE 8: Is he a polite person? Yes, he is.t . Stative verbs as noun modifiers CYCLE 9: ‘are you an American? Yes, Tam! .. pen as a special copula verb CYCLE 10: that country do you come from? I come from Laos.! daj as a question word CYCLE 11: Where 1s Sedone province? Tttg im LAOS. cee cece ees ee cess ees eceectceeeres jaa as a verb of location CYCLE le: ‘What are you doing? I'm writing a letter.! ..... Transitive verbs CYCLE 13: tWhere are we going to eat? Here? No, let's go eat there.! .sssessesesssseseeeees thd? as a hortatory particle CYCLE 14: Where did he have his hair cut? At the barbershop.' .... Locatives with verbs of activity v 27 29 34 37 a 46 49 52LAO BASIC COURSE CYCLE 15+ Nwhere is he going to send the cable? At the Post Office.’ .. si as future time particle CYCLE 16: 'Is he coming here? No. Hels going over there.! ..ssseeeeeeeeeeeee nii, han, phii, phin as Adverbs of Place CYCLE 17: 'Do you know the way to...? Yes. Go straight ahead, then... 1 théan in directions; hu 'to know a fact! CYCLE 18: 'Do you know (my younger sister)? Yes, I met (her) at...! .. Bee eee Ceeere huucdk 'to know a person! Terms for siblings CYCLE 19s ‘What part of Laos do you come from? I come from the (central) part.! ... Compass directions CYCLE 20: Where are you going to put it? Over there? Yes, Itm going to put 1t over there.! ......00 paj and méa as verbs of direction of motion CYCLE 21: ‘Where? In this box here? (No) In that bag there.! ...e.ceceeeeeee scenes Determiners versus Adverbs of Place CYCLE 22: ‘are you going to change the tire (that is) over here? (No) I'm going to change the tire (that 1s) over there.! . vi 56 60 62 66 72 TT 81LAO BASIC COURSE CYCLE 23: "Is he going to read this book over there? No, he's going to read it over there.! ........ Non-optional jaU in Locative CYCLE 24: 'How much is one and one? One and one is two.! Cardinal numbers and thaw daj ‘now much, many? CYCLE 25: ‘What day (of the week) is today? Today is (Sunday).t Names of the days of the week. CYCLE 26: tWwhat month is it? It's (January).' ......eee errr rere rer rere Names of the months. CYCLE 27: Nhat's the date today? It's (March 23rd, 1970).! ...sseeeee beeen teens Complete dates (day, month, year) CYCLE 28: ‘What are you going to do (today)? (Today) I'm going sightseeing. Certain Time Expressions CYCLE 29: What time is it? Itts (eleven thirty).! ...cesceeeeeeereeees eee méon as tolclock, hour! CYCLE 30: that time do you (go to school)? At 9:00 a.m! .....e. eee eee saw, baaj, léen, kaan khyyn as divisions of the day vil 90 98 114 118 126LAO BASIC COURSE CYCLE 31: tHow long will you (practice)? One hour.! No. +, (sitlaméon, néatnia, pii) as responses to cdk + (staméon, ete.) and don paandaj 'how long?! CYCLE 32: 'Do you have enough time to. No, I don't. Yes, IT dow! .sssseccseseccecerrs wéelda as time for doing something CYCLE 33: ‘How will you go? By ADU (le teeter iencee see scitr era: seis. oe nam used with types of conveyances CYCLE 3ls ‘Who will come with you? My friend.! ..... ndm used for accompaniment and other uses CYCLE 35: ‘How will you go? ees wAll wed Wee Semel lester ee tetteetieiee tere paj / mAj with verbs of locomotion CYCLE 36: twill you be able to work? Yes.! gaj to indicate possibility or ability CYCLE 37: 'Do you know how to drive? No, LT dontt.¥ csscececsecscccsccsssecves seeeee pen to indicate acquired ability vitt 135 140 146 149 153 159 163LAO BASIC COURSE CYCLE 38: ‘Gan she type? No, because she doesn't know how.! ......eeeeeee pen contrasted with daj in usage CYCLE 39: 'How many books do you see? TWO.t cece cece cence eee n cee eceeens beet eee ee eee Numbers with unit classifiers CYCLE Ho: 'How much did this briefcase cost? 500 kips.' . léakhéa (price) and cak kfip (How many kips?) CYCLE 41: 'Did you go anywhere? No, I didn't go anywhere. .....eeeseeeeeeeeeee nj&n, sXJ, and ph&j as indefinite nouns in negative sentences and in questions CYCLE 42: ‘Why does everybody want to meet her? Because she's pretty.! ph&J ph&j as inclusive indefinite noun CYCLE 43: tHels impolite isn't he? Yes, he 1s. Nobody wants to see his face.! ph) phi koo bos. indefinite nouns as negative inclusive CYCLE Au: ‘his house is bigger than that one, isn't 1t? No, 1t isn't. It's smaller.' ......... : Comparative of stative verbs ix 1721 174 182 188 193 196LAO BASIC COURSE CYCLE 45s Which of these three women is the prettiest? Tney are equally pretty.! 201 Stative verb with kwaa mOU as superlative degree (of limited number) CYCLE 46s ‘How many dollars do you have left? (I have) two dollars left.! 206 1a as a verb indicating a remainder of something CYCLE 47: tare we out of coffee? No, we still have some.! ........ ppsoccoo000009 210 mét contrasted with l¥a CYCLE 48: 'Do you still have questions? Yes, I (still) do.! njayn ... j® for continuing situations pee eee 217, CYCLE 49. tare you still out of work? No, I got a job a long time ago.! .......45 eee 220 tes don lew used to indicate a situation that began in the past and continues into the present CYCLE 50: your book has already been stolen, isn't that right? Tnat's right, it has (already been stolen).!' ... 223 thfyk in passive constructions with certain verbs CYCLE 51: What color are his shoes? They're black.! Names of colorsLAO BASIC COURSE CYCLE 52: tHow well do you sing? Not very well.! . Pphdot 'too...' bd5... paandaj 'not very +++ paandaaj? 'How...?! CYCLE 53: 'Does he read fast? Pretty) Cag tet ecmeeet stelle ele etetete setts eictsietee st o +.-sémkhian 'pretty...! as a modifier CYCLE 544 'Dontt eat too much.! ..eeeseee cee eee {xa in negative request forms CYCLE 55: ‘Where have you been (to)? Itve been to the doctorts.! paj-.. mda used to Indicate recent completion of some activity CYCLE 56: MWwhere did this plane come from? It came from Bangkok.'! ......ee eee e cece cece eens méa t& used to show point of origin CYCLE 57: twhy are you washing your hands? I'm washing my hands to eat.! ..sssseeeeeee oer Word order of verb phrases of purpose CYCLE 58: 'From where to where? From when to when?! tee h%a and caak / tee than / h¥a / hdot in extent of space or period of time constructions xh 234 2ho 2h 24g 261LAO BASIC COURSE CYCLE 59: What's the matter with you? I have (a headache).4 seceeeeeeceeeeeeeeeeeeeee +++pen njin ‘what's the matter with...!' and words referring to illness. CYCLE 60: 'Why didn't you come to school? Because I was sick.? pen nj%n... cyn and phd wa in asking and giving reasons for some activity CYCLE 61: 'How do you feel about him? I pity him! s.eeeee Verbs of emotion CYCLE 62: "Do you think he will come? Yes, I think hetl1 come! .....-..-4- eee Verbs of thinking and saying with waa CYCLE 63: 'Is it dangerous? Yes, it's very dangerous.! Stative verbs with 1%aj CYCLE 64s "Do you believe he'll pass the exam? Ves, T dow! cescccssccssccsesccceessessecceeees san boo? in questions CYCLE 651 ‘You will read, and then what will you do? I'll read, then I'11 go eat.! lésw as a sentence connective xii 269 ere 279 284 289 296 303LAO BASIC COURSE CYCLE 66: 'Did you write the letter yet? 'No, not yet. (or) Yes, I've already written lew and njén as aspect particles CYCLE 67: ‘Have you finished recording? Yes, I have. (or) No, not yet.! Verb Phrase with lew 1é(ew) CYCLE 68: tWho are you going to fix the car for? I'll fix it for him.t hj as a benefactive verb CYCLE 69: ‘What do you want me to do? I want you to stay with him.! .....cseeeeeeeees j@ak and j&ak haj CYCLE 70 "What were you going to have him do for you? Iwas going to have him type letters for me.t h&j as benefactive and causative verb CYCLE 71s 'What's the table made of? Wood. h&t duaj with materials CYCLE 72: ‘What did he write with? With a pen.! diaj with Instrumental xiid 314 333 338LAO BASIC COURSE CYCLE 73: twhat will you use for making a fire? Charcoal.! ... 351 Instrumental use of saJj CYCLE 74s that's a clock for? To tell times! ..escssseeeeeeeees eee Be 35 m{i waj simiap to indicate use or purpose of something CYCLE 75+ Where's he stationed now? Right now hets in Pakse.'! ssssseseceeeeeeeeeee 362 Time expressions CYCLE 76: ‘He will be transferred very soon, is that true? That's right.! 369 Time expressions with direct reference to present time. CYCLE 77: How much longer will you be here? 'Two more weeks.! 21k and njan fik with Time Expressions CYCLE 78: ‘What kind of food do you normally like to eat? Spicy food.? 383 Adverbs of frequency CYCLE 79: 'Must he choose a guide? Yes, he must.! Modals: ton, khuan, Sat, khyy, khon xivLAO BASIC COURSE CYCLE 80: 'Have you ever been to Laos?! Yes, I have. (or) No, I never have been.! .... 394 khéaj to indicate having experienced something CYCLE 81: 'Is there anybody that is going to help him? Yes, I am.! 400 Indefinite pronoun ph&j after mf CYCLE 82: what do we call liquid that ve get from an orange?! RESCeceeeee cee eeeeeees: ee eee 406 CYCLE 83: tWhat do we call a A drunkard. CYCLE 84: ‘what do we call a person who fixes cars? An auto mechanic. ! oe 415 CYCLE 85: ‘what do we call a person who pilots a plane? potlot Ue ee eee eee 419 xvLAO BASIC COURSE INTRODUCTION This 1s the first of two volumes designed to teach spoken Lao to English speakers. Some dialect of Lao is spoken and understood by approximately three million persons in Laos and about ten million in Thailand. The Lao presented in this book is the Vientiane dialect, which is used in all governmental communications. It is spoken in the central part of Laos by approximately 2,000,000 persons and is understood throughout the Kingdom of Laos and in Northeast Thailand. ‘The material in this text is in the form of a series of 85 'cycles! in the 'microwave! format originated by Dr. Earl W. Stevick of the FSI, and first used in two 'modules! of a course in Swahili.t The description of the microwave format that follows 1s based on these two texts. Each ‘unit! of a microwave course is called a cycle and consists of two 'phasest In the first phase (M-phase) the student learns a small amount of the language and in the second phase (C-phase) he puts it to use. The diagram below illustrates this: Connected Conversation Communication Mimicry of sounds Manipulation of structure Learning Meaning of words ONE CYCLE r a (Footnote on next page) xviLAO BASIC COURSE The term 'microwave! (a very short wave) emphasizes the short span of time between the presentation of new material and its actual use in real communication. The teaching methods* used with the M-phase and C-phase may vary a great deal and the teacher should feel free to use the one that seems most effective to him. The sentences in the M-phase are provided with cue words and they may be done like substitution drills, but other types of drill such as mimicry drills, transformation drills, translation drills, etc., should also be used whenever they seem appropriate. In the C-phase the instructor should exert himself to the fullest extent possible to make everything that 1s said in class be 'real communication'. Communication can occur only if this condition is met: One person is giving information that another person doesn't have but is interested in having. The C-phase will normally consist of questions and answers, which may be Joined together to form short conversational exchanges. In the beginning this will be the limit of the student's capacity. Later on short narrations will be possible and normal. If the students are going to be interested in what is being said it follows that they may wish to have some control over what is being talked about. The instructor should encourage this. ‘This may mean any of several things, depending on the nature of the class and their spirit of independence, etc. It may mean only that the instructor supplies new vocabulary items 1 owahilis An Active Introduction, General Conversation and Swahili: An Active Introduction, Geography ed. by Earl W. Stevick, Foreign Service Institute, Department of State, Washington, D.C., 1966 ®uore explicit and detailed suggestions for teaching microwaves are included in Notes to Teachers at the end of the Introduction Specific advice for full exploitation of the material in each cycle 1s given in each cycle. All of these suggestions are given in the Lao language for the benefit of Lao teachers who may not understand English very well. xvitLAO BASIC COURSE to be used in patterns already learned or it may mean that additional grammatical patterns and vocabulary items may have to be taught. In either case the instructor should allow the student to have a major voice in what is taught. The instructor should be thoroughly familiar with the materials contained in this text so that he may readily skip about when the student's interest leads him to do so. Each cycle forms an independent unit so that taking the cycles out of sequence will not cause any problems that can not be easily dealt with. This text should be looked upon as an aid to teaching and not as a complete course of instruction. It will normally require from 250 to 300 hours in class to complete this text. A student who has done well in this part of the course should be able to perform all of the following things: order a simple meal, ask for a room in a hotel, ask and give street directions, tell time, handle travel requirements and expressions of politeness plus some of the following: introduce people to each other, discuss his work, give autobiographical information, and discuss current events. Notes To Students 1) listen carefully and imitate as closely as you can what the instructor says. Be prepared to try to improve what you say if the instructor doesn't approve of it. Keep in mind that in the beginning of language study you will probably have rather poor ability to monitor your own efforts. The closer your sounds resemble English the farther they will be from Lao. 2) You should always know the meaning of anything you say without trying to put a literal word-for-word English translation on it. For example, sfa kn3J sii faa means 'My shirt is blue! but a word-by-word translation of this would be 'shirt I color sky.! All you need to know is what a Lao would say if he wanted to tell you that his shirt was blue. 3) The material presented to you in each cycle is very limited both in content and grammatical form. You will not find it difficult to learn the meanings, to pronounce the sentences, or to understand the xvidLAO BASIC COURSE 4) 5) 6) grammatical structure presented, but you should keep in mind that you will not only be expected to do the things referred to above, but you will be expected to know how to use these sentences in "communicative! situations, i.e. situations in which you are telling someone else something he doesn't know, but needs or wants to know. The "Notes! that accompany each cycle contain information of several different kinds: (a) description of the grammatical structure in the cycle, (b) information about the meanings and uses of words,and (c) descriptions of situations in which words are used. This information should help you understand better what is being taught in the cycle. You should study it outside of class after you have learned to use the material in the cycle. ~ The "Application! should be done after completion of all other parts of the cycle. It provides an opportunity for you to test your knowledge of different aspects of the cycle such as grammatical structure, vocabulary, etc. The Lao use a writing system which 1s historically related to that used for Sanskrit. At a later stage in the course you will be asked to learn to read 1t, but it would impose an undue hardship on you in the beginning to have to learn it, so a special transcription has been devised. It is, however, provided only as an aid to memory. You will learn correct pronunciation by imitating your teacher, being corrected, and trying again, but not by reading. Although all the symbols used in the special transcription are explained in the chart that follows, 1t will be helpful to keep the following conventions in mind: (a) Vowel length is indicated by doubling the vowel symbol, and (b) The pitch contour on a syllable is indicated by a symbol above the vowel. xixLAO BASIC COURSE EXPLANATION OF THE SPECIAL TRANSCRIPTION USED IN THIS TEXT mbo. Usual English Approximate Pronunciation Letter b similar to English b in buy P p (after s) like the p in spy (no puff of air after it) ph P like p in pte a similar to English d@ t t (after 3) like the t in sty (no puff of air after it) th t t as in the k k (after s) like the k in ski (no puff of air after it) Kh k k as in kite e p00 somewhat like J in jet 1 1 1 as in long m m mas in me h h has in hen f f fas in fun 8 s Sas in see n n as in need a -ng like -ng in sing nj ~ny as in canyon Ww as in vet as in yet 1 i as in sip aa ee ee as in seeLAO BASIC COURSE e e © as in pet ee ay a as in date e a@ as in cat ee a as in fan y u somewhat like u in sugar yy ear nothing like it in English ° uh like a in Cuba ae : similar to British pronuncia- tion of sir a u somewhat like yu in fun aa ah a as in father u 00 90 as in look wu ou like 90 in boot ° ° @ as in cone but shorter 00 ° gas in so 20 aw aw as in law la, ua, 1w, ew, eew, ew, have no counterparts in uj, ooj, ya, yaj, and uaj English aw ow ow as in cow aaw ow like ow above but longer aj y yas in my aaj y like y in my but longer oJ oy oy as in boy 203 oy like oy as in boy but longerLAO BASIC COURSE TONES IN LAO There are six tones in Lao. The pitch contours, names, and symbols for them are illustrated below: khaa kha khaa. kha khdéaw khaw Pitch - ~ FI Contour 71 Names LOW MID HIGH LOW HIGH LOW FALLING RISING FALLING mlm — NV A xxitLAO BASIC COURSE Tauusuhshduuaueag (Notes to the Teacher) . + oe tei 8 tot, = + we Tos suunsranoanaradtudumoudsneunovseguannoviwa wan M aaxzwan C é ‘ ~ é Roanazwansramzdenounowmanvoneu. YluwanM avtivuzamouiigazdoununay a e a é ow ‘ : cavémnoulgazsounnunounhoru @otusanigernseinoviumaronou. souwnn CA ie ew dd ae o ~. ve a cuunouiinfingsnesuurgaodtuunn 1 Gutoviingsuceg. munvaowuon iinssuaztin vou tanautuwautanaunouquessuiung. cfocoansouuan M anasnounauaetotnesucdatutontacastgavgnquaouess aruoontigi: (1) cdacnazutuntalinssullynounowtofwusan. (2 tolinesy cdnatvaicduSonognsumautaasucastinass vouiigtmorc*agnonumusvecoin. (D> Taiinesuedawtennaumavuasu aavfinasy vouiiotmercingonesctacdandy. Trowleniidoumanenochutd Moavodovetoarvounounnucautuananedtoneutd. novasnescigfonnavoonssgeaatinesy taezchacdnabguanitguununueoe antetaiuiin. ganandqutnatgg tain suctiuonanocoanbasataunaucoanauasa’ Bavooanotaancilgney unvatzanocdrssoitanau; tmanofnilgcsnou. atuiinsy asoiaiunauconssaaintaanoilgiuaroguactatunonuunnaagty caototmanocds dain a de og onuasominaucdumitaecgnay. unn C auuahotoinesuliatedonesctaesuuntuunn Ms Foungtatinssu Tocty a soeqlocby B caotnexcindunsuniuunutanauuheoguaung. coaftunas neueesuan ¢ ivy aScduusoantiodngciniuiveuon unndeetenaataunuegnh naullndoiinssutaviiigeuceasaia. nurenorusmonengeectantganiuantornnn : ay ¢ ssunovoftinsgusunesounteduiuhtavouy. Body Tufoctufoeniudagomuavng rd sont asnencaataluyausdoouy. oe eee tak de adgaanmysouunn ¢ dagiGnitacso draanaaucduonlcsosmiasdumeun Futohtaduncuafutan. antunoutuoutguniinssutinincowmawocksnou atw%9 xxiilLAO BASIC COURSE Yecoonfumeuacanuty Totunnudumeual urengasnogcFataiinsgutait onancda nanunoniu. dnjovtaere’aioiocéoneogmauacnunso. Fuomnumouangcsogsudenouctioly Tnvon¥unhdustinesutossuunaao. 39 angcdooanscecoivosnnnvéuunsgeoatinesu; Snamnon excdaciuinnauganig woruauangcboosinsovegttumngosnoqunauction. wnescdactuimuanouitouns cBeotingosegTunauiimunsngss wanauyndguarasgaa. Founcloeeotaduernnay eco a od & twnegesulleSagondoay. xxivAL B. c. Mel sdbaas dia M-2 boo caw M3 khSopeaJ khdJ ++ dee? C-1 A. Be LAO BASIC COURSE GREETING CYCLE Repeat each utterance after the instructor. Give a complete sentence that includes the cue word that the instructor will give you. Be sure you understand the meaning of each sentence. sdbaaJ to be well, comfortable sdbaajdii good, well Hello! Hil sdbaajd1i boo? (question How are you? word) [Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, etc.] caw sdbaajdii boo? you How are you? sdbaajdii khSopeaj thank you Fine, thank you. kh3j sdbaajdii I, me I'm fine, thank you. kh3opeaj . what, caw dee? and { how And you? sdbaajdit A. Hello. [Hi, good morning, etc.] sdbaajdii B. Hello. [Hi, good morning, etc.] 12) LAO BASIC COURSE sAbaajdii boo? A. How are you? sdbaajdiil khSopeaj, caw dee? B. Fine, thank you, and you? kh3j sdbaajdii khSopeas A. I'm fine, thank you. caw sdbaajdii boo? A. How are you? kh8j sdébaajdii khSopcad , B. I'm fine, thank you, and yo eau dee? kh3j sdbaajdit khSopeaj A. Itm fine, thank you. NOTES A Lao sentence has two parts: a Subject and a Predicate. Subject Predicate caw sdbaajdit "You are well, fine.! The Subject is a Noun Phrase. A Noun Phrase is a (1) Noun plus modifiers, determiners, etc. or (2) a Noun Substitute (pronoun, etc.). Noun Phrase caw tYyou' The Predicate is a Verb Phrase. A Verb Phrase is a Verb (or Verbs) with optional preverbal elements and postverbal complements. Verb Phrase sabaajdit '(is/are) well, fine! 2LAO BASIC COURSE 5) The Subject (NP) precedes the Predicate (VP), thus a Sentence (S) can be written in this way: S—+ NP + VP which means 'A sentence consists of a Noun Phrase preceding a Verb Phrase'. A Sentence can be changed into a question by the addition of a question word (Q), thus S + Q. NP + VP + Q caw sdbaajdit boo (you [are] well Question) ‘Are you well?! APPLICATION kh3j is probably the of the sentence kh3j sdbaajdit a) predicate (b) subject (c) question word d) none of these. (All answers are at the bottom of the page.) In the sentence sdbaajdii boo, sAbaajdii is (a) subject (b) question word ¢c) predicate a) none of these. In the sentence caw sAbaajdii boo, boo is (a) the question word (b) predicate ce) subject d) none of these. caw sdbaajdii boo is (a) a statement (b) a question c¢) a command ‘d) none of these. boo caw sdbaajdii is (a) a question (b) a statement ¢) a command da) none of these. Answers: 1b, 2c, 3a, 4b 5d 3LAO BASIC COURSE 6. khdj sdbaajdii is (a) a command (b) a question (c) a state- ment (a) none of these. 7. s&baaj@ii is (a) a Noun Phrase (b) a Verb Phrase (c) a question word (d) none of these. 8. boo is (a) a Verb Phrase (b) Noun Phrase (c) question word. 9. In caw sfbaajdii boo , caw is (a) Noun Phrase (b) Verb Phrase (c) question. 10. In kh3J sAbaajdii, khSopcaj, caw dee, dee means something like (a) you b) but c) +--how about (you, (d) it has no meaning. CYCLE 1. M-1 pa@akkaa an ni meen pen This is a pen. +6? an nli meen table This is a table. tan-li = an ni meen chair This is a chair. pum. an nit meen book This is a book. cla an nii meen paper This is paper. M-2 njan an nli meen njin? what(?) What is this? nan an nan meen nj&n? that What is that? fa an nan meen fSa wall That is a wall. C-1 nx A. an nli meen njXn? A. ‘What is this? paakkaa 3B. an nii meen paakkaa B. This is a pen. Answers: 6c, 7b, 8c, 9a, 10cLAO BASIC COURSE c-2 nj&n A. an nan méen nj&n? A. What is that? t&n-l1 = B. an nan meen tan-li B. That 1s a chair. oe Fy chosou Agena uaao nauaognwasy wins sunaucuog! ezctasaunannudzunw oe xe xa amudutnasuld? taaononiovasuhtonautounese’siacdagnaa. NOTES 1) The Verb Phrase may consist of a Verb (V) with a Noun Phrase complement, thus VP—»V + NP. Verb + NP meen paakkaa ‘1s (a) pen! The following sentence is an example of the copula verb meen followed by NP complement: NP + V+ NP annit meen paakkaa "This is (a) pen.? 2) The NP an nii is made up of a Noun an plus a determiner nii.an belongs to a special class of nouns that serve as substitutes for other nouns. They are called 'classifiers.' an can be used as a substitute for any inanimate noun (pen, chair, etc.). an nii means 'thist or 'this one!. 3) tan li, 66%, pfakkaa and other nouns like this (things that can be counted) have no number indication in Lao, so they may refer to one or more than one thing according to the construction they oceur in.LAO BASIC COURSE nj&n ‘what?! is a question word substitute. It substitutes for all inanimate nouns and for some other nouns in questions. Observe the following example: NP + V (copula) + NP Question: an nit meen nj&n (this is what) ‘What's this?! Response: an nit meen 6? 'This is (a) table.! nj%n 1s in the same position in the sentence as the word 1t replaces. (NOTE: This is not the case with English what. What is this? This is a book.) meen 'be! is used to indicate the identification of things in the example given. It has other uses, but is much more restricted in use than 'be! in English. APPLICATION In the sentence an nlimeen p@akkaa. an nli is (a) predicate (b) subject (c) Noun Phrase complement (d) Verb Phrase. meen is (a) Noun Phrase (b) question (c) Verb (a) complement of the verb. paakkaa is (a) Verb Phrase (b) Noun Phrase complement of mee: (c) question (d) predicate. Answers: lb, 2c, 3bLAO BASIC COURSE In the sentence an nil meen nj&n 4. nj&n refers to (a) an animate noun (b) the Verb Phrase an inanimate noun. 5. meen is (a) a copula verb (>) 1t 1s used to identify the Subject (c) it is a Noun Phrase (d) it is none of these. 6. an 41s a classifier and refers to things, not people. True or false? 7. nii (a) means 'this' (b) 1t 1s a Noun Phrase (c) it is a determiner (d) it precedes the classifier. ii may mean (a) 'a chair! (b) 'chairt (c) 'the chair! Tehairst (e) "the chairs! (f) any of these. CYCLE 2 M-1 khdy an nli meen paakkaa I, me This is my pen. kh3j caw an nii meen p@akkaa you This is your pen. caw léaw an nli meen paakkaa he, she This is his(her) pen. ldaw nbakhéw an nif meen paakkaa we (all) This is our pen. phuakhaw phtakkh3j an nli meen paakkaa we This is our pen. phisakkh3j Phuakeaw an nii meen paakkaa you (pl.) This is your pen. phuakeaw khdcaw an nli meén paakkaa they This is their pen. khdcaw Answers: 4c, 5a-b, 6true, 7a ando, 8f 1LAO BASIC COURSE M-2 sSodam an nili meen sSodam pencil Whose pencil is this? phaj? sSokn%aw an nii meen sSokh¥aw chalk Whose chalk is this? phij? mak an nii meen mak hat Whose hat is that? phaj? sfa-f$n an nla meen s§a-fn raincoat Whose raincoat is this? phaj? khdn-hom an nif meen khdn-hom umbrella Whose umbrella is this? phaj? Supplement _to Cycle 2 M-1 khBothdot Excuse me. Pardon me. 'I'm sorry! 'I apologize.? b5d pen njin It's 0.K., Sure! That's all rightI It does not matter! khSopeaj Thank you. bd5 pen nj&n You are welcome. Don't mention it. njin A. khSothdot, an nli méGn nj&n? Excuse me, what is this? p@akkaa B. an nid méén paakkaa. This is a pen. A. khSopeaj Thank you. B. bdd pen nj&n You are welcome. aT ge a a a a Yauruauutaustmauaensgnhnuvhanueonassecoinssudaginen nowmezcan a aoe ke do azchonowucnugununaucomanausendsgmuaquna.LAO BASIC COURSE C-1 (paakkaa) A. an nli meén paakkaa (pen) Whose pen 1s this? ph&j? («h3J) B. an nii meén paakkaa (I) This is my pen. kh3j noulgudesreSunnweengsoesoiinesutueud szetunnuarotunntacnanuconty wavmua. aziy "dacismuadngaual” Sogcumuuvhiinesuesgwaudagtnga! c-2 (nj&n) A. an nli meén nj&n? (what) What is this? (maak) B. an nid meén m@ak (nat) This is a hat. (ph¥j) A. an nii meen mfiak (who) Whose hat is this? ph&j? (1éaw) B. an nii meen mGak (he) This 1s his/her léaw hat. NOTES 1) The NP may consist of N + NP in which the second noun or Noun substitute stands in the relationship of ‘possessor? to the main or 'head' noun, as in this example: Noun + NP (Possessor) paakkaa khdJ pen 58 'my pent The term 'possessor! implies a varied set of structural and semantic relationships besides simple ownership in Lao just as it does in English. aLAO BASIC COURSE 2) ph&j ‘who, whose, whom! is a question word substitute. It substitutes only for animate nouns and noun substitutes in questions. Noun, + NP (Possessor) paakkaa ldaw pen he ‘his pent paakkaa phe pen who ‘whose pen! ph&j occupies the same position in the sentence as the noun it substitutes for. 3) Since the form of the pronoun does not change in Lao (like English I :me:_my: mine, etc.) its structural relationship is determined by the kind of construction it is in, thus: (a) As subject of a sentence kh3j sdbaajdit I am fine. (b) As ‘possessor! after the 'head! noun jaakkaa kh, pen my 'my pen! Although sex distinctions are not indicated in the Lao pronoun, number distinctions are: Singular Plural kh3j tI! phtak kh3j wel phuak haw = twetLAO BASIC COURSE nm caw = tyout phuak caw ‘you (plural)! ldaw ‘he, she! khacaw ‘they? Both phuak haw and phbak kh3j mean 'we!. phhak haw is used when the speaker wishes to include the hearer in his reference. phuak kh$j is used when he does not wish to include the hearer. None of these pronouns may be used to refer to inanimate object objects, thus léaw does not mean "it! and khdcaw does not refer to 'they! for objects. APPLICATION In the NP pym caw, caw can be translated as (a) you (b) yours, (c) your (d) none of these. In the NP s8odam khdcaw, khécaw means (a) they (b) their (c) theirs (a) none of these. In the NP mQak ldaw, léaw means (a) him (b) her (c) she (d) his (e) all of these (if) none of these. In the NP p@akkaa khSj, khSj means (a) I, (b) my (c) me (d) mine. In the NP t6?»phlakcaw, phuakcdw means (a) one male person (b) more than one person (c) one female person. In the NP cla ph&j, ph’j (a) is a question word, (b) means ‘what?! (c) means 'whose! (d) has no meaning. caw paakkaa means (a) my pen (b) your pen (c) his pen it has no meaning. Translate the following NP into English: (a) s¥odam ph&j (b) mak léaw (c) t&p 14 caw (d) cla kn3j (e) pym khdcaw (f) p&akkaa phuakcaw (g) sYa fn ph&j (h) toophuakhaw Answerst 1c, 2b, 3b and d, 4b, 5b, 6a and c, 7d, 8whose pencil, his/her hat, your (sg.) chair, my paper, their book, your (pl.) pen, whose raincoat, our table. ayLAO BASIC COURSE office building office school hospital post office market hotel restaurant CYCLE 3 M-1 héonkaan nli méén hdonkaan boo? nSonkaan nli m&€n h3onkaan boo? héonhfan nii méén hdonhfan boo? hdonmda nli mh héonmSo boo? hoons%ag nii m&En hdonskaj boo? M-2 talaat mEEh léew, nii mEEh tdldat héonhéem m&én lew, ni meen héonhéem han aah¥an —-mé6n 1bew, nit mash haan aah%an komtaml@at meen léew, nili meen komtamidat khaaj thah¥an meen léew, nli meen khaaj thah¥an police station military base Is this an office building? Is this an office? Is this a school? Is this a hospital Is this a post office? Yes, this is a market. Yes, this is a hotel. Yes, this is a restaurant. Yes, this is the Police Station. Yes, this is the military base.C-1 héonhéem o-2 pym A. B. C-3 AL B. LAO BASIC COURSE A. nid n&&h héonhésm hotel boo? Is this a hotel? B. mé€n léew, nii méén . Yes, this is a hdonhéem ane Teg = Rolntnesueogmauestasoeoanaga gaonnucaznouny. an nli méén pym caw boo book A. Is this your book? m&€n léew, an nii méén B. Yes, this is my pjm xh3j book. See ate eas Uunouthctunsofy taiinssunaucaznouiuordutacuueesyto. an nii mé€n pym ph¥j, A. Whose book is this? Is pym caw boo? fe ones méen léew, an nii méén B. Yes, this is my book. pym kh3j Liekungofuy c1 cat (2) novtinwaecTaaevmvatty sauces uvnonuefnctoatacsosiosudagdus seacdngtinssuils Yavoréy ¢ aes g. aes aguas suuncnay caotudgcnacdsontnesuecsmaucdatainas. 131) One type of Now the second noun or head noun. 1) 2) 4) Another type of is similar to a 1) 2) LAO BASIC COURSE NOTES in Compound 1s composed of Noun + Noun, in which standsin a 'modifier' relationship to the first The following are examples: Noun + Noun ('Modifier') haan aah%an shop food trestaurant! héon mo building medical doctor thospital! kha, than¥an camp military persons ‘camp, fort! sa fn clothing rain traincoat! Noun Compound is made up of Noun + Verb and Sentence: Noun + Verb s8o dam stick black tpencil! khan hom instrument to shade ‘umbrella! 14LAO BASIC COURSE. 2) 3) nii means there, this, this one! when it occurs alone. It may also occur after the classifier as a determiner, as in an nii 'this, this one!. Observe the relationship between a question with meen boo and its affirmative response: Question: NP + meen + NP + bao nid meen héonmdo boo Affirmative _ . Response: msen leew Both the Subject NP and the Complement NP are usually absent in the response; however, the response may contain a complete confirmation after the mesn léew response, as follows: Question: nli meen héonmSo boo? Response? meen léew , nii meen hdonmSo APPLICATION In the Noun Compound sfa f$n , sfa is (a) the head noun, (b) the modifier of fn (c) the classifier (d) none of these. ~ In the Noun Compound haan aahMan, aah¥an is (a) the head noun, (>) the modifier (c) a question word (d) none of these. In the Noun Compound hoon hfan, hfan is (a) a Noun, (b) a verb (c) VP (d) none of these. khan hom is (a) a NP (b) VP (c) S (da) Noun Compound e) none of these (f) all of these. dam sSo means (a) black stick (b) pencil (c) pen (d) it is meaningless. Answers: la, 2b, 3b, 4a andd, 5d 1510. LAO BASIC COURSE 'Fort! is translated into Lao, as (a) sfa thah%an (b) khaaj thah%an (c) hoon thah¥an (d) khaaJ aah¥an e) thah%an khaaj- ‘Raincoat! is translated into Lao as (a) fin sfa (b) fn mSo (c) sJa fSn (d) sya pym (e) s¥a fn. A correct response to the question nii m&6n hdonm3o boo 1s, (a) léew (b) léew boo (c) meen leew d) meen e) meen boo (f) meen leew, nii meen hoon m3o If you wanted to find out 1f something was a book, what would you say? If you wanted to find out if a certain umbrella belonged to a particular person, what would you say? CYCLE 4 khdcaw si paj market They are going to Ay the market. taldat héonhfan khécaw si paj school They are going to héonhfan comers hoons%aj khdcaw si paj post office They are going to néonsiaj the post office. héonmSo khdcaw si paj hospital They are going to ‘ the hospital. héonmSo komtamlfat khdcaw si paj police They are going to eee nae the police station. Answers: 6b, Tc, 8c,d,f, |9(an) nii mé€n pym boo, 10(an) nii men khdn hom caw bdo (or) (an) nid meén khan hom ph&j 16LAO BASIC COURSE caw si pas stj? ldaw si paj s&%j? phuakhaw si paj s&j? phuakeaw si paj s&j? khacaw si paj s&j? caw si paj hdon- sfinée boo? caw si paj wat boo? caw si paj haan- kh&aj-kSep boo? caw si paj haan-sSem stlaj boo? caw si paj héonkaan- phaas%1 boo? caw si paj hoonph{m boo? paJ boo paj. 17 you he, she we you (pl.) they theatre temple shoe store beauty~ parlor custom house printing office to go no Where Where are you going? is he going? Where are we going? Where are you going? Where are they going? Are you going to the theatre? Are you going to temple? the Are you going to the shoe store? Are you going to the beauty parlor? Are you going to custom house? the Are you going to printing office? the Yes, I'm going. No, I am not going.LAQ BASIC COURSE C-1 A. caw si paj haan khiaj- A. Are you going to the kGep boo? shoe store? B. paj, kh3j si paj haan- B. Yes, I am going to the _ shoe store. o-2 A. caw si paj hdonkaan- A. Are you going to the phéast1 boo? custom house? B. boo, boo paj B. No, I'm not going. c-3 léaw A. ldaw si paj sX%j? he, she A. Where is he going? néonhfan B. ldaw si paj school B. He is going to héonhian sohoor a7 7 Pear EAA dalaartawoudn coweruawtninssucowltunmnrdsssudtaneg. c-4 A. caw si paj hoonskaj A. Are you going to the aH post office? B. m&én léew, khdj si B. Yes, I'm going to the paj hoons%aj post office. ve ae * ee x daauancisinssuconmsg excanaznegconnounoqucenta. 18LAO BASIC COURSE 1) 2) 3) NOTES Verbs of motion frequently have locative (place word) complements. NP + Pre-V + V (motion) + Loc Khdcaw si paj télaat they tee go are going (to the) market No relational word is necessary between the verb of motion and the place expression. s&j 'where' is a question word that stands in a substitute relationship with locatives: Question: caw si paj s¥j ? ‘Where are you going?! Response: khSj si paj télaat ‘I'm going to the market.! si is a pre-verb used to indicate future action here. meen léew is an acceptable affirmative response to any question with boo as the question word. Question: caw si paj hoonstaj Are you going to Post office? boo? Affirmative Response: meen léew, (khdj si Yes, (I'm going to the aj héons%aJ) Post Office). The confirmation part of the response is optional, although fairly common. 19LAO BASIC COURSE APPLICATION In the sentence ldaw si paj t4laat, the action (a) has already taken place (b) will take place in the future (c) takes place regularly (d) is taking place at present (e) it's impossible to tell when the action takes place. In the sentence khacaw si paj hoonmSo, hdonmSo is (a) NP, (b) VP (c¢) locative (a) all of these. In the sentence above, si paj is (a) a pre-verb+V (b) NP (c) VP (d) the predicate. Which of the following 1s a possible response to the question paj s%j ?.: (a) paj t4la@at (b) hoons%aj (c) meen léew (a) pay pym (e) khSj si paj. Which of the following 1s a correct response to the question Phuakeaw sl paj komtamifiat boo : (a) s4 pa, (b) caw boo (c) paj lew (d) meen l&ew, phuakh4w si paj komtamiat (f) paj (ge) all except b are possible answers. CYCLE 5 caw si paj hoonhfan meen You are going to school reo aren't you? an nli mé€n p&akkaa meen This is a pen, isn't it? boo? ldaw si paj khaaj-thah¥an He's going to the military ne base, isn't he? ldaw si paj haan aah¥an He is going to the eee restaurant, isn't he? nli mBén komtaml@at mén boo? This is the police station, isntt it? Answers: 1b andd, 2a andc, 3a, 4a, 58 20LAO BASIC COURSE M-2 c-1 (haan aah¥an) bdo méén, ldaw si bdo paj héonhéem, léaw si paj haan aah¥an bdS méén, an nii bos meen pym, an nii méén cla b3d méén, kh3j si bdd paj hdonkaan, kh3j si paj hdonskaj bdo mé6n, nli bdd meen hdonhéem nii méén haan aah¥an A. ldaw si paj haan aah%an, meen bdo? B. boo mé6n, ldaw si paj hdonhéem No, he is not going to the hotel. He is going to the restaurant. No, this 1s not a book. This 1s paper. No, I'm not going to the office building. I'm going to the Post Office. No, this is not the hotel. ‘his is the restaurant. restaurant He 1s going to the restaurant isn't he? hotel No, he is going to the hotel. Ww coansouiinssy tmvonvnucdrnousonatodunon Unebnenchuntueusodunar. Incsuarnoohailguazcoatanaucdadagtuusaranagaitu. alLAO BASIC COURSE cn2 (6?) . an nit meen 67, table This is a table, 1% it? mEEn b50? tentt it? (t@n 11) bdo meEn, an nii chair No, this is a men tan Li chair. aiovaniloctotinesuesonaucswneranoaso sausaoriuanonaviuueia 8 du Be Higuaohuass2ooinssuecomunzenuraceataey And? 0-3 (n3onkaan) nii men hdonkaan, office This is an office aS isn't it? men 650? (n3onhfan) B. bd5 mBEn, nii bdo classroom No, this 1s not an office, This En hSonkaan, paeemeeeeere is a classroom. nii mé€n h3onhfan — TT fi auavema:' "dau "ausmanoutahaauate” uv?” cnt; baunhernunavshon wee ab + IK 9. in". ctu:"ctadtude" "by tuts “etaRtuauude" “bau, gust." NOTES 1) mBEn bdo can be attached to any statement (S + mn bdo). The usual affirmative response is mé€n léew with or without confirmatory statement. The usual negative response 1s bdo mEEn plus a Statement of the actual facts. Question: daw si paj haan aah%an, meen bdo Affirmative Response: meen leew, (ldaw si paj haan aah%an) Negative Response: bdo mEGn, léaw si paj hoonhéem 225 nu LAO BASIC COURSE APPLICATION Which of the following responses is a_correct negative response to ldaw si paj haan aah¥an, meen boo? (a) bos, (b) dds meen, (c) boo paj (a) bdd haan aah¥an (e) bdo métn, léaw si paj hoonheem. Which of these sentences is correct (a) ldaw bdo si paj hdon- hfan (b) ldaw si bd5 paj hdonhfan, (c) ldaw si paj bdo hoonhfan (d) laaw bod paj si hoonhfan. Which of these sentences is correct (a) nii meen bod héonhéem, (b) nit bdo mBGn hédonhéem (c) hdonhéem bdd mil (d) boo nid mBEn hoonhéem. Disagree with this statement: daw si paj héonkaan. Disagree with this sentence: an nli me€n pym Translate the following sentences into English (a) khacaw Si paj ndonkaan (b) kh3j si bdd paj téiaat (c) phbakeaw si paj haan aah¥an, meén bdo? (a) caw si bdo paj komtamidat, men bd5? ((e) laaw si paj Khaajtnah¥an (f) caw si paj s&J (g) phuakhdw si bdd paj hoonmSo (h) caw si paj hoonheem, mEEn boo? Answers: 1b ande, 2b, 3b, 4ldaw si bdd paj hdonkaan, 5an nif bdo meEn pym, 6(a) They're going to the the office. (b) I'm not going to the market. (c) You're going to the restaurant, aren't you? (da) You're not going to the Police Station, are you? (e) We're not going to the army post. (£) Where are you going? (g) We're not going to the hospital. (h) Youtre going to the hotel, arentt you? 23M-1 suksSmbuun malfican caw nak _hfan phau_nii thah%an phou_nii tamldat phuu_nan kh@alaats sadkaan phuu_nan LAO BASIC COURSE CYCLE 6 kh3J syy suksSmbuun khSj syy malfican ldaw syy maifican Khon phuu nli syy maifican. ndéaj khtu kh3j syy malfican caw syy nj&n? nak hfan phdu nit syy nj&n? thah%an phdu nii syy nj&n? tamlfat phiu nén syy njin? kh@alaatsakaan phou nan syy nj&n? 24 Souksomboun Malichanh she this person my teacher you this student this service- man, that police~ man that govern- ment official My name is Souksomboun. My name is Malichanh. Her name is Malichanh. This person's name is Malichanh. My teacher's name is Malichanh. Whatts your name? What's this student's name? What's this servicemants name What's that policeman's name? What's that government of- ficial's name?LAO BASIC COURSE C-1 caw A. caw syy njXn? you What's your name? B. kh3j syy... My name is... c-2 nakhfan A. nakhfan caw syy... your Your student's name — student 4s..., isn't 1t? caw meen boo? B. boo meen, nakhian No, my student's khdJ sy name is... 1) d @ coantinandoutauununateganeogivaciuiuy adgtoguamenaugin nasatoquunw gooyndushaunasy : dodutututearieguurcootomanvagacinnenanta. NOTES The verb syy 'to be named! requires an animate noun (or noun substitute) as a subject and a personal name as complement: NP + syy + NP ldaw maifican "She is named Malichanh.? A further restriction in this type of sentence is that the name must be appropriate (in terms of sex) to the subject. Malichanh is a female name; Souksomboun is a male name. The Noun Complement of syy may be replaced by nj&n in questions: Question: caw syy nj&n ‘What's your name?! Respons. kh3j syy khdmdeen 'My name's Khamdaeng.! 252) LAO BASIC COURSE Since Lao nouns are not marked for number or for the definite: indefinite category, the Noun Phrase is marked only if it contains a Classifier Phrase. If it contains Classifier+ Determiner, it is marked as definite (not generic). Compare the marked and unmarked examples below: Generic: thah%an (a) soldier! ‘soldiers? Definite: thah%an phi nii 'This soldier! phUW is a classifier for human nouns. It is used only in the Singular. mii is a determiner. It refers to something near the speaker. phi nli is one type of classifier phrase. nan is also a determiner. It refers to something not near the speaker. APPLICATION A possible answer to the question caw Sif nga ) eed mEEh komtamidat (b) kh3j sy hSonkaan’ ia of ae dean (d) khoj boa syy. Which of the following sentences 1s correct Laos (a) néaj khuu laaw syy pukeSmbuun (b) léaw syy nakhfan (c) to? syy. nj&y (d) paakkaa syy tan 11 (e) daw meen malfican. Translate the following NP into English: (a) nakhfan phaw nit (b) th@h¥an pho nit (c) kh@alaatsfkaan phi nan (d) tamlfat phuu nan Teh khon phy nti (f) néaj khiu phi nan. Match the questions with correct answers: (a) caw syy nj&n? (a) meen léew (b) ldaw syy Peter, mBGn bode (b) khSJ si pay talaat (c) annla meen 6? bd? (c) kh3j syy maifican (4) caw si pas s&j? (4) mBn_léew, annli meEn td? Answers: lc, 2a, 3this student, this serviceman, that govern- ment official, that policeman, this person, that teacher 4a/c, b/a, c/a, a/b 26LAO BASIC COURSE = 7 u iE 3 Es lo S| ol i B E | e = -2 i i i cajdit PE | kaahSan di ?mgin salaat CYCLE 7 ldéaw stiun boo? to be tall, high ldaw naam boo? to be pretty ldéaw tuj boo? to be fat ldaw cd0J boo? to be skinny ldéaw tam boo? to be short, low ldaw dii boo? to be good ldéaw pen khén dit good meen boo? ldéaw pen khén cajdii kind méen boo? ldaw pen khdn sua bad me€n boo? ldaw pen khén kaah¥an courageous mEEn boo? daw pen khdn di’min studious meen boo? ldaw pen khon sdlf@at intelligent mEEn boo? Is Is Is Is Is Is He he tall? she pretty? he fat? she skinny? he short? he good? is a good person, isn't he? He is a kind person, isn't he? He is a bad person, isn't he? He is a courageous person, isn't he? He is a studious person, isn't he? He is an intelligent person, isn't he?LAO BASIC COURSE M-3 khéenhéen daw pen khon strong He is a very strong kh¥enhéen 1aJ Cae on-ce ldéaw pen khén weak He is a very weak person. Don-ce aj caj-don 1daw pen khén softhearted He is a very soft- caj-3on la) hearted person. cajkh&e: léaw pen khén hardhearted He is a very hard- cajknéen lkaj hearted person. khfikhaan ldaw pen khén lazy He is a very lazy person. khfikhaan l¥aj C-1 A. léaw stiun boo? A. Is he tall? B. stun B. Yes, he is. c-2 A. léaw pen khon (di?man) A. He is a (studious) person, — isn't he? meen b35? B. méen léew, ldaw pen B. Yes, he is a very (studious) Khén (atieman) 1¥aj Ce eeeee - v ~ 2 . 7 szSoundantalinssutenhon ot * dimunaiSean. cilunuon: “anociueouse” 38 J& to e « *anogiuenau" tou SnceutntcarGoguct Bouciloourannanerwuctiegeonezes9. 28M-2 phit-ajin phuu-s%aw nakhian njin LAO BASIC COURSE CYCLE 8 khén phod nit suphaap l¥aj khén phow nit sAlfat ldaj khén phow nii noo 1%aJ khén phiw nit ban 1haj khén phiu nit edd) 1%aJ khén phaw nii dit 1Baj khén phaw nii stun ldaj khén phiw nii tia Bag khén phat nii tam aj phtd-njin phud nan pen khén néam phuu-s%aw phuu nan pen khon néam nakhfan njfn phow nan pen khén néam 29 to be polite intelligent stupid fat skinny good tall, high short (height) short (height) woman, unmarried woman, girl student This person polite. This person intelligent. This person stupid. This person fat. This person skinny. This person good. This person tall. ‘This person short. This person short. is is is is is is is is is very very very very very very very very very That woman is a pretty person. That unmarried woman is a pretty person. That girl student 1s a pretty person.LAO BASIC COURSE séaj-ntin M-3 phyan caw kh@alaatsa- kaan néaj-thahan léekh%anUkaan phot nan pen khén néam phitwbaaw phuw nan pen khén naéam sdaj-nam pha nan pen khon ndéam phyan caw phou nan pen khén candaj? kh@alaatsakaan pho nan pen khén candas? néaj-thah%an phow nan pen khon candaj? néaj-tamlfiat phou nan pen khén candaj? khon-s0n-n&nsyy phi nan pen khén candaj? néaj-phéas%a phuw nan pen khon candaj? 30 secretary unmarried man young man your friend friend government official military officer police officer mailman interpreter That secretary is a pretty person. That unmarried man is handsome person. That young man is @ handsome person. What sort of person is that friend of yours? What sort of person is that government official? What sort of person is that military officer? What sort of person is that police officer? What sort of person is that mailman? What sort of person is that interpretercn2 1) 2) LAO BASIC COURSE A. phat njin phi nli ndam boo? A. Is this woman pretty? ldaw ndam laaj B. She is very pretty. A. sdaj-niim phUd nan pen khén A. What sort of person is =, that young man? Candas? B. daw pen khén siiun. B. He is a tall person. e Jouvavanteguununagadznoutunaugow Tarzctumrueoutsosneogmuciadosn. naunoucactodassuatunoutugceasou caomgnasgmaseoutunnusouts. notes? Words like siiun 'tall', dii "good! are called stative verbs (Vg). They function as the Main Verb (MV) in sentences describing the state or condition of something or someone. NP + Vg ldaw stun ‘He (is) tall.! Since words having similar meanings are adjectives in English, ‘he! must be added in translation. The following are transformations of the sentence 14aw stun (NP + Vs): Negative statement: ldaw bd5 stun 'He isn't tall.! boo? ‘Is he tall?! Affirmative question: ldaw sti Affirmative response: tyes, he is.? Negative response: tNo, not (very) tall.! ltnese notes and the application are for use with cycles 7 and 8. 31