Intensifying Reduplication
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
In Khmer, you repeat an adjective to make it stronger, like saying 'very' without using the word 'very'.
- Repeat the adjective: 'ល្អ' (good) becomes 'ល្អល្អ' (very good).
- Use for emphasis: 'ក្រហម' (red) becomes 'ក្រហមក្រហម' (very red/deep red).
- Tone matters: The second word often carries a slightly higher pitch for emphasis.
Meanings
A morphological process where an adjective is repeated to indicate a high degree of the quality described.
Degree Intensification
Adding intensity to a quality.
“គាត់ខ្ពស់ខ្ពស់។”
“ទឹកត្រជាក់ត្រជាក់។”
Plurality/Distribution
Sometimes used to imply many items have the quality.
“ផ្ទះតូចតូច។”
“សៀវភៅថ្មីថ្មី។”
Adjective Intensification Table
| Base Adjective | Meaning | Reduplicated | Intensified Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| ល្អ | Good | ល្អល្អ | Very good |
| ធំ | Big | ធំធំ | Very big |
| ស្អាត | Beautiful | ស្អាតស្អាត | Very beautiful |
| ក្តៅ | Hot | ក្តៅក្តៅ | Very hot |
| ឆ្ងាយ | Far | ឆ្ងាយឆ្ងាយ | Very far |
| ហិរ | Spicy | ហិរហិរ | Very spicy |
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Affirmative | Adj + Adj | វាធំធំ |
| Negative | មិន + Adj + Adj | វាមិនធំធំទេ |
| Question | Adj + Adj + មែនទេ? | វាធំធំមែនទេ? |
| Comparison | Adj + Adj + ជាង | វាធំធំជាងគេ |
Formalitätsspektrum
ម្ហូបនេះមានរសជាតិល្អល្អណាស់។ (Dining)
ម្ហូបនេះល្អល្អ។ (Dining)
ម្ហូបនេះឆ្ងាញ់ឆ្ងាញ់! (Dining)
ម្ហូបនេះអេមអេម! (Dining)
Reduplication Concept
Intensifier
- ល្អល្អ Very good
Examples by Level
សៀវភៅនេះល្អល្អ។
This book is very good.
ផ្លែឈើនេះផ្អែមផ្អែម។
This fruit is very sweet.
ផ្ទះនេះធំធំ។
This house is very big.
ទឹកនេះត្រជាក់ត្រជាក់។
This water is very cold.
ក្មេងនេះឆ្លាតឆ្លាត។
This child is very smart.
ថ្ងៃនេះក្តៅក្តៅ។
Today is very hot.
អាវនេះស្អាតស្អាត។
This shirt is very beautiful.
ផ្លូវនេះឆ្ងាយឆ្ងាយ។
This road is very far.
ម្ហូបនេះហិរហិរណាស់។
This food is very, very spicy.
គាត់និយាយលឿនលឿន។
He speaks very fast.
សម្លេងនេះខ្លាំងខ្លាំង។
This sound is very loud.
ពណ៌នេះក្រហមក្រហម។
This color is very red.
ការងារនេះពិបាកពិបាក។
This work is quite difficult.
គាត់មានចិត្តល្អល្អ។
He is very kind-hearted.
ផ្ទៃមេឃខៀវខៀវ។
The sky is very blue.
វាមានតម្លៃថ្លៃថ្លៃ។
It is very expensive.
សកម្មភាពនេះរហ័សរហ័ស។
This action is very swift.
គំនិតនេះច្បាស់ច្បាស់។
This idea is very clear.
គាត់មានភាពស្មោះត្រង់ស្មោះត្រង់។
He is very honest.
ស្ថានភាពនេះតានតឹងតានតឹង។
This situation is very tense.
ការវិភាគនេះស៊ីជម្រៅស៊ីជម្រៅ។
This analysis is very profound.
គាត់មានភាពអត់ធ្មត់អត់ធ្មត់។
He is very patient.
បរិយាកាសនេះស្ងប់ស្ងាត់ស្ងប់ស្ងាត់។
This atmosphere is very peaceful.
ការរៀបចំនេះល្អិតល្អន់ល្អិតល្អន់។
This preparation is very meticulous.
Easily Confused
Sometimes reduplication means 'many small things'.
Häufige Fehler
ល្អល្អល្អ
ល្អល្អ
ធំធំ ផ្ទះ
ផ្ទះធំធំ
ហិរណាស់ហិរណាស់
ហិរហិរ
រហ័សរហ័សរហ័ស
រហ័សរហ័ស
Sentence Patterns
នេះគឺ ___ ___ ។
Real World Usage
ផ្លែឈើនេះផ្អែមផ្អែម!
Listen for the pitch
Smart Tips
Use reduplication for flavor.
Aussprache
Pitch
Raise the pitch slightly on the second word.
Emphatic
ល្អ↑ល្អ→
Strong emphasis
Memorize It
Mnemonic
Double the word, double the power!
Visual Association
Imagine a balloon inflating; the more you repeat the word, the bigger the balloon gets.
Rhyme
When the word is small, repeat it all, to make it stand tall.
Story
I saw a big cat. I said 'ធំ'. Then I saw a giant cat. I said 'ធំធំ'. The cat was so big it filled the room.
Word Web
Herausforderung
Describe 5 things in your room using reduplicated adjectives in 5 minutes.
Kulturelle Hinweise
Used in daily life to show enthusiasm.
Ancient Austroasiatic roots.
Conversation Starters
ម្ហូបនេះយ៉ាងម៉េចដែរ?
Journal Prompts
Test Yourself
ម្ហូបនេះ ___ ។ (very spicy)
Score: /1
Ubungsaufgaben
1 exercisesម្ហូបនេះ ___ ។ (very spicy)
Score: /1
FAQ (1)
Most, but not all. Check with a native speaker.
In Other Languages
Muy + Adjective
Khmer uses morphology, Spanish uses syntax.
Très + Adjective
Khmer is more iconic.
Sehr + Adjective
Khmer uses repetition.
Totemo + Adjective
Khmer is more visual.
Jiddan + Adjective
Khmer is more rhythmic.
Hen + Adjective
Khmer is more emphatic.
