Bedeutung
Asking someone what item they are trying to find.
Kultureller Hintergrund
In Lao markets, vendors are very proactive. If you stop for more than a second to look at a product, they will likely ask 'Sok ha nyang?' as a way to start a conversation and help you find the right size or color. Helping others is a core value. If you look lost on the street, a local might approach you with this phrase. It's not seen as intrusive, but as being a 'good neighbor'. Parents use this with children frequently. It's often a precursor to a lesson about being organized or helping the child find their school supplies. On Lao Facebook, 'Sok ha' is used in 'ISO' (In Search Of) posts. People will post a photo of an item and write 'Sok ha...' to find a seller.
Add 'Dae' for Politeness
Whenever you are in a shop, always add 'dae' at the end. It makes you sound like a local who understands Lao etiquette.
Don't use with 'Berng'
Never say 'Berng ha nyang'. It sounds very unnatural to Lao ears.
Bedeutung
Asking someone what item they are trying to find.
Add 'Dae' for Politeness
Whenever you are in a shop, always add 'dae' at the end. It makes you sound like a local who understands Lao etiquette.
Don't use with 'Berng'
Never say 'Berng ha nyang'. It sounds very unnatural to Lao ears.
Body Language
When asking this to an elder, a slight tilt of the head or a small smile makes the question feel much more respectful.
Shortening
If you are in a hurry with a close friend, just say 'Sok nyang?'. They will understand perfectly.
Teste dich selbst
Fill in the missing word to ask 'What are you looking for?'
ເຈົ້າ ____ ຫາຫຍັງ?
'ຊອກ' (Sok) means to search. 'Berng' is to watch, 'Pai' is to go, and 'Kin' is to eat.
Which sentence is the most polite for a shopkeeper to use?
A shopkeeper wants to help a customer.
Adding 'dae' makes the question softer and more polite for customer service.
Complete the dialogue.
A: ຊອກຫາຫຍັງຢູ່? B: ຊອກຫາ ____ (keys).
'ກະແຈ' (ka-chae) means keys. 'Khao' is rice, 'Nam' is water, and 'Lot' is car.
Match the phrase to the situation.
You see your friend looking under the sofa.
This is the appropriate question when someone is searching for something.
🎉 Ergebnis: /4
Visuelle Lernhilfen
Searching vs. Watching
Common Search Items
Travel
- • Passport
- • Ticket
- • Hotel
Daily
- • Phone
- • Keys
- • Wallet
Aufgabensammlung
4 Aufgabenເຈົ້າ ____ ຫາຫຍັງ?
'ຊອກ' (Sok) means to search. 'Berng' is to watch, 'Pai' is to go, and 'Kin' is to eat.
A shopkeeper wants to help a customer.
Adding 'dae' makes the question softer and more polite for customer service.
A: ຊອກຫາຫຍັງຢູ່? B: ຊອກຫາ ____ (keys).
'ກະແຈ' (ka-chae) means keys. 'Khao' is rice, 'Nam' is water, and 'Lot' is car.
You see your friend looking under the sofa.
This is the appropriate question when someone is searching for something.
🎉 Ergebnis: /4
Häufig gestellte Fragen
12 FragenNo, it is generally helpful. However, tone of voice matters. A soft tone is helpful; a loud, sharp tone can sound like 'What are you looking at?!'
Simply say 'Sok ha...' followed by the object. For example: 'Sok ha thon-la-sap' (Looking for my phone).
Yes! You can say 'Chao sok ha phai?' (Who are you looking for?) by replacing 'nyang' (what) with 'phai' (who).
'Sok' is the process of searching. 'Ha' is the act of finding. Together they mean 'to look for'.
Yes, if the interviewer asks what you are looking for in a career, they might use this phrase.
Yes, 'sing dai' (which thing) is more formal, but 'nyang' is acceptable in 95% of situations.
It's just a casual shortcut, very common in Vientiane slang.
Say 'Baw dai sok ha nyang' (Not looking for anything) or 'Berng sue sue' (Just looking/browsing).
Yes, Lao is very strict with SVO order. The question word 'nyang' almost always stays at the end.
Yes, you can use it when searching for a file on a computer.
You can say 'Sok ha thang pai...' (Looking for the way to...).
In Thai, they often say 'Haa arai?'. Lao adds the 'Sok' for more emphasis on the search process.
Verwandte Redewendungen
ຊ່ວຍໄດ້ບໍ່?
similarCan I help?
ເຈົ້າຕ້ອງການຫຍັງ?
similarWhat do you want?
ຫາບໍ່ເຫັນ
contrastCan't find it.
ພົບແລ້ວ
contrastFound it already.
ຊອກຫາວຽກ
specialized formLooking for a job.
ຊອກຫາແຟນ
specialized formLooking for a boyfriend/girlfriend.
