Signification
Living in a place temporarily.
Contexte culturel
It is very common for Cambodians to invite guests to 'Snak-nov' at their home rather than suggesting a hotel. Declining might require a polite excuse about 'not wanting to disturb' (កុំឱ្យរំខាន). The 'Wat' is a traditional safety net. Travelers or students with no money can 'Snak-nov' there. This has created a social class known as 'Kmeing Wat' (Pagoda Boys). You never use 'Snak-nov' for the King. You must use 'ប្រថាប់នៅ' (Pro-thap-nov). Using the wrong word is a major social faux pas in formal writing. Many factory workers 'Snak-nov' in rental rooms (បន្ទប់ជួល) near the city. They still consider their village house as where they 'Ros-nov' (live).
The 'Suitcase' Rule
If you are carrying a suitcase, you are probably 'Snak-nov'. If you are carrying groceries to your own kitchen, you are 'Ros-nov'.
Monk Etiquette
Never use 'Snak-nov' for a monk. Use 'Kong-nov' (គង់នៅ) to show respect for their religious status.
Signification
Living in a place temporarily.
The 'Suitcase' Rule
If you are carrying a suitcase, you are probably 'Snak-nov'. If you are carrying groceries to your own kitchen, you are 'Ros-nov'.
Monk Etiquette
Never use 'Snak-nov' for a monk. Use 'Kong-nov' (គង់នៅ) to show respect for their religious status.
Dropping the 'Nov'
In casual texting, just use 'ស្នាក់' to save time. 'ស្នាក់ឯណា?' is perfectly understood by locals.
Asking 'Where'
Asking 'Where are you staying?' is a very common and polite way to start a conversation with a foreigner in Cambodia.
Teste-toi
Fill in the blank with the correct Khmer word for 'staying'.
ខ្ញុំ___នៅសណ្ឋាគារភ្នំពេញ។
Since it's a hotel (សណ្ឋាគារ), 'ស្នាក់នៅ' (staying) is the correct choice.
Which sentence is correct for a permanent resident of a house?
How do you say 'I live in this house' (permanently)?
'រស់នៅ' (Ros-nov) is for permanent living, whereas 'ស្នាក់នៅ' is for temporary stays.
Match the Khmer phrase to its English meaning.
Match the following:
These are the most common collocations for 'ស្នាក់នៅ'.
Complete the dialogue.
A: តើអ្នកស្នាក់នៅទីណា? B: ខ្ញុំ___ផ្ទះបងស្រីខ្ញុំ។
The question asks 'Where are you staying?', so the answer should use 'staying'.
🎉 Score : /4
Aides visuelles
Snak-nov vs. Ros-nov
Where can you 'Snak-nov'?
Travel
- • Hotel
- • Resort
- • Airbnb
Social
- • Friend's house
- • Relative's house
Traditional
- • Pagoda
- • Rest house
Banque d exercices
4 exercicesខ្ញុំ___នៅសណ្ឋាគារភ្នំពេញ។
Since it's a hotel (សណ្ឋាគារ), 'ស្នាក់នៅ' (staying) is the correct choice.
How do you say 'I live in this house' (permanently)?
'រស់នៅ' (Ros-nov) is for permanent living, whereas 'ស្នាក់នៅ' is for temporary stays.
Associez chaque element a gauche avec son pair a droite :
These are the most common collocations for 'ស្នាក់នៅ'.
A: តើអ្នកស្នាក់នៅទីណា? B: ខ្ញុំ___ផ្ទះបងស្រីខ្ញុំ។
The question asks 'Where are you staying?', so the answer should use 'staying'.
🎉 Score : /4
Questions fréquentes
10 questionsYes, if you view it as temporary (e.g., a 6-month work contract). If it's your main home, 'Ros-nov' is better.
It is neutral. It's appropriate for both a chat with a friend and a business email.
'Snak-nov' is about the location of your stay. 'Sam-reak' means 'to rest' or 'to take a break'.
Use 'ខ្ញុំស្នាក់នៅជាមួយឪពុកម្តាយរបស់ខ្ញុំ' (Khnom snak-nov cheamuoy ovpuk mday robos khnom).
No, the 'Nov' part already acts as 'at'. You can go straight to the place name.
Casual people might say 'ដេកនៅ...' (Daik nov...) which literally means 'Sleeping at...'.
Yes, 'ខ្ញុំស្នាក់នៅភ្នំពេញ' is correct if you are just visiting.
Use 'ស្នាក់នៅផ្ទះមិត្តភក្តិ'.
Yes, often in romantic songs about 'staying near' someone (ស្នាក់នៅក្បែរ).
You would ask 'ស្នាក់នៅមួយយប់ថ្លៃប៉ុន្មាន?' (How much for one night's stay?)
Expressions liées
រស់នៅ
contrastTo live permanently
ផ្ទះសំណាក់
builds onGuesthouse
សម្រាក
similarTo rest
កក់បន្ទប់
specialized formTo book a room
ស្នាក់អាស្រ័យ
synonymTo take shelter/stay
