Who, What, Where
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
In Lao, question words like 'who', 'what', and 'where' stay in the same spot as the answer would be.
- Who is 'phai' (ໃຜ). Example: 'He is who?' -> 'Lao pen phai?'
- What is 'yang' (ຫຍັງ). Example: 'You eat what?' -> 'Chao kin yang?'
- Where is 'sai' (ໃສ). Example: 'You go where?' -> 'Chao pai sai?'
Meanings
These are the fundamental interrogative pronouns used to request information about people, objects, or locations.
Who (ໃຜ)
Used to ask about the identity of a person.
“Phai ma? (Who is coming?)”
“An ni khong phai? (Whose is this?)”
What (ຫຍັງ)
Used to ask about objects, actions, or abstract concepts.
“Chao het yang? (What are you doing?)”
“An ni maen yang? (What is this?)”
Where (ໃສ)
Used to ask about location or direction.
“Chao pai sai? (Where are you going?)”
“Hong nam yu sai? (Where is the bathroom?)”
Question Word Formation
| English | Lao | Usage | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who | ໃຜ (phai) | People | Lao pen phai? |
| What | ຫຍັງ (yang) | Objects/Actions | Chao kin yang? |
| Where | ໃສ (sai) | Location | Chao pai sai? |
| Whose | ຂອງໃຜ (khong phai) | Possession | An ni khong phai? |
| Which | ອັນໃດ (an dai) | Selection | Chao mak an dai? |
| How much | ເທົ່າໃດ (thao dai) | Quantity | An ni thao dai? |
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Affirmative | Subject + Verb + Object | Chao kin khao. |
| Question (Who) | Subject + Verb + phai | Chao pen phai? |
| Question (What) | Subject + Verb + yang | Chao kin yang? |
| Question (Where) | Subject + Verb + sai | Chao pai sai? |
| Negative | Bo + Verb | Khoi bo kin. |
| Short Answer | Noun/Pronoun | Khoi pen... |
Espectro de formalidade
Than kamlang het yang? (General)
Chao het yang? (General)
Het yang? (General)
Het yang yu? (General)
Lao Question Words
Person
- ໃຜ Who
Object
- ຫຍັງ What
Place
- ໃສ Where
Exemplos por nível
Chao chue yang?
What is your name?
Chao pai sai?
Where are you going?
Lao pen phai?
Who is he/she?
An ni maen yang?
What is this?
Hong nam yu sai?
Where is the bathroom?
Chao het yang yu?
What are you doing?
Phai ma ha chao?
Who is coming to see you?
Ban chao yu sai?
Where is your house?
Chao yak kin yang?
What do you want to eat?
Phai pen khon het an ni?
Who is the person who did this?
Chao pai sai ma?
Where have you been?
Khong ni khong phai?
Whose thing is this?
Chao khit wa phai si ma?
Who do you think will come?
Bo hu wa si pai sai.
I don't know where to go.
Bo mi yang si het.
There is nothing to do.
Phai si pai kan?
Who is going together?
Bo wa si pai sai, khoy si pai nam.
Wherever you go, I will go with you.
Phai si pen phu dai ko chang.
Whoever it is, it doesn't matter.
Yang thi chao wao ma nan bo thuk.
What you said is not correct.
Sai thi pen ban koet khong chao?
Where is your birthplace?
Bo mi phai si hu di thao chao.
No one knows as well as you.
Yang thi pen panha yu ni.
What is the problem here.
Sai thi rao khoei pai kan.
The place where we used to go together.
Phai si pen phu rap phit chop?
Who will be the person responsible?
Fácil de confundir
Learners mix up people and objects.
Learners mix up location and objects.
Learners try to move question words to the front.
Erros comuns
Yang chao kin?
Chao kin yang?
Chao pai phai?
Chao pai sai?
Chao kin sai?
Chao kin yang?
Phai chao?
Chao pen phai?
Chao yu phai?
Chao yu sai?
An ni phai?
An ni khong phai?
Chao het sai?
Chao het yang?
Chao pai sai ma?
Chao pai sai ma?
Phai chao mak?
Chao mak phai?
Yang chao yak?
Chao yak yang?
Sai chao pai?
Chao pai sai?
Phai chao khit?
Chao khit wa phai?
Yang chao wao?
Chao wao yang?
Padrões de frases
Chao ___ ___?
___ maen phai?
___ yu sai?
Chao yak ___ yang?
Real World Usage
Chao het yang?
Pai sai?
Than pen phai?
Hong nam yu sai?
Kin yang?
An ni maen yang?
Keep it simple
Don't front
Use particles
Greeting
Smart Tips
Always use 'yu sai' to be specific.
Use 'Chao chue yang' instead of just 'Chue yang'.
Use 'An ni' (this thing) to clarify.
Use 'Khon nan' (that person) to be specific.
Pronúncia
Tones
Lao is a tonal language. 'Phai' (low tone), 'Yang' (rising tone), 'Sai' (rising tone).
Question Intonation
Chao pai sai? ↗
Rising pitch at the end indicates a question.
Memorize
Mnemônico
Think of 'Phai' as 'Pie' (Who ate my pie?), 'Yang' as 'Young' (What are you doing, young man?), and 'Sai' as 'Sight' (Where is the sight?).
Associação visual
Imagine a person pointing at a stranger (Who?), a mystery box (What?), and a map (Where?).
Rhyme
Phai is who, Yang is what, Sai is where, don't forget the spot!
Story
A traveler arrives in Laos. He asks 'Phai?' to the guide. The guide points to a box and says 'Yang!'. The traveler asks 'Sai?' and the guide points to the mountains.
Word Web
Desafio
Ask 3 people today: 'Chao chue yang?' and 'Chao pai sai?'
Notas culturais
Asking 'Chao pai sai?' is a common greeting, similar to 'How are you?' in English. You don't need to give a specific address.
The language is very similar to Isan Thai. 'Phai', 'Yang', and 'Sai' are used identically.
In the capital, these words are used with a polite particle like 'do' to soften the tone.
These interrogatives are Proto-Tai in origin, common across the Tai language family.
Iniciadores de conversa
Chao chue yang?
Chao ma chak sai?
Chao het yang yu Vientiane?
Phai pen khon het an ni?
Temas para diário
Test Yourself
Chao kin ___?
Lao pen ___?
Find and fix the mistake:
Sai chao pai?
Arrange the words in the correct order:
All words placed
Click words above to build the sentence
Where is the house?
Answer starts with: Ban...
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
Chao pai ___?
An ni khong ___?
Score: /8
Exercicios praticos
8 exercisesChao kin ___?
Lao pen ___?
Find and fix the mistake:
Sai chao pai?
yang / chao / het
Where is the house?
Phai
Chao pai ___?
An ni khong ___?
Score: /8
Perguntas frequentes (8)
No, verbs in Lao do not conjugate for person or number.
Yes, but add 'than' (you) and polite particles.
Yes, it is strictly for location.
You can point and use 'An ni maen yang?'
Yes, like 'thao dai' (how much) and 'an dai' (which).
It's a common, friendly greeting.
Yes, they are standard in both speech and writing.
They are very similar across the Lao-speaking world.
Scaffolded Practice
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2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
quién/qué/dónde
Word order.
qui/quoi/où
Structural complexity.
wer/was/wo
Verb placement.
dare/nani/doko
Particles.
man/madha/ayna
Morphology.
shéi/shénme/nǎlǐ
Tonal systems.
