A1 Perguntas 1 min read Fácil

Yes/No Questions with 'Te'

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Pratique

Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

To turn a statement into a Yes/No question in Khmer, simply add the particle 'ទេ' (te) to the very end of the sentence.

  • Place 'ទេ' at the end of any declarative sentence to make it a question: 'អ្នកញ៉ាំបាយទេ?' (Do you eat rice?)
  • The word order does not change; only the particle is added: 'គាត់ទៅផ្ទះ' (He goes home) -> 'គាត់ទៅផ្ទះទេ?' (Does he go home?)
  • Intonation should rise slightly at the end of the sentence when speaking: 'អ្នកសុខសប្បាយទេ?' (Are you well?)
Statement + ទេ? = Yes/No Question

3. Basic Question Formation

Statement Add Particle Question
អ្នកទៅ
ទេ
អ្នកទៅទេ?
គាត់ញ៉ាំ
ទេ
គាត់ញ៉ាំទេ?
វាល្អ
ទេ
វាល្អទេ?
ខ្ញុំយល់
ទេ
ខ្ញុំយល់ទេ?
អ្នកស្រឡាញ់
ទេ
អ្នកស្រឡាញ់ទេ?
ពួកគេមក
ទេ
ពួកគេមកទេ?

Meanings

The particle 'ទេ' functions as a sentence-final marker that transforms a statement into a polar (Yes/No) question.

1

Polar Question

Used to seek confirmation or information about a fact.

“អ្នកទៅសាលាទេ?”

“គាត់ស្រឡាញ់អ្នកទេ?”

Reference Table

Reference table for Yes/No Questions with 'Te'
Form Structure Example
Affirmative
Subject + Verb
ខ្ញុំទៅ
Question
Subject + Verb + ទេ?
ខ្ញុំទៅទេ?
Negative
Subject + មិន + Verb + ទេ
ខ្ញុំមិនទៅទេ
Negative Question
Subject + មិន + Verb + ទេ?
ខ្ញុំមិនទៅទេ?
Formal Question
តើ + Subject + Verb + ទេ?
តើអ្នកទៅទេ?
Short Answer (Yes)
បាទ/ចាស
បាទ
Short Answer (No)
ទេ
ទេ

Espectro de formalidade

Formal
តើអ្នកទៅទេ?

តើអ្នកទៅទេ? (General)

Neutro
អ្នកទៅទេ?

អ្នកទៅទេ? (General)

Informal
ទៅទេ?

ទៅទេ? (General)

Gíria
ទៅអត់?

ទៅអត់? (General)

The 'Te' Particle Concept

ទេ (Te)

Function

  • Yes/No Binary choice

Placement

  • End Sentence final

Exemplos por nível

1

អ្នកឃ្លានទេ?

Are you hungry?

2

គាត់ទៅទេ?

Is he going?

3

នេះជាសៀវភៅទេ?

Is this a book?

4

អ្នកស្រឡាញ់ខ្ញុំទេ?

Do you love me?

1

តើអ្នកចង់ញ៉ាំបាយទេ?

Do you want to eat rice?

2

តើគាត់មានឡានទេ?

Does he have a car?

3

តើអ្នកយល់ពីមេរៀននេះទេ?

Do you understand this lesson?

4

តើហាងនេះបើកទេ?

Is this shop open?

1

តើអ្នកបានឃើញសំបុត្រដែលខ្ញុំផ្ញើទេ?

Did you see the letter I sent?

2

តើអ្នកគិតថាវាអាចទៅរួចទេ?

Do you think it's possible?

3

តើអ្នកធ្លាប់ទៅប្រទេសកម្ពុជាទេ?

Have you ever been to Cambodia?

4

តើអ្នកត្រូវការជំនួយទេ?

Do you need help?

1

តើអ្នកអាចបញ្ជាក់បានទេថាហេតុអ្វីបានជាគាត់មិនមក?

Can you clarify why he didn't come?

2

តើវាសមហេតុផលទេដែលយើងធ្វើបែបនេះ?

Is it reasonable for us to do this?

3

តើអ្នកយល់ស្របនឹងការសម្រេចចិត្តនេះទេ?

Do you agree with this decision?

4

តើអ្នកបានពិចារណាលើផលវិបាកទេ?

Have you considered the consequences?

1

តើវាពិតជាចាំបាច់ទេដែលយើងត្រូវធ្វើការនៅថ្ងៃអាទិត្យ?

Is it really necessary for us to work on Sunday?

2

តើអ្នកអាចធានាបានទេថាគម្រោងនេះនឹងជោគជ័យ?

Can you guarantee that this project will succeed?

3

តើអ្នកមានអារម្មណ៍ថាវាជាការរើសអើងទេ?

Do you feel that it is discrimination?

4

តើអ្នកបានត្រៀមខ្លួនរួចរាល់ទេសម្រាប់បញ្ហាប្រឈមនេះ?

Are you prepared for this challenge?

1

តើវាជាការសមស្របទេក្នុងបរិបទវប្បធម៌របស់យើង?

Is it appropriate in our cultural context?

2

តើអ្នកអាចវិភាគបានទេថាហេតុអ្វីបានជាវាបរាជ័យ?

Can you analyze why it failed?

3

តើអ្នកយល់ឃើញយ៉ាងណាដែរចំពោះការផ្លាស់ប្តូរនេះទេ?

How do you perceive this change?

4

តើវាជាការចាំបាច់ទេដែលយើងត្រូវពិភាក្សាពីរឿងនេះនៅពេលនេះ?

Is it necessary that we discuss this right now?

Fácil de confundir

Yes/No Questions with 'Te' vs តើ (Tae)

Learners think 'តើ' is the only way to ask a question.

Yes/No Questions with 'Te' vs អត់ (Ot)

Learners use 'អត់' instead of 'ទេ' in formal settings.

Yes/No Questions with 'Te' vs មែន (Men)

Learners use 'មែន' as a question tag.

Erros comuns

✗

ទេអ្នកទៅ?

✓

អ្នកទៅទេ?

Particle must be at the end.
✗

អ្នកទៅ?

✓

អ្នកទៅទេ?

Need the particle for clarity.
✗

តើអ្នកទៅ?

✓

តើអ្នកទៅទេ?

If using 'តើ', you still need 'ទេ'.
✗

អ្នកទៅដូទេ?

✓

អ្នកទៅទេ?

No 'do' in Khmer.
✗

គាត់ញ៉ាំបាយទេឬ?

✓

គាត់ញ៉ាំបាយទេ?

Redundant particle.
✗

អ្នកទៅទេមែន?

✓

អ្នកទៅទេ?

Incorrect tag.
✗

អ្នកទៅទេអត់?

✓

អ្នកទៅទេ?

Informal but 'ទេ' is standard.
✗

តើអ្នកទៅទេឬអត់?

✓

តើអ្នកទៅទេ?

Redundant.
✗

អ្នកទៅទេមែនទេ?

✓

អ្នកទៅទេ?

Too many particles.
✗

អ្នកទៅទេឬ?

✓

អ្នកទៅទេ?

Formal/literary confusion.
✗

តើអ្នកទៅទេឬ?

✓

តើអ្នកទៅទេ?

Stylistic mismatch.
✗

តើអ្នកទៅទេមែន?

✓

តើអ្នកទៅទេ?

Incorrect emphasis.
✗

អ្នកទៅទេឬអត់?

✓

អ្នកទៅទេ?

Redundant.

Padrões de frases

អ្នក ___ ទេ?

តើអ្នក ___ ទេ?

តើគាត់ ___ ទេ?

តើវា ___ ទេ?

Real World Usage

Ordering food constant

មានបាយទេ?

Texting very common

ទំនេរទេ?

Job interview common

តើអ្នកយល់ពីការងារនេះទេ?

Travel common

ទៅផ្លូវនេះទេ?

Shopping very common

មានទំហំនេះទេ?

Social media common

ចូលចិត្តរូបនេះទេ?

💡

Listen for the pitch

Native speakers raise their pitch slightly when they say 'ទេ'.
⚠️

Don't translate 'do'

There is no 'do' in Khmer. Just use the particle.
🎯

Use 'តើ' for formal

If you are in a meeting, add 'តើ' at the start.
💬

Be polite

Always use 'ទេ' to show you are asking, not demanding.

Smart Tips

Always check if you have 'ទេ' at the end.

អ្នកទៅ → អ្នកទៅទេ?

Add 'តើ' at the start.

អ្នកយល់ទេ? → តើអ្នកយល់ទេ?

You can drop the subject if it's clear.

អ្នកទៅទេ? → ទៅទេ?

Use the full structure.

ទៅទេ? → តើអ្នកទៅទេ?

Pronúncia

te (rising)

Rising Intonation

Raise your pitch at the end of the sentence.

Question Pitch

Subject + Verb + ទេ↗

Signals a question.

Memorize

Mnemônico

Think of 'Te' as a 'Tee' off in golf; it starts the game of answering.

Associação visual

Imagine a sentence as a train, and 'Te' is the caboose at the very end of the train.

Rhyme

To ask a question, don't be shy, just add 'Te' and say goodbye.

Story

Sok is walking to the market. He sees his friend. He wants to know if his friend is going too. He says 'You go?' but then remembers the rule. He adds 'Te' at the end. 'You go Te?' His friend smiles and says 'Yes'.

Word Web

ទេតើបាទចាសសំណួរមែន

Desafio

Ask 5 people around you a question using 'ទេ' today.

Notas culturais

Using 'ទេ' is polite and standard. It shows you are asking for the other person's input.

The particle 'ទេ' evolved from a negation marker that was repurposed as an interrogative.

Iniciadores de conversa

“

អ្នកសុខសប្បាយទេ?

“

អ្នកចង់ញ៉ាំកាហ្វេទេ?

“

តើអ្នកយល់ពីមេរៀននេះទេ?

“

តើអ្នកមានគម្រោងទៅលេងស្រុកកំណើតទេ?

Temas para diário

Write 5 questions you would ask a new friend.
Write a dialogue between a customer and a waiter.
Write about your plans for the weekend using questions.
Reflect on a difficult decision using questions.

Erros comuns

Incorrect

Correto

Incorrect

Correto

Incorrect

Correto

Incorrect

Correto

Test Yourself

Add the correct particle.

អ្នកទៅ___?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: ទេ
Te is the question marker.
Which is the correct question? Múltipla escolha

Select the correct one:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: អ្នកទៅទេ?
Particle must be at the end.
Fix the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

តើអ្នកទៅ?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: តើអ្នកទៅទេ?
Need 'ទេ' at the end.
Reorder the words. Sentence Reorder

Arrange the words in the correct order:

All words placed

Click words above to build the sentence

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: អ្នកទៅទេ?
Subject-Verb-Particle.
Translate to Khmer. Tradução

Are you hungry?

Answer starts with: អ្ន...

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: អ្នកឃ្លានទេ?
Standard structure.
Match the question to the answer. Match Pairs

Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: បាទ ខ្ញុំទៅ
Yes/No response.
Which is more formal? Múltipla escolha

Select the formal one:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: តើអ្នកទៅទេ?
Tae is formal.
Fill the blank.

តើគាត់ ___ ទេ?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: មក
Verb goes in the middle.

Score: /8

Exercicios praticos

8 exercises
Add the correct particle.

អ្នកទៅ___?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: ទេ
Te is the question marker.
Which is the correct question? Múltipla escolha

Select the correct one:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: អ្នកទៅទេ?
Particle must be at the end.
Fix the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

តើអ្នកទៅ?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: តើអ្នកទៅទេ?
Need 'ទេ' at the end.
Reorder the words. Sentence Reorder

ទេ / អ្នក / ទៅ

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: អ្នកទៅទេ?
Subject-Verb-Particle.
Translate to Khmer. Tradução

Are you hungry?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: អ្នកឃ្លានទេ?
Standard structure.
Match the question to the answer. Match Pairs

អ្នកទៅទេ? - [ ]

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: បាទ ខ្ញុំទៅ
Yes/No response.
Which is more formal? Múltipla escolha

Select the formal one:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: តើអ្នកទៅទេ?
Tae is formal.
Fill the blank.

តើគាត់ ___ ទេ?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: មក
Verb goes in the middle.

Score: /8

Perguntas frequentes (8)

Only for Yes/No questions. For Who/What, use question words.

Always at the very end of the sentence.

It is neutral. Use 'តើ...ទេ' for formal.

'អត់' is informal/slang for 'no' or 'not'.

No, Khmer verbs do not change.

People might not know you are asking a question.

Yes, 'នេះជាសៀវភៅទេ?'

The word 'ទេ' also means 'no'. Context tells the difference.

Scaffolded Practice

1

1

2

2

3

3

4

4

Mastery Progress

Needs Practice

Improving

Strong

Mastered

In Other Languages

Spanish low

Inversion or intonation

Khmer uses a particle; Spanish uses syntax/intonation.

French partial

Est-ce que

Position of the marker.

German low

Verb-first

Word order change vs. particle addition.

Japanese high

Ka

Both are sentence-final particles.

Arabic low

Hal

Position of the marker.

Chinese high

Ma

Both are sentence-final particles.

Learning Path

Prerequisites

Next
Question Word: What (ey)

Related Grammar Rules

A1

Question Word: What (ey)
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