Significado
Clouds indicating an approaching storm.
Contexto cultural
In rural areas, 'Mek Khmao' is a signal for the whole village to act. It means bringing in the rice that is drying on mats and ensuring livestock are safe. It's a communal moment of synchronization with nature. In the city, 'Mek Khmao' is synonymous with 'traffic jam'. People often check the sky before leaving work at 5:00 PM. If it's black, they might wait at the office for an hour to avoid being stuck in a flood. Some older Cambodians believe that a particularly sudden 'Mek Khmao' might be an omen or the work of spirits (Neak Ta). They might light incense to ask for protection from lightning. Classical poets use 'Mek Khmao' to represent the 'darkness of the soul' or the 'blackness of ignorance' (Mohak), though this is much more formal than daily speech.
Use it for small talk
Cambodians love talking about the weather. Saying 'Mek Khmao' is a great way to start a conversation with a stranger while waiting for a bus.
Don't wait!
If someone says 'Mek Khmao' to you, they aren't just making an observation; they are usually suggesting you move to a dry place immediately.
Significado
Clouds indicating an approaching storm.
Use it for small talk
Cambodians love talking about the weather. Saying 'Mek Khmao' is a great way to start a conversation with a stranger while waiting for a bus.
Don't wait!
If someone says 'Mek Khmao' to you, they aren't just making an observation; they are usually suggesting you move to a dry place immediately.
Add 'Haey'
Adding 'Haey' (already) at the end makes you sound much more like a native speaker: 'Mek Khmao Haey!'
Teste-se
Fill in the missing word to describe the stormy sky.
មើលទៅលើ! មេឃ____ណាស់។
The sky turns 'black' (ខ្មៅ) before a storm. 'ស' is white, 'ខៀវ' is blue, and 'ក្រហម' is red.
Which sentence is the most natural way to warn someone about rain?
Choose the best sentence:
This is the most natural and common way to use the phrase as a warning.
Complete the dialogue between two friends.
A: តើយើងគួរទៅដើរលេងទេ? B: កុំអី មើលចុះ ______។
The context 'Better not' (កុំអី) suggests a negative weather condition like a black sky.
Match the phrase to the correct situation.
Situation: You are drying laundry outside and see dark clouds.
You would say 'Mek Khmao' to signal that you need to bring the laundry in.
🎉 Pontuação: /4
Recursos visuais
Colors of the Sky
Storm
- • ខ្មៅ (Black)
Day
- • ខៀវ (Blue)
Sunset
- • ក្រហម (Red)
- • មាស (Gold)
Banco de exercicios
4 exerciciosមើលទៅលើ! មេឃ____ណាស់។
The sky turns 'black' (ខ្មៅ) before a storm. 'ស' is white, 'ខៀវ' is blue, and 'ក្រហម' is red.
Choose the best sentence:
This is the most natural and common way to use the phrase as a warning.
A: តើយើងគួរទៅដើរលេងទេ? B: កុំអី មើលចុះ ______។
The context 'Better not' (កុំអី) suggests a negative weather condition like a black sky.
Situation: You are drying laundry outside and see dark clouds.
You would say 'Mek Khmao' to signal that you need to bring the laundry in.
🎉 Pontuação: /4
Perguntas frequentes
10 perguntasNo, for a sunset you would use 'មេឃពណ៌មាស' (Golden sky) or 'មេឃក្រហម' (Red sky). 'Mek Khmao' is only for threatening weather.
Yes, it is a neutral observation. Just add 'បាទ' (Baht) or 'ចាស៎' (Chas) to be more polite.
'Mek Khmao' specifically refers to the color of the clouds. 'Mek Ngongit' refers to the general darkness, which could be from clouds or from it being nighttime.
No, in Khmer, adjectives like 'Khmao' act as verbs. 'Mek Khmao' literally means 'Sky [is] black'.
Yes, if you are looking out the window and suggesting the meeting wrap up so people can get home before the storm.
People might say 'មេឃខ្មៅប៉ិប' (Mek Khmao Poep) to mean 'completely black'.
99% of the time in Cambodia, yes. It's very rare to have a black sky without rain following shortly after.
You would say 'មេឃលែងខ្មៅហើយ' (Mek leng khmao haey).
Yes, very often! It usually sets a sad or dramatic mood in Khmer karaoke classics.
Yes, you could describe the sky during an eclipse as 'Mek Khmao' or 'Mek Ngongit'.
Frases relacionadas
មេឃរកភ្លៀង
similarThe sky is looking for rain
មេឃស្រឡះ
contrastClear sky
ពពកខ្មៅ
specialized formBlack clouds
មេឃស្រទុំ
similarOvercast/Gloomy sky
មេឃងងឹត
synonymDark sky
