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?)
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.
Polar Question
Used to seek confirmation or information about a fact.
“អ្នកទៅសាលាទេ?”
“គាត់ស្រឡាញ់អ្នកទេ?”
Reference Table
| 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
|
正式程度
តើអ្នកទៅទេ? (General)
អ្នកទៅទេ? (General)
ទៅទេ? (General)
ទៅអត់? (General)
The 'Te' Particle Concept
Function
- Yes/No Binary choice
Placement
- End Sentence final
按水平分级的例句
អ្នកឃ្លានទេ?
Are you hungry?
គាត់ទៅទេ?
Is he going?
នេះជាសៀវភៅទេ?
Is this a book?
អ្នកស្រឡាញ់ខ្ញុំទេ?
Do you love me?
តើអ្នកចង់ញ៉ាំបាយទេ?
Do you want to eat rice?
តើគាត់មានឡានទេ?
Does he have a car?
តើអ្នកយល់ពីមេរៀននេះទេ?
Do you understand this lesson?
តើហាងនេះបើកទេ?
Is this shop open?
តើអ្នកបានឃើញសំបុត្រដែលខ្ញុំផ្ញើទេ?
Did you see the letter I sent?
តើអ្នកគិតថាវាអាចទៅរួចទេ?
Do you think it's possible?
តើអ្នកធ្លាប់ទៅប្រទេសកម្ពុជាទេ?
Have you ever been to Cambodia?
តើអ្នកត្រូវការជំនួយទេ?
Do you need help?
តើអ្នកអាចបញ្ជាក់បានទេថាហេតុអ្វីបានជាគាត់មិនមក?
Can you clarify why he didn't come?
តើវាសមហេតុផលទេដែលយើងធ្វើបែបនេះ?
Is it reasonable for us to do this?
តើអ្នកយល់ស្របនឹងការសម្រេចចិត្តនេះទេ?
Do you agree with this decision?
តើអ្នកបានពិចារណាលើផលវិបាកទេ?
Have you considered the consequences?
តើវាពិតជាចាំបាច់ទេដែលយើងត្រូវធ្វើការនៅថ្ងៃអាទិត្យ?
Is it really necessary for us to work on Sunday?
តើអ្នកអាចធានាបានទេថាគម្រោងនេះនឹងជោគជ័យ?
Can you guarantee that this project will succeed?
តើអ្នកមានអារម្មណ៍ថាវាជាការរើសអើងទេ?
Do you feel that it is discrimination?
តើអ្នកបានត្រៀមខ្លួនរួចរាល់ទេសម្រាប់បញ្ហាប្រឈមនេះ?
Are you prepared for this challenge?
តើវាជាការសមស្របទេក្នុងបរិបទវប្បធម៌របស់យើង?
Is it appropriate in our cultural context?
តើអ្នកអាចវិភាគបានទេថាហេតុអ្វីបានជាវាបរាជ័យ?
Can you analyze why it failed?
តើអ្នកយល់ឃើញយ៉ាងណាដែរចំពោះការផ្លាស់ប្តូរនេះទេ?
How do you perceive this change?
តើវាជាការចាំបាច់ទេដែលយើងត្រូវពិភាក្សាពីរឿងនេះនៅពេលនេះ?
Is it necessary that we discuss this right now?
容易混淆
Learners think 'តើ' is the only way to ask a question.
Learners use 'អត់' instead of 'ទេ' in formal settings.
Learners use 'មែន' as a question tag.
常见错误
ទេអ្នកទៅ?
អ្នកទៅទេ?
អ្នកទៅ?
អ្នកទៅទេ?
តើអ្នកទៅ?
តើអ្នកទៅទេ?
អ្នកទៅដូទេ?
អ្នកទៅទេ?
គាត់ញ៉ាំបាយទេឬ?
គាត់ញ៉ាំបាយទេ?
អ្នកទៅទេមែន?
អ្នកទៅទេ?
អ្នកទៅទេអត់?
អ្នកទៅទេ?
តើអ្នកទៅទេឬអត់?
តើអ្នកទៅទេ?
អ្នកទៅទេមែនទេ?
អ្នកទៅទេ?
អ្នកទៅទេឬ?
អ្នកទៅទេ?
តើអ្នកទៅទេឬ?
តើអ្នកទៅទេ?
តើអ្នកទៅទេមែន?
តើអ្នកទៅទេ?
អ្នកទៅទេឬអត់?
អ្នកទៅទេ?
句型
អ្នក ___ ទេ?
តើអ្នក ___ ទេ?
តើគាត់ ___ ទេ?
តើវា ___ ទេ?
Real World Usage
មានបាយទេ?
ទំនេរទេ?
តើអ្នកយល់ពីការងារនេះទេ?
ទៅផ្លូវនេះទេ?
មានទំហំនេះទេ?
ចូលចិត្តរូបនេះទេ?
Listen for the pitch
Don't translate 'do'
Use 'តើ' for formal
Be polite
Smart Tips
Always check if you have 'ទេ' at the end.
Add 'តើ' at the start.
You can drop the subject if it's clear.
Use the full structure.
发音
Rising Intonation
Raise your pitch at the end of the sentence.
Question Pitch
Subject + Verb + ទេ↗
Signals a question.
记住它
记忆技巧
Think of 'Te' as a 'Tee' off in golf; it starts the game of answering.
视觉联想
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
挑战
Ask 5 people around you a question using 'ទេ' today.
文化笔记
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.
对话开场白
អ្នកសុខសប្បាយទេ?
អ្នកចង់ញ៉ាំកាហ្វេទេ?
តើអ្នកយល់ពីមេរៀននេះទេ?
តើអ្នកមានគម្រោងទៅលេងស្រុកកំណើតទេ?
日记主题
常见错误
Test Yourself
អ្នកទៅ___?
Select the correct one:
Find and fix the mistake:
តើអ្នកទៅ?
Arrange the words in the correct order:
All words placed
Click words above to build the sentence
Are you hungry?
Answer starts with: អ្ន...
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
Select the formal one:
តើគាត់ ___ ទេ?
Score: /8
练习题
8 exercisesអ្នកទៅ___?
Select the correct one:
Find and fix the mistake:
តើអ្នកទៅ?
ទេ / អ្នក / ទៅ
Are you hungry?
អ្នកទៅទេ? - [ ]
Select the formal one:
តើគាត់ ___ ទេ?
Score: /8
常见问题 (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
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
Inversion or intonation
Khmer uses a particle; Spanish uses syntax/intonation.
Est-ce que
Position of the marker.
Verb-first
Word order change vs. particle addition.
Ka
Both are sentence-final particles.
Hal
Position of the marker.
Ma
Both are sentence-final particles.