The phrases that make you sound Lao aren't the long ones. They're the little two word replies that fill up a normal day at home, and they're the ones you rarely find in a textbook.
These are the ones I grew up hearing, so here are 20 to get you going.
Checking in on each other
- Have you eaten? - ກິນລະ? kin la?
- Are you up yet? - ຕື່ນລະ? teun la?
- What are you up to?, What are you doing? - ເຮັດຫຍັງຢູ່? hed nyang yoo?
- Same here. - ຄືກັນເລີຍ. kheukan luh-ee.
ກິນລະ? kin la? is the one I'd learn first. It's not really about food, it's how we ask if you're alright, a bit like "how are you" in English. If someone asks you this, they're checking on you.
You'll notice ລະ la at the end of the first two. It's doing the job of "yet", turning a statement into a soft little question. It's the short, casual version of ແລ້ວບໍ? leo boh?, which you might have come across before.
Food and caring for people go hand in hand in Lao. Jasmin, our culture coordinator, wrote a lovely piece on this if you want to go deeper: Lao as a love language.
When you don't catch it
You won't understand everything, and that's completely normal. What matters is saying so and keeping the conversation going.
- I don't understand. - ບໍ່ເຂົ້າໃຈ. boh khaojai.
- Please speak slowly. - ເວົ້າຊ້າໆແນ່. vao saax2 nae.
- Not really. - ບໍ່ປານໃດ. boh paan dai.
- I don't mind, up to you. - ແລ້ວແຕ່. leo tae.
ເວົ້າຊ້າໆແນ່ vao saax2 nae is worth learning word for word. Most people switch back to English at this point, and once you switch, the rest of the conversation is gone. Ask for slow instead. You'd be surprised how much you catch on the second go.
That ແນ່ nae on the end softens it, so it comes out as a polite ask rather than an order. ໄດ້ບໍ? dai boh? is the more formal way of doing the same thing.
And ແລ້ວແຕ່ leo tae you'll hear all the time. Where to eat, what to watch, what time to leave. It's the Lao shrug.
Got a question of your own? Ask me in the LES Community. Most of what I write here started as someone's question.
Making plans
- Wanna join? (to go somewhere) - ຢາກໄປນໍາບໍ? yaak pai nam boh?
- Count me in. (to go somewhere) - ໄປນໍາ. pai nam.
- Can't make it, cannot go. - ໄປບໍ່ໄດ້. pai boh dai.
- Almost there. - ໃກ້ຊິຮອດແລ້ວ. kai see hohd leo.
And ໃກ້ຊິຮອດແລ້ວ kai see hohd leo is for when you're running late and you're not almost there at all. We've all sent that one.
One to watch here: ໃກ້ kai with a high falling tone means near, but ໄກ kai with a low tone means far. Same romanisation, opposite meaning.
When someone comes over
These are the ones you'll need when someone comes over, so it's not just you smiling and nodding while everyone else talks.
- Come on in. - ເຊີນເຂົ້າມາເລີຍ. suhn khao maa luh-ee.
- Have a seat. - ເຊີນນັ່ງກ່ອນ. suhn nang kohn.
- The food is ready. - ອາຫານພ້ອມແລ້ວ. ahaan phohm leo.
- Enjoy your meal. - ກິນໃຫ້ແຊບເດີ. kin hai saeb der.
ເຊີນ suhn means to invite, so you're inviting someone to come in, inviting them to sit, inviting them to eat. It's how we welcome people, and you'll hear it at every door and every table.
ກິນໃຫ້ແຊບເດີ kin hai saeb der literally means "eat so that it's delicious". There's no real English version of it, which is exactly why it's worth having.
On your way out
Leaving a Lao house takes a good while, and these four are most of it.
- Wait a sec. - ຖ້າແປັບໜຶ່ງ. thaa peb neung.
- Don't go yet. - ຢ່າຟ້າວໄປ. yaa faao pai.
- I'm going, bye. - ໄປກ່ອນເດີ. pai kohn der.
- Drive well/safe. - ຂັບລົດດີໆເດີ. khab lod deex2 der.
ຖ້າແປັບໜຶ່ງ and ຢ່າຟ້າວໄປ are the ones that get said to you, usually while someone's packing up food for you to take home. You'll hear them a few times before you actually make it out of the door, iykyk 😉
You'll have spotted ເດີ້ der popping up at the end of a few of these. It doesn't mean anything on its own, it just softens whatever you've said. That's the difference between telling someone to drive safely and sounding like you actually care that they do. It's one syllable, and it changes how the whole thing lands 🪄
Questions I get asked a lot
- What's the most useful Lao phrase to learn first?
ກິນລະ? kin la?, meaning "have you eaten?". It's how we greet each other at home, so being able to answer it is the quickest way into a conversation. - Why do Lao people ask if you've eaten?
Asking ກິນລະ? kin la? is a way of showing you care rather than an actual question about food, a bit like "how are you" in English. For a lot of Lao people it's a love language, and it's how we check on each other. - What does ເດີ der mean at the end of a Lao sentence?
ເດີ der doesn't mean anything on its own. It softens whatever you've said, so ຂັບລົດດີໆເດີ khab lod deex2 der comes across as caring rather than as an instruction. - What's the difference between ລະ la and ແລ້ວບໍ leo boh?
They mean the same thing, both turning a statement into a question, a bit like "yet" in English. ແລ້ວບໍ? leo boh? is the version textbooks teach, while ລະ la is the short one we'd use at home. - Are these phrases polite enough for elders?
It depends on your relationship with them. These are informal, so if you'd say the English version to them, the Lao is fine too. One tip: ໂດຍ doi is the polite way to say yes, and the sound you make while someone's talking to show you're following. A bit like "mhm", but respectful. You'll hear it a lot when people speak to elders.
Putting it into practice
So that's 20 of them covered! To be fair, 20 is a lot to take in so here's where I'd start:
- Pick three from whichever section fits your life. If people are always coming round, take the ones for when someone comes over.
- Say them out loud to someone this week. Reading them back doesn't count, you'll only remember the ones you've used.
- Don't worry about the grammar. These are short because we don't build a full sentence when two syllables will do.
- Add three more next week, and you'll have the lot within six weeks.
There are more in the full lesson too, like ຢາກຮູ້ຊື່ໆ yaak hoo seux2 for "just curious" and ຂໍຄິດເບິ່ງກ່ອນ khoh khid buhng kohn for "let me think first".
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