How ຢາກ (yaak) works
ຢາກ yaak means "want to", and it's one of the most useful words to learn early because the pattern never changes. Learn it once and you can use it with any verb you know:
- ກິນ kin (to eat) → ຢາກກິນ yaak kin (want to eat)
- ເບິ່ງ buhng (to watch) → ຢາກເບິ່ງ yaak buhng (want to watch)
- ຮຽນ hian (to learn) → ຢາກຮຽນ yaak hian (want to learn)
There's nothing to change in the verb and nothing to add after it. It works the same with any subject too, so ຂ້ອຍຢາກກິນ khoi yaak kin is "I want to eat" and ເຈົ້າຢາກກິນ jao yaak kin is "you want to eat".
How to ask & answer
- Question structure: Subject + ຢາກ yaak + verb + ຫຍັງ nyang?
e.g. ເຈົ້າຢາກກິນຫຍັງ? jao yaak kin nyang? (you want to eat what?)
ຫຍັງ nyang means "what", and it goes at the end, not the start like in English. That's the only part of the order that changes. - To answer, replace ຫຍັງ with the thing you want.
e.g. ຂ້ອຍຢາກກິນໝາກມ່ວງ. khoi yaak kin maak mooang. (I want to eat mango.)
So once you know the question, you already know how to answer it.
What do you want?
- Q: What do you want to eat? - ເຈົ້າຢາກກິນຫຍັງ? jao yaak kin nyang?
A: I want to eat a mango - ຂ້ອຍຢາກກິນໝາກມ່ວງ. khoi yaak kin maak mooang. - Q: What do you want to watch? - ເຈົ້າຢາກເບິ່ງຫຍັງ? jao yaak buhng nyang?
A: I want to watch a movie. - ຂ້ອຍຢາກເບິ່ງໜັງ. khoi yaak buhng nang. - Q: What do you want to see? - ເຈົ້າຢາກເຫັນຫຍັງ? jao yaak hen nyang?
A: I want to see the sunset. - ຂ້ອຍຢາກເຫັນຕາເວັນຕົກ. khoi yaak hen taven tok. - Q: What do you want to have? - ເຈົ້າຢາກໄດ້ຫຍັງ? jao yaak dai nyang?
A: I want to rest. - ຂ້ອຍຢາກພັກຜ່ອນ. khoi yaak phak phohn. - Q: What do you want to learn? - ເຈົ້າຢາກຮຽນຫຍັງ? jao yaak hian nyang?
A: I want to learn Lao. - ຂ້ອຍຢາກຮຽນພາສາລາວ. khoi yaak hian phasa Lao. - Q: What do you want to do first? - ເຈົ້າຢາກເຮັດຫຍັງກ່ອນ? jao yaak hed nyang kohn?
A: I want to visit my parents first. - ຂ້ອຍຢາກໄປຢາມພໍ່ແມ່ຂ້ອຍກ່ອນ. khoi yaak pai yaam phoh mae khoi kohn.
Your turn
Try answering these out loud (not in your head!). Speaking is the part that's hardest to practise on your own, so take the chance while you're here:
- ເຈົ້າຢາກກິນຫຍັງ? jao yaak kin nyang?
- ເຈົ້າຢາກເບິ່ງຫຍັງ? jao yaak buhng nyang?
- ເຈົ້າຢາກໄດ້ຫຍັງ? jao yaak dai nyang?
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