Lesson 3: Verbs with Prepositions
Collocations (Introduction) (B1)
Why do we say "listen to music" but not "listen at music"? It's because "listen to" is a strong collocation1. Collocations are words that naturally go together in English. Learning these pairs, especially verbs2 with their partner prepositions3, will make your English sound much more natural.
Common Verb + Preposition Collocations
| 🎶 listen to4 | ស្តាប់ | To pay attention to a sound. Example: "I like to listen to podcasts." |
| 👀 look at5 | មើល | To direct your eyes towards something. Example: "Please look at the whiteboard." |
| 🤝 agree with6 | យល់ស្របជាមួយ | To have the same opinion as someone. Example: "I agree with your idea." |
| 🤔 believe in7 | ជឿជាក់លើ | To feel certain that someone or something exists or is true. Example: "Do you believe in ghosts?" |
| 🙏 depend on8 | ពឹងផ្អែកលើ | To rely on or need help and support from someone. Example: "Children depend on their parents." |
| ⏳ wait for9 | រង់ចាំ | To stay in one place, expecting someone or something. Example: "I will wait for you at the cafe." |
Usage Note: Fixed Pairs
Think of these collocations as fixed pairs. Changing the preposition will usually make the sentence sound strange or incorrect. For example, "I am waiting on the bus" is not correct; it must be "I am waiting for the bus."
In Conversation
Srey and Bora are planning a weekend trip.
Srey: Bora, can you look at this map? I think we should go to Kep this weekend.
Bora: Hmm, I don't know. I agree with you that we should go somewhere, but our plan will depend on the weather.
Srey: I know, but I believe in being optimistic! Let's just go.
Bora: Okay, you're right. I'll go pack. Can you wait for me here? I'll be quick.
Srey: No problem. I'll just listen to some music while I wait.
quiz Check Your Understanding
1. Fill in the blank: "I need to wait ______ my friend to arrive."
- a) at
- b) for
- c) on
Click to see the answer
Answer: b) for
2. Which sentence is correct?
- a) I agree to your point.
- b) I agree on your point.
- c) I agree with your point.
Click to see the answer
Answer: c) I agree with your point.
3. What do you do when you want to hear a podcast?
- a) Listen to it.
- b) Listen at it.
- c) Listen in it.
Click to see the answer
Answer: a) Listen to it.
edit Your Mission
- My Sentences: Write one sentence for each of the six collocations in the Word Bank.
- Find Collocations: Read an English news article online or listen to an English song. Try to find two examples of verb + preposition collocations.
- Speak: Your mission is to use one of these collocations in a conversation today. For example, ask a friend, "What music do you like to listen to?"
book Lesson Glossary
- Collocation (noun) - Khmer: ការផ្សំពាក្យ - Two or more words that are often used together in a way that sounds correct. ↩
- Verb (noun) - Khmer: កិរិយាសព្ទ - A word used to describe an action, state, or occurrence. ↩
- Preposition (noun) - Khmer: ធ្នាក់ - A word governing (and usually preceding) a noun or pronoun and expressing a relation to another word. (e.g., on, at, in, for, with). ↩
- listen to (verb phrase) - Khmer: ស្តាប់ - To pay attention to a sound. ↩
- look at (verb phrase) - Khmer: មើល - To direct your eyes towards something. ↩
- agree with (verb phrase) - Khmer: យល់ស្របជាមួយ - To have the same opinion as someone. ↩
- believe in (verb phrase) - Khmer: ជឿជាក់លើ - To feel certain that someone or something exists or is true. ↩
- depend on (verb phrase) - Khmer: ពឹងផ្អែកលើ - To rely on or need help and support from someone. ↩
- wait for (verb phrase) - Khmer: រង់ចាំ - To stay in one place, expecting someone or something. ↩