Lesson 17: Common Adjectives (Feelings)
How Are You Feeling?
In a past lesson, we learned to ask, "How are you?". A simple answer is "I'm fine, thank you." But what if you feel differently? This lesson will teach you new adjectives to describe your feelings1 and emotions.
Word Bank: Describing Feelings
| Adjective | Pronunciation Guide | Khmer | Meaning & Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 😊 Happy2 | (hap-ee) | សប្បាយចិត្ត | Feeling pleasure or contentment. Example: "It is my birthday, so I am very happy." |
| 😞 Sad3 | (sad) | កើតទុក្ខ | Feeling or showing sorrow; unhappy. Example: "She is sad because she misses her family." |
| 😴 Tired4 | (ty-erd) | ហត់ | Needing sleep or rest. Example: "I worked ten hours, so now I am tired." |
| 😠 Angry5 | (ang-gree) | ខឹង | Feeling strong annoyance. Example: "He is angry because his moto is broken." |
| 😨 Scared6 | (skaird) | ខ្លាច | Feeling fear; frightened. Example: "I am scared of big spiders." |
| 🍔 Hungry7 | (hung-gree) | ឃ្លាន | Feeling a need to eat food. Example: "It is twelve o'clock, I am hungry." |
| 💧 Thirsty8 | (thur-stee) | ស្រេកទឹក | Feeling a need to drink water. Example: "It is a hot day and I am thirsty." |
Usage Note: "I am" vs. "I feel"
To talk about your feelings, you can use two common sentence structures. Both are correct!
- 1. I am + [Feeling Adjective]
This is very simple and common.
Examples: "I am happy." "She is tired." - 2. I feel + [Feeling Adjective]
This also common and focuses on the emotion.
Examples: "I feel happy." "He feels sad." (Remember the '-s' for he/she/it!)
In Conversation
Bora sees Srey after a long day at work.
Bora: Hi Srey! You look tired. Are you okay?
Srey: I am very tired. I had a long day at work. I am also very hungry!
Bora: Let's go eat! Are you happy about that?
Srey: Yes, I feel happy now! I was a little sad before.
Bora: Why were you sad?
Srey: My boss was angry today. It made me feel a little scared.
Bora: I'm sorry to hear that. Let's get some food and you will feel better.
quiz Check Your Understanding
1. You did not eat breakfast or lunch. How do you feel?
- a) Thirsty
- b) Hungry
- c) Angry
Click to see the answer
Answer: b) Hungry
2. Choose the correct sentence.
- a) He feel tired.
- b) He tired.
- c) He feels tired.
Click to see the answer
Answer: c) He feels tired.
3. What is the opposite of 'happy'?
- a) Angry
- b) Sad
- c) Scared
Click to see the answer
Answer: b) Sad
edit Your Mission
- My Feelings: Write three sentences about how you feel right now, or how you felt yesterday. (e.g., "Today, I feel happy." "Yesterday, I was tired.")
- Practice: Look at the emoji for each feeling in the Word Bank. Say the English word for that feeling out loud.
- Speak: Your mission is to ask a friend, "How are you feeling today?". Listen for their answer.
book Lesson Glossary
- Feeling (noun) - Khmer: អារម្មណ៍ (a-rom) - An emotional state or reaction. ↩
- Happy (adjective) - Khmer: សប្បាយចិត្ត - Feeling or showing pleasure. ↩
- Sad (adjective) - Khmer: កើតទុក្ខ - Feeling or showing sorrow; unhappy. ↩
- Tired (adjective) - Khmer: ហត់ - Needing sleep or rest. ↩
- Angry (adjective) - Khmer: ខឹង - Feeling strong annoyance or displeasure. ↩
- Scared (adjective) - Khmer: ខ្លាច - Feeling fear; frightened. ↩
- Hungry (adjective) - Khmer: ឃ្លាន - Feeling a need to eat food. ↩
- Thirsty (adjective) - Khmer: ស្រេកទឹក - Feeling a need to drink water. ↩