Lesson 19: Basic Question Words
Asking for Information
To have a good conversation, you need to ask for information. In English, we use special 'question words' to do this. You already know some of them, like 'What' and 'Where'. This lesson will teach you the most important question1 words to help you learn anything!
Word Bank: The 5 Ws and H
| Word | Khmer | Asks About... & Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Who2 | នរណា | a Person. Example: "Who is your teacher?" |
| What3 | អ្វី | a Thing or an Action. Example: "What is that? / What are you doing?" |
| When4 | ពេលណា | a Time. Example: "When is your birthday?" |
| Where5 | នៅឯណា | a Place. Example: "Where is the market?" |
| Why6 | ហេតុអ្វី | a Reason. (Answer often starts with "Because..."). Example: "Why are you tired?" |
| How7 | យ៉ាងម៉េច | the Way or Manner something is. Example: "How are you? / How do you spell that?" |
Usage Note: Basic Question Structure
Many basic questions in English follow this simple pattern:
Structure: Question Word + Verb 'to be' (is/are) + Subject?
- Who is that person?
- What is your name?
- Where are you from?
- When is the meeting?
In Conversation
A tourist named Alex asks Bora for help in Siem Reap.
Alex: Excuse me! Can I ask some questions?
Bora: Of course! How can I help you?
Alex: I am new here. Where is a good place to eat Khmer food?
Bora: I like the restaurant on the corner. It's very good.
Alex: Thank you! And who should I talk to about a tour of Angkor Wat?
Bora: You can talk to any official tour guide in the blue shirts.
Alex: Great. When does the temple open for sunrise?
Bora: It opens at 5 AM.
Alex: 5 AM! Why so early?
Bora: Because the sunrise is beautiful and it is not too hot in the morning!
quiz Check Your Understanding
1. You want to know the TIME of a meeting. You ask: "______ is the meeting?"
- a) Who
- b) Where
- c) When
Click to see the answer
Answer: c) When
2. You want to know the REASON someone is happy. You ask: "______ are you happy?"
- a) Why
- b) What
- c) How
Click to see the answer
Answer: a) Why
3. The answer is, "My teacher is Mr. David." What is the question?
- a) Where is your teacher?
- b) Who is your teacher?
- c) What is your teacher?
Click to see the answer
Answer: b) Who is your teacher?
edit Your Mission
- My Questions: Write one question for each question word in the Word Bank. (e.g., "Who is the king of Cambodia?" "Where is my notebook?")
- Practice: Look at a picture in a book or on your phone. Ask three questions about it using "Who," "What," and "Where."
- Speak: Your mission is to ask a friend or family member three different questions today using question words from this lesson.
book Lesson Glossary
- Question (noun) - Khmer: សំណួរ - A sentence used to ask for information. ↩
- Who (pronoun) - Khmer: នរណា - Asks about a person. ↩
- What (pronoun) - Khmer: អ្វី - Asks about a thing or an action. ↩
- When (adverb) - Khmer: ពេលណា - Asks about a time. ↩
- Where (adverb) - Khmer: នៅឯណា - Asks about a place. ↩
- Why (adverb) - Khmer: ហេតុអ្វី - Asks for a reason. ↩
- How (adverb) - Khmer: យ៉ាងម៉េច - Asks about the way or manner something is. ↩