Lesson 3: Animals
Creatures Big and Small
From the cats and dogs in our homes to the fish in the Tonlé Sap lake and the monkeys at the temples, animals1 are all around us! This lesson will teach you the English names for some common and important animals.
Pets & Farm Animals
| 🐕 Dog2 | (dog) | ឆ្កែ | A common pet known for being friendly. Example: "My neighbor has a small, white dog." |
| 🐈 Cat3 | (kat) | ឆ្មា | A small pet animal that often sleeps a lot. Example: "The cat is sleeping on the chair." |
| 🐄 Cow4 | (kow) | គោ | A large farm animal that gives milk. Example: "I see a cow in the rice field." |
| 🐖 Pig5 | (pig) | ជ្រូក | A farm animal with a flat nose. Example: "The pig is big and pink." |
Wild & Other Animals
| 🐒 Monkey6 | (mun-kee) | ស្វា | An animal that lives in trees and likes bananas. Example: "You can see a monkey at Angkor Wat." |
| 🐘 Elephant7 | (el-e-fant) | ដំរី | A very big, grey animal with a long trunk. Example: "The elephant is a symbol of strength." |
| 🐦 Bird8 | (berd) | បក្សី | An animal with feathers and wings that can fly. Example: "I hear a bird singing in the morning." |
Usage Note: Animal Sounds
Different animals make different sounds. We use special verbs for these sounds.
- Dogs bark. (woof, woof)
- Cats meow. (meow)
- Cows moo. (moo)
- Birds sing or chirp. (tweet, tweet)
In the Countryside
Bora and Srey are on a drive near Siem Reap.
Srey: Look over there, Bora! I see a big cow in that field.
Bora: Yes, and I can hear a dog barking. Woof woof!
Srey: Do you like dogs?
Bora: I do. My grandmother has a small, brown cat. It likes to sleep all day.
Srey: Yesterday at the temple, I saw a monkey! It was trying to steal a banana.
Bora: You have to be careful with the monkeys! Did you see any other animals?
Srey: I saw a beautiful bird in a tree. It was singing a nice song.
quiz Check Your Understanding
1. Which animal lives in trees and likes bananas?
- a) Pig
- b) Monkey
- c) Cow
Click to see the answer
Answer: b) Monkey
2. What sound does a dog make?
- a) It meows.
- b) It moos.
- c) It barks.
Click to see the answer
Answer: c) It barks.
3. Which very large animal is a symbol of strength in Cambodia?
- a) Elephant
- b) Cat
- c) Bird
Click to see the answer
Answer: a) Elephant
edit Your Mission
- My Favorite Animal: What is your favorite animal? Write one sentence about it. (e.g., "My favorite animal is the cat because it is cute.")
- Practice Sounds: Practice making the animal sounds from the Usage Note. Can you bark like a dog? Can you meow like a cat?
- Speak: Your mission is to ask a friend, "What is your favorite animal?". Try to understand their answer.
book Lesson Glossary
- Animal (noun) - Khmer: សត្វ (sat) - A living creature that is not a human or a plant. ↩
- Dog (noun) - Khmer: ឆ្កែ - A common pet animal. ↩
- Cat (noun) - Khmer: ឆ្មា - A small pet animal. ↩
- Cow (noun) - Khmer: គោ - A large farm animal. ↩
- Pig (noun) - Khmer: ជ្រូក - A farm animal. ↩
- Monkey (noun) - Khmer: ស្វា - An animal that lives in trees. ↩
- Elephant (noun) - Khmer: ដំរី - A very big, grey animal with a long trunk. ↩
- Bird (noun) - Khmer: បក្សី - An animal with feathers and wings. ↩