Lesson 6: Money & Personal Finance
Thematic & Topical Vocabulary (B1)
Managing your money1 is a crucial life skill. Personal finance2 is about how you earn, spend, and save. This lesson will teach you the fundamental vocabulary to talk about your money with confidence.
Core Concepts
| 💰 Budget3 | ថវិកា | A plan for how you will spend your money over a period of time. Example: "I need to make a monthly budget." |
| 💵 to Earn4 | រកបាន | To get money by working. Example: "I earn money from my job." |
| 💸 to Spend5 | ចំណាយ | To use money to buy goods or services. Example: "I try not to spend too much on coffee." |
| 🏦 to Save6 | សន្សំ | To keep money for use in the future. Example: "She wants to save money for a new phone." |
| 🏷️ Cost7 | តម្លៃ | The amount of money needed to buy something. Example: "The cost of living is high in the city." |
| 💎 Expensive8 | ថ្លៃ | Costing a lot of money. Example: "That watch is too expensive for me." |
| 👍 Cheap9 | ថោក | Costing little money. Example: "The street food here is delicious and cheap." |
Usage Note: 'Lend' vs. 'Borrow'
These two verbs are opposites and often confuse learners.
- Lend: To give something to someone for a short time, expecting to get it back. (I ➞ you)
Example: "Can you lend me $5?" - Borrow: To take something from someone for a short time, intending to return it. (I ⬅ you)
Example: "Can I borrow your pen?"
In Conversation
Srey and Bora are discussing their personal finances for the month.
Srey: I need to make a new budget. I think I spend too much money on clothes.
Bora: I know what you mean. It's hard to save money when everything is so expensive.
Srey: Exactly! How much do you earn at your new job?
Bora: Enough to live comfortably, but I still look for cheap food stalls to save money. The cost of rent is my biggest expense.
Srey: That's smart. Maybe you can teach me how to manage my finance better!
quiz Check Your Understanding
1. A plan for how to use your money is called a ______.
- a) cost
- b) budget
- c) salary
Click to see the answer
Answer: b) budget
2. If a new phone costs very little money, it is ______.
- a) expensive
- b) cheap
- c) valuable
Click to see the answer
Answer: b) cheap
3. You get money from your job. What is the verb for this?
- a) to spend
- b) to save
- c) to earn
Click to see the answer
Answer: c) to earn
edit Your Mission
- My Budget: Make a simple list of things you spend money on every week. (e.g., food, coffee, transportation).
- Saving Goal: Write one sentence about something you want to save money for. (e.g., "I want to save money for a new motorbike.")
- Speak: Your mission is to ask a friend, "What is something expensive you would like to buy?"
book Lesson Glossary
- Money (noun) - Khmer: លុយ - The coins or paper notes used to buy things. ↩
- Finance (noun) - Khmer: ហិរញ្ញវត្ថុ - The management of money. ↩
- Budget (noun) - Khmer: ថវិកា - A plan for how to spend your money. ↩
- to Earn (verb) - Khmer: រកបាន - To get money by working. ↩
- to Spend (verb) - Khmer: ចំណាយ - To use money to buy things. ↩
- to Save (verb) - Khmer: សន្សំ - To keep money for the future. ↩
- Cost (noun) - Khmer: តម្លៃ - The amount of money you need to buy something. ↩
- Expensive (adjective) - Khmer: ថ្លៃ - Costing a lot of money. ↩
- Cheap (adjective) - Khmer: ថោក - Costing little money. ↩