ບົດຮຽນ ໓ · MODULE C
ຄຳບອກເວລາ
Time words, not tenses
ເນື້ອໃນທີ່ຂຽນຂຶ້ນ · Authored content
The dictionary holds no grammar data. This lesson is drafted to establish the layout; the Lao below carries its provenance, and everything marked composed awaits review by a Lao linguist before it ships.
Lao sets the temporal frame by stating when an event happened (ມື້ນີ້ = today, ມື້ວານນີ້ = yesterday, ມື້ອື່ນ = tomorrow), or by placing aspect particles (ແລ້ວ = already/completed, ກຳລັງ = currently in progress).
Once the time frame is established in conversation, you can drop time words altogether — the listener already knows.
ໂຄງສ້າງ · The three slots
ມື້ອື່ນ
mue uen
tomorrow
ເວລາ
subject
ຂ້ອຍ
khoi
I
ປະທານ
subject
ເຮັດວຽກ
het viak
work
ກິລິຍາ
verb
Time adverbs comfortably precede the subject or conclude the clause.POS reference →
ການປ່ຽນຮູບ · One sentence, four jobs
Only the highlighted token moves or appears. The three original words never change — no conjugation, no agreement, no tense on the verb.
ມື້ນີ້
present / today
ມື້ນີ້ ຂ້ອຍ ເຮັດວຽກ
mue ni khoi het viak — Today I work
ສຳເລັດແລ້ວ
completed action
ຂ້ອຍ ເຮັດວຽກ ແລ້ວ
khoi het viak laeo — I finished working already
ກຳລັງເຮັດ
in progress
ຂ້ອຍ ກຳລັງ ເຮັດວຽກ
khoi kamlang het viak — I am currently working
Back to LearnNext — ບົດຮຽນ ໔ · The future marker