Question Words: Who, What, Where…

What you’ll learn

Choose a question word for the information you need and use the right question pattern.

ជ្រើសរើសពាក្យសំណួរសម្រាប់ព័ត៌មានដែលចង់ដឹង និងប្រើទម្រង់សំណួរត្រឹមត្រូវ។

Meaning and use

Question words introduce information questions. Who asks about people, where about place, when about time, and why about a reason. How can ask about manner or combine with words such as old, many, and much. With ordinary verbs, many questions use question word + do/does/did + subject + base verb. With be, move be before the subject. A subject question such as Who lives here? uses a different pattern: who itself is the subject, so do/does is not normally added.

ពាក្យសំណួរបង្ហាញព័ត៌មានដែលយើងចង់ដឹង។ Who សួរអំពីមនុស្ស where សួរទីកន្លែង when សួរពេលវេលា ហើយ why សួរមូលហេតុ។ ត្រូវមើលកិរិយាសព្ទក្នុងប្រយោគ ដើម្បីជ្រើសរើសទម្រង់សំណួរ។ បើ who ជាប្រធានស្រាប់ ជាទូទៅមិនបន្ថែម do ឬ does ទេ។

Grammar patterns

Pattern	Example or form
Person / thing / place / time / reason	who / what / where / when / why
Choice / possession	which / whose
Manner and related questions	how / how old / how many / how much
With an ordinary verb	Where do you live? What did she buy?
With be / a subject question	Where is Dara? Who lives here?

Examples

1. Where do you live?

   តើអ្នករស់នៅឯណា?

2. When does the class start?

   តើថ្នាក់រៀនចាប់ផ្តើមនៅពេលណា?

3. Whose bag is this?

   តើនេះជាកាបូបរបស់នរណា?

4. Who lives in this house?

   តើនរណារស់នៅក្នុងផ្ទះនេះ?

Everyday conversation

Dara: Where do you live?

Maly: In Phnom Penh.

Dara: How do you get to school?

Maly: I take the bus.

Common mistakes

Instead of	Use	Why
Where you live?	Where do you live?	In this ordinary present-simple question, include do before you.
Where does Dara is?	Where is Dara?	With be as the main verb, move is before the subject without does.

Practice

Try these questions before opening the answers. Write or say each answer.

សាកល្បងឆ្លើយសំណួរទាំងនេះជាមុនសិន មុននឹងបើកមើលចម្លើយ។ អ្នកអាចសរសេរ ឬនិយាយចម្លើយរបស់អ្នក។

1. Choose a word for place: ___ do you live?
2. Choose a word for reason: ___ are you late?
3. Complete: What ___ she buy yesterday?
4. Complete a subject question: Who ___ here? (live / lives)

Answers and explanations

Show answers / បង្ហាញចម្លើយ

1. Where

   Where asks about a place.

2. Why

   Why asks for a reason.

3. did

   A past-simple ordinary-verb question uses did.

4. lives

   In this basic subject question, who is treated as a singular subject.

Quick recap

• Choose the question word to match the information you want.
• Use do/does/did with many ordinary-verb information questions.
• Be questions and subject questions have different patterns.