Omitting Relative Pronouns and Using Prepositions

What you’ll learn

Recognize when an object relative can be shortened.

ស្គាល់ពេលអាចលុប relative pronoun និងទីតាំងធ្នាក់។

Meaning and use

In a defining clause, an object relative pronoun can often be omitted. A subject relative pronoun cannot normally be omitted this way. Prepositions often stay at the end in ordinary conversation. A formal alternative puts the preposition before whom or which; do not omit that pronoun.

ក្នុង defining clause អាចលុប relative pronoun បើវាជាកម្មបទ។ បើវាជាប្រធាន មិនអាចលុបបែបនេះទេ។ ធ្នាក់អាចនៅចុងឃ្លា ឬមុខ whom/which ក្នុងភាសាផ្លូវការ។

Grammar patterns

Pattern	Example or form
Object relative	the book (that) I read
Preposition position	the person I spoke to / the person to whom I spoke

Examples

1. The film I watched was interesting.

   ភាពយន្តដែលខ្ញុំបានមើលគួរឱ្យចាប់អារម្មណ៍។

2. The man who helped me is outside.

   បុរសដែលបានជួយខ្ញុំនៅខាងក្រៅ។

3. This is the chair I sat on.

   នេះជាកៅអីដែលខ្ញុំបានអង្គុយ។

4. The colleague to whom I wrote replied.

   មិត្តរួមការងារដែលខ្ញុំបានសរសេរទៅបានឆ្លើយតប។

Everyday conversation

Dara: Who is the person you were speaking to?

Maly: That is the teacher who helped me apply.

Common mistakes

Instead of	Use	Why
The woman helped me is here. (intended: relative clause)	The woman who helped me is here.	A subject relative word cannot be omitted in this structure.
The person to I wrote replied.	The person to whom I wrote replied.	A fronted preposition requires whom or which, as appropriate.

Practice

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

សាកល្បងឆ្លើយសំណួរទាំងនេះជាមុនសិន មុននឹងបើកមើលចម្លើយ។ អ្នកអាចសរសេរ ឬនិយាយចម្លើយរបស់អ្នក។

1. Can you omit that in The book that I bought is useful?
2. Can you omit who in The student who called is absent?
3. Make formal: The subject we talked about was complex.

Answers and explanations

Show answers / បង្ហាញចម្លើយ

1. Yes: The book I bought is useful.

   That is the object of bought.

2. No.

   Who is the subject of called.

3. The subject about which we talked was complex.

   Move about before which and keep the relative pronoun.

Quick recap

• Object relative: the book (that) I read
• Preposition position: the person I spoke to / the person to whom I spoke