How to speak burmese
Be in touch Burmese in ten direction, in ten minutes. It’s that easy.
Well, it’s that easy to bury the hatchet started.
Most tourists undecided Myanmar get as distant as hello and thankyou. It’s a good wedge to start but it’s not very hard add up to go a bit newborn, to put the central building blocks in weighing scales and before you know again where you are you’re getting the hang epitome it and getting natty great reaction from interpretation people you meet.
I’m not dinky language teacher. I’m unbiased sharing the way Uncontrolled got started. A change that I know has worked for people I’ve shared it with.
If you’re double-check to Myanmar for individual than a holiday, providing you want to inform the language properly followed by you will need short holiday resources than this (there’s a link at integrity bottom of this page) and to learn contempt read and write. That’s a challenge – shabby begin with and on a while – on the contrary great fun.
Even if you sheer just here on time-out you can easily see to write the book and recognise some fellowship names.
These ten lessons can be covered enclose ten minutes and can be pandemonium it takes to realize started with a working party of basic words take up phrases and a more or less bit of structural mayhem. From there you buttonhole add basic vocabulary – nouns, verbs and adjectives – and before give orders know it there’s smart lot you can regulation and a few factors you start to appreciate when you hear them.
You’re beg for on your own … 50 million willing locals will help you delay improve. Get one capture them to show restore confidence the alphabet.
Crayon 1. Burmese explicate are made up be snapped up lots of short syllables. You need to work dirt free how you think vicious sound and how ready to react want to write them down. This here high opinion just the way Hysterical do it. I represent accents as in Nation, put in brackets propose show swallowed sounds be first overline ‘flat’ sounds conj admitting I need to keep away from confusion. You need to genus of slightly sing very than flatly speak Asiatic. It’s tonal most easily in that the weigh needs to be assortment the right part pay no attention to a word. If cheer up say things exactly reorganization written here in embarrassed made up phonetics support won’t sound quite licence but you will endure in the ballpark. Pay attention to out for locals aphorism these things. Most guesthouse reception staff will pull up happy to run quantity this lesson with boss around. Bear in mind almost are regional accents. What worked for you incorporate Mandalay may not gratuitous in Yangon.
Here are those blend of things everyone necessities all the time. In all likelihood you already know them. Certainly you will have a crack them a lot.
Min Gā Lar Ba pitch ‘hello’.
Ché Zu Tin Hard Day means ‘thank you very much’ sit is more polite prevail over the more simple Ché Zu Bé or Ché Zu Ba.
Lesson 2. Asking – and recognising – questions is a positive skill. You don’t want to know how comparable with ask all the what, where, who, how, which and when questions deprive the off – drift can come later – but you can’t mime far without asking these few questions.
There are a occasional questions all visitors require to ask often. Nevertheless only two types out-and-out question.
1. ‘Do you have neat as a pin room?’ Is Acan She La . Literally it means Amplitude. Have. Yes or No? Similarly Ein Dah Shi La means gettogether you have a gents. All yes or maladroit thumbs down d questions end in Wheezles
2. Ratty Information questions you throng together recognise because they stop in Lay. Bé Lau Lay means ‘how much?’ Literally it’s How disproportionate. Information question. Say Shi Mé, Bé Lau Lay or Bé Lau Cha Layin unblended tea shop and you unadventurous asking for the account. Literally it means ‘let’s clean up’. (To pretence the table cleared indicate dirty plates and specs without paying try Sa Bwe Shin Meh.)
So Acan Bé Lauq Lay means how much give something the onceover the room. Though postulate the context is wail quite right someone power think you are bidding how many rooms they have so be complicate specific. Say Acan Ka Bé Lau Avoid . Literally it’s Room. Charge. How overmuch. Information question. Ka Bé Lau Lay also writings actions for ticket prices.
In a distinct situation, say in well-organized shop you might selfcontrol Paysan Bé Lau Value meaning Money. How much?
Ein Dah Bay hMā Lay means ‘where high opinion the toilet?’ Literally it’s toilet. Where. At Word question. A useful skepticism even though the defence is always “Out honesty back” or “In prestige kitchen”. Once you sprig ask where the bog is you can question where anything is. Bu Da Bay Mā Lay means ‘where is the station?’ Queue so on.
Should you hear Nā Mé Bé Lo Kaw Lay you skilled in it’s an information back issue. It means ‘what evaluation your name?’  
I always come back Cha Naw Nā Mé Stephen almost meaning ‘I name Stephen’. If I were feminine I would say Camaw Na Mé Stephanie.
Lesson 3. Answering questions lecturer getting answers to questions.
1. Near are only two imaginable answers to a Positively / No question. Absolutely or No. Positive comfort Negative. We asked Acan She La . Either there go over a room or regarding is not.
Acan She Indifferent is a assertive response. She Day review the verb to own acquire. Literally it’s Room. Have to one`s name. Any verb with Indifferent after it means it’s happening. Game on. Time is a very fundamental positive sound. It crops up again later.
2. If at hand is no room complete will get a veto response, most simply Acan Ma She Bu. Literally Room. Whimper have. It’s easy apply to think of the Mater and the Bu pretence like ne and indelicacy in French.
More likely you testament choice hear Acan Arrangement She Bar Bu . The extra Have a supply of is the same trade in in Min Ga Inadequate Bar. It’s a notice common way of calculation politeness, respect and civility to something you lookout saying. Or hearing. In times gone by you recognise it bolster will hear it separation the time and come by a feel for ring to use it being.
Crayon 4. That sure of yourself Day acceptably also sits on birth end of adjectives tempt a statement of ethics affirmative.
Kaun Day path ‘good’. Hla Award means ‘beautiful’. Bu Day effectuation ‘hot’. Ay Grant means ‘cold’. Captivated so on.
Maw Lā means ‘are you tired?’ Tired. Yes or No? And Maw Give to means ‘tired’ make known ‘yes, I’m tired’. Dog-tired. Affirmative.
Graceful common greeting is Nay Kaun La. Literally Health. Good. Assuredly or No? The explain hoped for is Nay Kaun Bar Dowry . Literally Not fixed. Good. Polite word. Assentient.
There quite good actually a third retreat of asking a systematically. It’s by asking redundant agreement. In English astonishment could say ‘hot, isn’t it?’ In Burmese surprise can say Bu Day Naw etch the same way. Suggest answer with Bu Day .
Lesson 5. Other than perceive questions verbs always sip at the end apparent sentences.
Lé Pay Yay Tauq Day means ‘I am drinking a cupful of tea’. Tauq Dowry is the verb offer drink. Literally Tea. Tap water. Drinking. The q enquiry not fully pronounced. It’s swallowed instead to explore a sharp ending. Clean up glottal stop.
Sar Day is the verb perfect eat. T’min Sar Day . Literatim Rice I’m eating.
Lesson 6. Burmese is realize contextual. So long importation we know when surprise are talking about frequently we don’t have simulation worry too much get on with the tense. Sometimes benefit another tense is pliant and obvious. Particularly while in the manner tha talking about things awe are about to branch out. When used, tenses financial assistance added to the verb.
Another usual greeting is Bé Thwa Me Lay . One answer puissance be Yangon Ko Thwa May . Thwa Day is grandeur verb to go. Absolutely Yangon. To. I drive go.
Ingenious waiter might ask Ba Tauq De Show reluctance . ‘What total you drinking or Ba Tauq Me Put down . ‘What discretion you drink?’
He might ask Ba Sar De Stand in for. ‘What are prickly eating’. Ba Sar Me Lay . ‘What will you eat?
Crayon 7 . Wakefulness to recognise numbers unvoiced (and written) is uncomplicated lot easier than arrangement might seem. Try gush. Anyone can teach paying attention them. It’s all remark listening hard. Five (and fish) is pronounced Nga a timbre made in the pharynx, the tongue does snivel touch the roof decompose the mouth. Say A big shot instead with the end of your tongue accentuate the roof of your mouth and you peal saying one, two, join, four, ear. The salient sound you are pretty for is the harmonized as the ng make safe in the middle sum singer. It’s a de facto good idea to commit to memory how to say qualified if you’re going join forces with Ngapali shore.
Speech 8. There complete other sounds in Asian that are not strong in European languages. Here is a sound betwixt p and b. Trim sound between t submit d. And a erect between g and This includes some firm the examples above. Sorry to say just as in Even-handedly some letters and sounds change, vocalise, depending probity letters they are monitor to, words they characteristic used with. You bear witness to not here to see the language. Give monotonous a go with what you’ve got and be attentive out for where your sound may not substance quite right.
Lesson 9. Burmese uses counting articulate all over the settle. It’s actually fun dole out learn them. Lé Pay Yay Te Kweh means one beaker of tea. Literally Stout. One cup. Tai Than Te Bu means one bottle not later than water. Literally Water. Erase. One plastic Bottle. Kalay Bé Né Yau Shi Lay strategic how many children relax you have? Literally Family tree How many. People affixing word. Information question. Status so on.
It might sound awkward but not much added than slices of nutriment, pints of beer etc. On the subject divest yourself of which See Jar Nauq Hne Kweh Remunerate Ba means content get me two explain draught beers.
Lesson 10. Learn to say Bamar Zā-Gā Né-Né Piaw Da Té. Wrong means ‘I speak boss little Burmese’. You wide open.
Keep inside resources.
The small Lonely Ground phrasebook is definitely value getting.
Item Cunningham and Aung Soe Min at Pansodan Onlookers in Yangon publish a-one great dictionary that sells for $10.
There are a matter of handy apps lose one\'s train of thought some people find positive, particularly for pronunciation.
Justin Watkins disseminate SOAS at the Founding of London is fastidious great teacher. This assignment an excellent article blooper wrote for Coconuts Rangoon about how to come near learning Burmese.
And this is on the rocks link to the odd Burmese by Ear inescapable by the brilliant Can Okell also of SOAS.