5 Tips For Making Lao Words Plural!

Scratching your head as to how to express plurality in Lao? In this guide, we’ll explore simple and effective ways of making Lao words plural. From some basic vocabulary to classifiers, we’ll help you grasp the unique ways Lao speakers handle indicating multiple objects and improve your understanding of this aspect of the Lao language.

For people trying to learn Lao, expressing plurality might seem tricky at first since it doesn’t have plural forms, unlike many languages. Instead of modifying words into their plural forms, Lao isn’t as specific and instead relies on context clues, repetition, and quantifying words to imply plurality. Seems daunting, but let’s dive right in!

How Do We Go About Making Lao Words Plural?

Let’s get an important point out of the way.

Pluralization in Lao doesn’t involve changing a noun’s form, but instead relies on context and specific markers. Lao speakers often assume plurality via context clues rather than explicitly marking each word as singular or plural. This quality can make learning Lao easier, but may also introduce some challenges due to the lack of specificity.

But how can we know when someone is talking about a noun in a singular or plural form? Read on to discover the different ways and examples of making Lao words plural!

Common Techniques For Indicating Plural Forms

There are two main ways, other than inferring plurality from context clues, to communicate that a Lao noun is plural. This includes simply using repetition, or using quantifying words.

1. Using Repetition

Repetition is the simplest way of communicating that there are multiples of a noun. You just repeat the noun twice; pretty straightforward! The way that repetition is communicated in writing is via the iteration marker ‘ໆ’, which comes after the syllable to indicate that it is repeated. This character is a part of the greater Lao script, but isn’t included in the base characters of the Lao alphabet.

Lao: khoy ok pailin kap phuan phuan (ຂ້ອຍອອກໄປຫຼິ້ນກັບເພື່ອນໆ)

English: I went out with my friends

Meaning: phuan (ເພື່ອນ) is a noun meaning ‘friend,’ and the character ໆ indicates repetition.

However, keep in mind that there are exceptions to this rule. Some nouns can sound awkward and irregular when repeated. There isn’t a specific guide to what nouns can be repeated, but generally repetition is only used to refer to nouns that are considered living beings. Below is an example using an inanimate object (note that this is grammatically incorrect!):

Lao: muni khoy kin larb larb (ມື້ນີ້ຂ້ອຍກິນລາບໆ)

English: I ate a lot of larb today.

Meaning: larb (ລາບ) is a type of Lao dish, and the character ໆ indicates repetition.

As delicious as Lao food can be, you unfortunately cannot repeat it to communicate that you’ve eaten a lot of it. For that, you must use a quantifier. See the next section!

2. Using Quantifying Words

When repetition doesn’t work, you can use a trusty quantifying word to communicate how much there is of something. Quantifiers go after the noun, in the order of ‘noun + quantifier.’ See the different quantifiers below and take your pick!

Let’s see this in action using an example:

Lao: khoy mi satliang lay (ຂ້ອຍມີສັດລ້ຽງຫຼາຍ)

English: I have many pets.

Meaning: satliang (ສັດລ້ຽງ) is a noun meaning ‘pet,’ and lay (ຫຼາຍ) is a quantifier meaning ‘many.’

Classifiers And Numbers

Noun classifiers in grammar are terms that indicate the group to which a noun belongs to or specify a quantity of a respective noun. Classifiers, or plural markers, in Lao, are used to communicate plurality when paired with a number or quantifier. According to Lao sentence structure, specifying words like classifiers and numbers go after the noun.

3. Common Classifiers

You can indicate that a noun is plural by using a classifier, or plural marker, paired with a number. These classifiers are only used with their specific noun type, such as living beings and inanimate objects. Take a look below at some of the most common classifiers you can find in the Lao language:

4. Numbers

In addition to classifiers, you can also use a number to specify how much of something there is. Simple! Take a look at some numbers in Lao below:

5. Pairing Them Together

Now, let’s put these together! The general rule to use noun classifiers is to put the number before the classifier, so the final order is noun + number + classifier. Let’s illustrate this with an example:

Lao: khoy mi ma ha to (ຂ້ອຍມີໝາຫ້າໂຕ)

English: I have five pet dogs.

Meaning: ma (ໝາ) is a noun meaning ‘dog,’ ha (ຫ້າ) is the number five, and to (ໂຕ) is the noun classifier for animals.

You can also use quantifiers in place of where you’d usually put a number, giving you a final order of noun + quantifier + classifier:

Lao: khoy mi ma lay to (ຂ້ອຍມີໝາຫຼາຍໂຕ)

English: I have many pet dogs.

Meaning: ma (ໝາ) is a noun meaning ‘dog,’ lay (ຫຼາຍ) is a quantifier meaning ‘many,’ and to (ໂຕ) is the noun classifier for animals.

How Do You Say ‘Plural’ In Lao?

The word for ‘plural’ in Lao is phahouphot (ພະຫຸພົດ). This isn’t a commonly used word in daily life, but is useful to know nonetheless!

Related Vocabulary To Making Lao Words Plural

Below, you can find the terms that we touched on in the sections above. For more related phrases and vocabulary, make sure you check out the Ling app for more practice with the Lao language!

Frequently Asked Questions About Lao

1. How Do You Make A Word Plural In Lao?

Changing a word to its plural form in Lao is as easy as using repetition, adding a quantifier, or pairing a classifier with either a number or quantifier. The plurality of a noun can also be inferred from context clues given by the speaker, or it can be assumed by the listener. For example, adding the quantifier lay (ຫຼາຍ) before a noun indicates that there are multiple items.

2. Is Lao Grammar Hard?

Lao grammar is generally much simpler when compared to other languages, especially due to the lack of word conjugations. However, Lao grammar may be challenging to grasp at first for speakers of English, French, or other Indo-European languages, but with practice, it’s quite approachable. On the other hand, speakers of languages like Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese, and other Asian languages may find Lao grammar to be relatively easy.

3. What Are Common Lao Classifiers?

Some commonly used classifiers in Lao include khon (ຄົນ), to (ໂຕ), ton (ຕົ້ນ), an (ອັນ), and khan (ຄັນ). These classifiers are used for people, animals, plants, objects, and vehicles, respectively. Classifiers in Lao are used to categorize nouns by their type and provide clarity when counting or describing them.

Let’s Sum Up

To sum it all up, there are three ways of making Lao words plural: Using repetition, using quantifying words, or pairing a classifier with a number. You can also use situational context clues to determine if a word is plural or not. If you’re unsure if a word is in its singular form or plural form, you can either assume or just ask the speaker.

It might take some time to fully understand how plurality works in the Lao language. Unlike other languages that do have plurality, nouns don’t have a definite plural or singular form in Lao. However, once you start to understand these differences and the rules we touched on above for making Lao words plural, incorporating them in your sentences is a walk in the park!