๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐ŸŒ

Lao Day One Phrases

Greet, thank, ask the price, get by. 12+ essential phrases with phonetic pronunciation and 7 full conversation flows for day one situations in Laos.

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Essential Day One Phrases in Lao

Sorted by usefulness. Phonetic pronunciation included.

เป†

(repetition)

intensifier

เบญเบฑเบ‡เบเบดเบ”

ahng-kit

English

เบšเบฒเบ™

bahn

house / care

เบšเบฒเบ

bye

at ease / comfortable

เบšเป

baw

question (are you well?)

เป„เบ”เป‰

dye

can / possible

เบฎเบฒเบ”

haht

complete

เปเบฎเบก

hem

hotel

เบซเบปเบง

hoo-ah

head

เบฎเบนเป‰

hoo

know

เบˆเป‰เบฒเบง

chow

yes (polite)

เบ„เบทเบ™

kun

night

...and 58 more day one phrases in the app.

Sample: Asking for help finding something

A real day one conversation in Lao -- both sides of the interaction.

You

เบ‚เปเป‚เบ—เบ”

koh toht

Excuse me

Them

chow mee nyang

The person stops and says yes

เบˆเป‰เบฒเบง, เบกเบตเบซเบเบฑเบ‡

chow mee nyang

Yes?

You

เบซเป‰เบญเบ‡เบ™เป‰เบณ เบขเบนเปˆเปƒเบช

hohng nahm yoo sai

Where is the bathroom?

Them

pie kawng lee-ao khwah

The person points the way

เป„เบ›เบเบปเบ‡, เบฅเป‰เบฝเบงเบ‚เบงเบฒ

pie kawng lee-ao khwah

Go straight, then turn right

You

เป„เบเบšเป

kai baw

Is it far?

Them

baw kai kai hah nah-tee

The person says no, very close, about 5 minutes

เบšเปเปˆเป„เบ, เปƒเบเป‰เบซเบฅเบฒเบ, เบซเป‰เบฒเบ™เบฒเบ—เบต

baw kai kai lie hah nah-tee

No, very close. About 5 minutes

7 day one conversations available in the app.

FAQ

What happens when they answer back at the day one in Laos?

That's the hard part -- and exactly what TalkThere prepares you for. Each of the 7 day one conversations shows you the full back-and-forth: what you say, what they'll likely respond, and how to keep going. You won't freeze when they answer in Lao.

Is this enough to get by at a day one in Laos?

Yes. These are the 12+ phrases that actually come up in real day one interactions -- not textbook phrases. Sorted by how often you'll need them, with pronunciation you can read at a glance.

Do I need to learn Lao script to use this?

No. Every Lao phrase has phonetic pronunciation written in plain English. You read it like English and say it out loud. The script is there for reference, but you don't need it.

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More Lao Phrases

Day One Phrases in Other Languages