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Start learning or improve your skills in Burmese.
For all levels: beginner, intermediate and fluent!
Like both Mandarin and Thai, Burmese is a tonal language which means pronunciation affects meaning. Difference stresses on the same syllable can change the meaning of a word. Tones are designated with accent marks. A colon (:) denotes a longer, dropping tone. A full stop (.) denotes a shorter, dropping tone. An apostrophe (‘) is a glottal stop. When there is no accent mark, the tone is low and even.
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Basic conversation
- How are you? Nei kaun: dha la:
- I’m wel nei kaun: ba deh
- I’m not well: nei thei’ ma kaun: bu:
- Thank you: che:zu tin ba deh
- Thank you (less formal): che:zu: beh
- Do you understand? Na: leh la:
- I understand: na: leh ba deh
- I don’t understand: na: ma leh bu:
Note there are many ways of saying yes:
- Yes ho’ keh
- Yes (a male, politely) ho ‘keh.hka mya
- Yes (a male, answering) hka-mya
- Yes (a female, politely) ho ‘keh shin’
- Yes (a female, answering) hka-shin’
- Please repeat pan pyaw: bao un:
- Speak more clearly shin: shin; pyaw: ba
- What is it? ba legh:
- Goodbye: thwa: meh
Accommodation
- Can I see a room? A-kan chi. Ba ya zei
- A single room ta yau’ khan:
- A double room hna yau’. hkan:
Food
- Is there…? Shi. dha la:
- I’ll have… sa: meh
- I’ll drink… thau’ meh
- Beef curry a-meh: hin:
- Chicken curry cheh. Tha: hin:
- Pork curry weh. Tha: hin:
- Shrimp curry bazun hin:
- Curry with noodles kau’ hswe:
- Vegetables hin: dhi:
- Fruit thi’ thi:
- Tea leaf salad la peh. Thou
- Water yei
- Coffee ka pi
- Green tea la peh. Yei jan:
- Beer bi ya
Directions
- Where is the…? …beh hma leh:
- Train station mi: ya ta: buda yone
- Hotel ho the
- Bank ban
- Theatre yo’ shin yone
- Post office sa dai’
- Airplane lei yin byan
- Train mi: ya ta:
- The bus will leave at… bas. Ka: twe: me
- Trishaw hsai’ka
Health
- Doctor say a wun
- Hospital hsei: yone
- Pharmacy hse: zain
- Call the doctor sa ya qun ko pei: ba
- Dentist thwa: say a wun
Shopping
- How much is…? Be lau’ le:
- That’s too much. Zei: mya: deh
- Lower your price. Sho. Ba ohn:
- Okay kaun: ba bi
Numbers
- One ti’
- Two hni’
- Three thone:
- Four lei:
- Five nga:
- Six hchau’
- Seven hkun/hkun-ni’
- Eight hyi’
- Nine ko:
- Ten ta-hseh/hseh
- Eleven hseh.ti’
- Twelve hseh.hni’
- Thirteen hseh.thone:
- Fourteen hseh.lei
- Fifteen hseh.nga:
- Sixteen hseh.hcau’
- Seventeen hseh.hkum
- Eighteen hseh.hyi’
- Nineteen hseh.ko:
- Twenty hma-hseh
- Thirty thone:zeh
- Fourty lei:zeh
- Fifty nga:zeh
- Sixty hchau’ hseh
- Seventy hkun-na-hseh
- Eighty hyi’hseh
- Ninety ko:zeh
- One hundred ta-ya
- One thousand ta htaun
- Ten thousand ta thaun:
- Hundred thousand ta thein:
- One million ta than:
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