ព្រះប្រទានពរ
preah pro tean por
The English phrase "bless you" is translated into Khmer as ព្រះប្រទានពរ (preah pro tean por).
While this phrase can be said to someone who has sneezed, it is more commonly used as a formal religious blessing or a general way to wish someone well.
Meaning: said to somebody who has sneezed (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase ព្រះប្រទានពរ literally means "God grant blessing".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
ព្រះប្រទានពរ is a formal and highly respectful way to offer a blessing.
How do you pronounce it?
preah pro tean por
Did you know?
- While ព្រះប្រទានពរ is the formal translation, Cambodians rarely say anything at all when someone sneezes. It is much more common to remain silent than to offer a verbal blessing.
- In Cambodia, the act of blessing is often accompanied by the sampeah gesture, where the palms are pressed together. The height of the hands indicates the level of respect for the person being blessed.
- Khmer has different levels of language based on social hierarchy. The word ប្រទាន for 'grant' is a royal or religious term that would not be used when speaking to a peer about a common gift.
Example conversation
Sokha and Rotanak are sitting in a living room.
- រតនៈ Ratanakអាឳស!At-chos!*Sneezes*
- សុខា Sokhaព្រះប្រទានពរ រតនៈ!Preah pro-tean por Rotanak!Bless you, Rotanak!
- រតនៈ Ratanakអរគុណ សុខា។Or-kun Sokha.Thank you, Sokha.
- សុខា Sokhaមិនអីទេ!Min ey te!You're welcome!
