Ability and Success with Post-verbal 'បាន'

01

'Manage To / Be Able To'

The verb comes first, then បាន (baan) comments that the action is achievable or was achieved.

• ខ្ញុំនិយាយបាន

  khñom niyiəy baankhnom niyiey baan

  I can speak (it) / I manage to speak.

• គាត់ធ្វើបាន

  kŏət thvəə baankoet thvee baan

  He can do it.

02

Adding a Manner Word: Verb + បាន + Adjective/Adverb

The same post-verbal បាន (baan) is also common right before an adjective or adverb of manner or degree — not just THAT the action was possible, but HOW WELL or how much.

• អ្នកនិយាយបានល្អ

  nĕək niyiəy baan lʼɑɑneek niyiey baan laa

  You speak well.

• ខ្ញុំរកប្រាក់បានច្រើន

  khñom rɔɔk prak baan craənkhnom rook prak baan craen

  I earn a lot of money.

03

The Request Frame 'អាច … បាន … ទេ'

It very commonly pairs with the modal អាច (ʼaacaac) to ask a polite "are you able to …?" — អាច (ʼaacaac) opens and បាន (baan) closes, with the question ទេ (tei) at the end. This frame is everywhere in requests.

• តើអ្នកអាចជួយបានទេ

  taə nĕək ʼaac cuəy baan teitae neek aac cuey baan tei

  Can you help?

• តើអ្នកអាចមកបានទេ

  taə nĕək ʼaac mɔɔk baan teitae neek aac mook baan tei

  Are you able to come?

04

Three Lives of One Word

It is worth fixing the contrast clearly. BEFORE the verb, បាន (baan) means "past"; AFTER the verb, it means "can / managed to"; standing as a main verb, it means "to get / obtain". Position does the disambiguating.

• ខ្ញុំបានទៅ

  khñom baan tɨwkhnom baan tuw

  I went. (past, before the verb)

• ខ្ញុំទៅបាន

  khñom tɨw baankhnom tuw baan

  I can go. (ability, after the verb)

• ខ្ញុំបានឡានថ្មី

  khñom baan laan thməykhnom baan laan thmey

  I get a new car. (main verb — to get / obtain)

05

Negating It

The pattern learners run into most often in real sentences does not put មិន (mɨnmun) next to the main verb at all — it wraps មិន (mɨnmun) … ទេ (tei) around the MODAL អាច (ʼaacaac) instead: មិន (mɨnmun) + អាច (ʼaacaac) + verb + បាន (baan) + ទេ (tei). The ability បាន (baan) still comes right after the verb — only មិន (mɨnmun) moves, landing in front of អាច (ʼaacaac) instead of in front of the verb.

• ខ្ញុំមិនអាចទិញឡានបានទេ

  khñom mɨn ʼaac tɨñ laan baan teikhnom mun aac tun laan baan tei

  I can't buy a car.

• ខ្ញុំមិនអាចរៀនបានទេ

  khñom mɨn ʼaac riən baan teikhnom mun aac rien baan tei

  I can't study.

• គ្មានអ្វីដែលវាមិនអាចធ្វើបានទេ

  kmiən ʼvəy dael viə mɨn ʼaac thvəə baan teikmien vey dael vie mun aac thvee baan tei

  There's nothing it can't do.

When a sentence has no អាច (ʼaacaac) to begin with, មិន (mɨnmun) can instead sit right after the verb itself: verb + មិន (mɨnmun) + បាន (baan) + ទេ (tei).

• ខ្ញុំទៅមិនបានទេ

  khñom tɨw mɨn baan teikhnom tuw mun baan tei

  I can't go.