Koj

English: You

Kuv

English: I / Me

Hu

Call, to be called
Common verb used to give one’s name

Lub npe

Name
“Lub” is the noun classifier for general things

Nyob

Live, reside, stay
Versatile verb, used mostly for location, eg: ‘Koj nyob qhovtwg?’ or state of being, eg: ‘Koj nyob li cas?’

White Hmong: Qhov twg
Green Hmong: Hov twg

where
Question word.

White Hmong: Los
Green Hmong: Lug

Come, or
Used to mean ‘come’ when coming to a place you belong to, like coming back to your home. Can also mean ‘or.’

Tuaj

Come
Same meaning as ‘los’ but used when visiting a place you do not belong to. As in, when you are coming to visit somewhere a friend or relative.

Teb chaws

Country
e.g. “Teb chaws Asmeslivkas” (United States)

Os

Polite particle
This is used at the end of a phrase to make the phrase or sentence sound softer and more polite.

Ne

bounce-back question word
If someone asks you a question, you can answer it (or not) and bounce the same question right back at them by saying ‘Koj ne?’.

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2. Conversation

A: Nyob zoo os! Koj hu li cas?

Hello! What is your name?

B: Nyob zoo os! Kuv hu ua Pov. Hos koj ne?

Hello. My name is Pov, what about you?

A: Kuv hu ua David.

My name is David

B: Koj nyob qhov twg tuaj?

Where are you from?

A: Kuv nyob teb chaws As Kiv tuaj. Koj ne?

I’m from England. What about you?

B: Kuv nyob Minnesota tuaj.

I’m from Minnesota

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3. Grammar Lessons

A. Using “hu ua” for names

• “Kuv hu ua Npauj Nyiag” = My name is Npauj Nyiag.
• “hu ua” = to be called. You can use this phrase to introduce yourself or ask someone’s name.

B. Asking “where” with “qhov twg”

• “Koj nyob qhov twg tuaj?” = Where are you from?
• “Koj nyob qhov twg?” = Where do you live? / Where are you located?
• “qhov twg” means “where”, and it is placed after the verb.

C. Using “tuaj” and ‘los’ in location questions

• Hmong question or statements about location will often start with a word to describe where something started, then the subject or question word, then where it ended.
• For example, Kuv mus tsev kawm ntawv los means ‘I wen’t to school and came back,’ or ‘I’ve come from school (implying that you went and came back).’ In this case ‘mus’ is how it started, ‘tsev kawm ntawv’ is the subject or location, and ‘los’ means to come back.
• Asking someone where they are from is similar, however tuaj is placed before and after the question word: ‘Koj tuaj qhov twg tuaj.’ There is a subtle difference (and in the minds of some, no difference at all) between that and ‘Koj nyob qhov twg tuaj.’ The first example could be translated as, ‘Where are you coming from?’ and the second as, ‘Where are you from?’ (as in, where do you reside). However, for many the two phrases are interchangeable.