Seasons រដូវ

As students in the United States we learn there are 4 seasons in a year, BUT that isn’t true for different parts of the world. Cambodia lies very close to the equator and has a tropical climate, which means there are mainly 2 seasons: wet and dry. Other places that experience 2 main seasons also lie near the equator and have tropical climate. They include parts of Mexico, Columbia, Nigeria, and Sri Lanka.

Cambodia's two primary seasons are: wet and dry. The term season in khmer is រដូវ (ro-dow). The wet season is called រដូវវស្សា (ro-dow vosa) or រដូវភ្លៀង (ro-dow pleang). The wet season is from May to October. The dry season is called រដូវប្រាំង (ro-dow prang) and is from November to April. While Cambodia is warm all year round, there are cooler months during the dry season.

Another way Khmer people describe the seasons is by using the word month ខែ (khae) + temperature/weather. For example: រដូវភ្លៀង (ro-dow) pleang and ខែភ្លៀង (khae pleang) can both mean rainy period. These can be use interchangeably in conversation.

See video below for pronunciation.

When you move farther away from the equator, you will experience more changes in the season. These changes are the four seasons that we know: spring, summer, fall and winter. Watch the following video hear them in Khmer.

1. Spring =និទាឃរដូវ (ni-theak rodow); រដូវផ្ការីក (ro-dow phkaa riik) = season of flower growth

2. Summer = រដូវក្តៅ (ro-dow kdauw) = hot season

3. Fall =សរទរដូវ (sa -rot ro-dow); រដូវស្លឹកឈើជ្រុះ (ro-dow slaeuk chheu chrouh) = season of fallling leaves

4. Winter =សិសិរដូវ (se-se rodow); រដូវរងា (ro-dow ro-gnia) = cold season

Listening comphrension