ກຳລັງ

[gum-lung]

power, force Noun

indicates continuous or progressive action Auxiliary Verb

ພວກ ເດັກ ນ້ອຍ ກຳ ລັງ ກິນ ໝາກ ກ້ວຍ*
[puak dek noi gum lung gin mahk guay]
The kids are eating bananas.

* Note — Lao sentences and phrases are not typically spaced out by syllables. But, this is helpful for recognizing where syllables start and end.

Tone Breakdown

ກຳ [gum] — this syllable has a middle-class consonant and a special vowel. As a result, this produces a high tone.

ລັງ [lung] — this syllable has a low-class consonant, a short vowel, and a sonorant final consonant. As a result, this produces a high tone.