Lao is generally asubject–verb–object language, but emphasis can move the object to the beginning of a sentence. The language lacks both agreement and case marking, but word order is very free, with predicate-argument relations determined largely through context. Lao is aright-branching language, much like otherSoutheast Asian languages and, to a lesser extent,Romance languages.

Since Lao culture is stratified based on the age, occupation, wealth or clout of the speaker, one must afford differing amounts of respect based on the discrepancy between one person and another. That affects language as well; to make language more polite, more formal language, including of pronouns (which can otherwise be dropped) and more formal versions of them, and sentence-ending particles can be used. Also, ending particles also serve to soften and make one's speech more polite.

• ແດ່ (dé/dɛ̄ː/)

In addition to ending most general statements and the softening of imperatives and requests, it is also used to intensify the meaning (especially of adjectives and adverbs) more politely, to make the use of demonstrative pronouns more polite, or to indicate a certain amount or some extent of something.

• ເດີ (deu/dɤ̀ː/) or ເດີ້ (deu/dɤ̂ː/) or ເດ (dè/de/dèː/)

They are used as a more intensive version of ແດ່, thus giving requests and demands more urgency and are used for statements that tend to be more emphatic. They are, therefore, not as polite. ເດ also has the sense ofand what about or to indicate an equivalent tothis as a demonstrative pronoun.

Nouns are not marked forplurality,gender, ordeclension but may be single or plural. Unlike in English, nouns are not marked with articles.Measure words or classifiers (ລັກສະໜະນາມ,laksana naam/làk.sáʔ.náʔnáːm/) are often used to express plurals, asclassifiers must be used to count objects, but the noun itself remains unchanged.

Verbs of physical action are easily converted into nouns by adding ການ (kan/kàːn/) before the verb. Abstract actions and adjectives use ຄວາມ (khwam/kʰúam/) instead.

Pronouns (ສັບພະນາມ,sapphanam[sáp.pʰā.náːm]) are often dropped in informal contexts and replaced with nicknames or kinship terms, depending on the relation of the speaker spoken to (sometimes even spoken about). Pronouns can change based on register of speech, including the obsolete royal and the formal, informal and vulgar. In more formal language, pronouns are more often retained and more formal ones used. Pronouns can be pluralized by adding ພວກ (phuak[pʰûak]) in front: ພວກເຈົ້າ ([pʰûaktɕâw]) for "you plural". Age and status determine usage. Younger children's names are often prefixed with ບັກ (bak[bāk]) and ອີ (i[ʔìː]), respectively. Slightly older children are addressed to or have their names prefixed with ອ້າຍ (ai[ʔâːj]) and ເອື້ອຍ (èw-ai[ʔɯâj]), respectively, but ພີ່ (phi[pʰīː]) is also common. Much older people may be politely dressed as aunt, uncle, mother, father, or even grandmother or grandfather, depending on their age. In a company setting, one's title is often used.

Laoverbs (ກະລິຍາ,karigna[kā.līɲáː]) are not conjugated fortense,mood, orperson. Tense is indicated by using time reference words, such asyesterday,next year,just now or by certain particles. Nouns that begin with ການ (kan[kàːn]) or ຄວາມ (khwam[kʰúam]), often nominalised verbs, become verbs again when those particles are dropped.

Lao has two forms of the verbto be, ເປັນ (pèn[pèn]) and ແມ່ນ (maen[mɛ̄n]) which are somewhat interchangeable. As a general rule, the latter is not used to describe people.

In a general, in a short Lao sentence, the verb is often not marked for tense and can be taken from context, with words such asyesterday,tomorrow,later, etc. If the subject of when the events occurred is already known, they can also be left out and inferred from dialogue. However, there are several ways to mark tense in Lao:

The most common way to indicate a completed action is to end a statement with ແລ້ວ (lèw[lɛ̂ːw]). That can also be used to indicate events that occurred in the recent past. One can also use the particle ໄດ້ (dai[dâj]) preceding the verb, alone or in conjunction with ແລ້ວ, although this is less common and often used in negative statements and never for a continuous action.

There are two markers used to indicate actions to be completed in the future, ຊິ (si[sī]) and ຈະ (cha[t͡ɕáʔ]). Both of these always precede the verb. To indicate that something is just about to happen, one can say ກຳລັງຈະ (kamlang cha[kàm.láŋt͡ɕáʔ]).

Although no particle is generally needed to mark apresent progressive statement, Lao uses three, ພວມ (phuam[pʰuám]) and ກຳລັງ (kamlang[kàm.láŋ]) before the verb, ຢູ່ (yu[jūː]) after it.

Modal orauxiliary verbs (ວິກະຕິກະລິຍາ, vikatikaligna) are verbs that serve auxiliary function, such as want, obligation or need like Englishought to,should,must,can, etc.

ຄວນ (khouan[kʰuán])Should, ought to

ຕ້ອງ (tong[tɔ̂ŋ])to need, must.
When the need is a noun, ຕ້ອງການ (tong kan[tɔ̂ŋkàːn]) is used instead.

ຢາກ,yak[jȁːk],to want, to desire
Used to express a want or desire. When this is a noun, then the form ຢາກໄດ້ (yak dai[jȁːkdâj]) or the common verb ເອົາ (ao[àw]) is used instead, but the latter is not as polite.

ໄດ້ (dai[dâj])to get, to have, to be able to
That is used to indicate the ability to do something. It is the closest Lao word for the English verbcan and in requests when English speakers would usemay. When used in that sense, it follows the verb; before the verb, the meaning changes toto get orto have.

ເປັນ (pèn[pèn])to be, to be able to
In addition to being a verb for the copula, it can also be used to indicate that one can do something because of knowing how to do it.

ສາມາດ...ໄດ້ (samat...dai[sǎːmâːt...dâj])to be able to, to be possible
It functions much likecan but with the sense of being physically possible to do.

ເຂົ້າ,khao[kʰȁw],to enter, to join, to participate
Used to indicate movement from one place to another inside, such as a house or building.

ໃຫ້,hai[hȁj]to give, to permit, to let
Used to indicate that the verb is intended for someone or something else or to express a desire, a wish, or a command.

To sayno is as simple as saying ບໍ່ (bo[bɔ̄ː]), and negation simply involves placing that word in front of the verb, adjective, adverb, or noun to be negated. To say yes, especially to indicate that one is listening, one uses ໂດຍ (doi[dòːj]), especially in formal situations, or ເຈົ້າ (chao[t͡ɕâw]). To answer a question, one often repeats the verb of action that was used in the question to indicate that that action was or will be completed. One can also use ແມ່ນ (mén[mɛ̄n]), especially if the question had ແມ່ນ, as an element of the interrogative particle.

Little distinction can be made between adjectives and adverbs, as any adjective that could logically be used to modify a verb can also be used as an adverb. They are often duplicated to indicate a superlative and can even be modified like verbs, mainly by the lack of acopula to link the object and adjective/adverb. Adjectives come after the noun.

To indicate that something is the same, one uses ຄືກັນ (khu kan[kʰɯ́ːkàn]). To indicate that one is similar to something else, one uses ຄືກັບ (khu kap[kʰɯ́ːkáp]).

Comparatives take the form "A ກວ່າ (kwa[kuā]) B", or Ais more than B. The superlative is expressed by "A ທີ່ສຸດ (thisut[tʰīːsút])", or Ais the best. All adjectives can be altered in this way:

Lao uses special tag words at the beginning or the end of the sentence to indicate a question, so the modern use of the question mark (?) is redundant.

Yes–no questions end in ບໍ່ (bo[bɔ̄ː]), but Lao also has other sentence interrogative finals that indicate whether or not the speaker expects an answer, knows the answer to be expected, will be surprised, or is rhetorically asking a question, but they are generally used only in conversational settings.

Other common interrogatives
Who? ຜູ້ໃດ (phoudai[pʰȕːdàj]) and its common short form ໃຜ (phai[pʰǎj])

What? ຈັ່ງໃດ (changdai[t͡ɕāŋ.dàj]) and its common short form ຫຽັງ (gnang[ɲǎŋ])

Where? ໃສ (sai[săj])

When? ເມື່ອໃດ (mua dai[mɯ̄adàj]), and many others.
There are numerous ways to ask when something will occur, many of which are formed by adding ໃດ (dai/dàj/)which after a noun marking time, e.g., ເວລາໃດ (vela dai[wéːláːdàj]), ຍາມໃດ (gnam dai[ɲáːmdàj]), and ປານໃດ (pan dai[pàːndài]).

Why? ເປັນຈັ່ງໃດ (pen changdai[pènt͡ɕāŋ.dàj])
The phrase by itself can also meanWhat's wrong?, but can also ask why or for what reason a condition is occurring.

How?
ແນວໃດ (nèw dai[nɛ́ːwdàj])
There are numerous ways to askhow?, some interchangeable with Lao equivalents forwhat? andwhy? but in the sense of how something is accomplished or done, one can also use ເຊັ່ນໃດ (sen dai[sēn.dàj]), ຢ່າງໃດ (yang dai[jāːŋdàj]) or ດັ່ງໃດ (dang dai[dāŋ.dàj]).

How Much/Many? (General Things) ຈັກ (chak[t͡ɕák])

How Much? (Price) ເທົ່າໃດ (thao dai[tʰāwdàj]) or its variant ທໍ່ໃດ (tho dai[tʰɔ̄ːdàj])

Right? Correct? ແມ່ນບໍ່ (mèn bo[mɛ̄nbɔ̄ː])

Already? Yet? ແລ້ວບໍ່ (lèw bo/lɛ̂ːwbɔ̄ː/)

Or not? ຫຼືບໍ່ (lu bo/lɯ̀bɔ̄ː/)

Eh? ຫຼື (lu/lɯ̀/)
This is a rather informal interrogative particle equivalent to Englisheh? orhmm? orhuh?.

Answers to questions usually just involve repetition of the verb and any nouns for clarification.

• Question: ສະບາຍດີບໍ່ (sabai di bo[sā.bàːjdìːbɔ̄ː])Are you well?
• Response: ສະບາຍດີ (sabai di[sā.bàːjdìː])I am well or ບໍ່ສະບາຍ (bo sabai[bɔ̄ːsā.bàːj])I am not well.

Words asked with a negative can be confusing and should be avoided. The response, even without the negation, will still be negated by the nature of the question.

• ບໍ່ສະບາຍບໍ່ (bo sabai di bo/bɔːsa.bajdiːbɔː/)Are you not well?
• Response: ບໍ່ສະບາຍ (bo sabai di/bɔːsa.bajdiː/)I am well.

Classifiers (ລັກສະນະນາມ,laksananam/lāksā.nāʔ.náːm/) are used for when referring to a number of things, either a group or a finite amount. Classifiers can be used in place of the counted noun when context makes it sufficient. There are many classifiers, which is daunting, and it is better to double the noun or the more common ones such as ທີ່ (thi/tʰīː/) or ໂຕ (to/toː/). For single items, the classifier comes before the number; for more, the classifier comes after it.

The classifiers can sometimes be used in place of the nouns they group in context.

To indicate that object X belongs to object Y, Lao uses the constructionX ຂອງ Y. ຂອງ (khong/kʰɔ̌ːŋ/) can also be omitted without changing the meaning.

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