Vocabulary, conventional expressions and respectful usage
Learn Tibetan vocabulary as complete written forms in meaningful combinations. ཆུ denotes water, while མེ denotes fire. A familiar word can have more than one conventional sense: ཉི་མ can refer to the sun or a day, and ཟླ་བ can refer to the moon or a month. The surrounding phrase decides which interpretation is suitable. A dictionary is useful for checking spelling, register and attested senses; guessing a poetic synonym from a vaguely similar sound is unreliable.
Noun modifiers and numbers commonly follow the noun. In དེབ་གཉིས, the numeral counts two books; in དེབ་དམར་པོ, the adjective describes a red book. A plural or collective marker can make a group explicit, but Tibetan does not mechanically require an English-style plural ending on every plural noun.
Respectful language involves referent, relationship and situation. ཕྱག་དེབ is a respectful counterpart of an ordinary word for book, and རྒན་ལགས can respectfully address a teacher. Honorific vocabulary should not simply be attached to everything about oneself. Equally, respectful speech is not a licence to obscure a clear request. Practice ordinary and respectful alternatives in actual exchanges, and check a competent speaker's judgment when a dialect or social situation requires finer distinctions.