Top 25 mistakes for Thai learners by Joseph

Arxhoek

Top 25 common mistakes Thai Learners

make (***for teachers a student version
will include different explanations and can
be merged and cross-referenced with the
LEP Grammar Guide)
1) Omission of verb to be with adjectives.
Example: *I very happy. => I am very happy.
Example:* I dont sure. => I am not sure.
Example: *She angries me. => She is angry with me.
Explanation: L1 interference - The Thai language does not have the equivalent of
verb to be. The three examples above show that, instead, Thai learners of English
either omit the verb completely, replace with verb to do or somehow try to adapt the
adjective into a non-existent noun.
Grammar guide
2) Unfamiliarity with there is/there are structure / Overuse of have
Example: *Have a big traffic jam today. => There is/was a big traffic jam today.
Example: *In Bangkok have many malls. => There are many malls in Bangkok. /
Bangkok has many malls
Explanation: L1 interference: in Thai the word mii () would be used in the above
examples.
3) Confusion between present simple and present continuous tenses.
Example: *I am go to school. => I go to school. / I am going to school.
Example: *I am study at Stamford. => I study at Stamford. / I am studying at
Stamford.
Explanation: Thai students have to be explicitly taught that the present simple tense
is used for habits/general truths, while the present continuous is used for actions that are
going on right now. This distinction is not present in Thai grammar.

Top 25 mistakes for Thai learners by Joseph

Arxhoek
4) Omission of auxiliary do in questions.
Example: *Where you come from? => Where do you come from? / Where are you
from?
Example: *What time you go home> => What time do you come home?
5) Omission of auxiliary do in negative sentences.
Example: *No have pen.=> I dont have a pen.
Example: *No have. => I dont have it.
6) Omission of third person singular s
Example: *He have the book. => He has the book.
Example: *She do her homework. => She does her homework.
Example: *It work well. => It works well.
Explanation: Although the third person s does not usually interfere with
comprehension as much as the plural s could, it is a mistake that is usually immediately
obvious to English speakers. Thai learners
should be made aware of this, but teachers
should understand this is mistake that is very hard to
eradicate.
7) Omission of plural s / plurals in general.
Example: *Bangkok have many mall. =>
many malls in Bangkok.

Bangkok has many malls. / There are

Example: *I like dog. => I like dogs.

Explanation: The Thai language does not have plurals; they use numbers or
adjectives such as many to
express them instead. In English, plural nouns are also
used to talk about things in general, such as in the second example. When an English
speaker says that they like dogs, it means dogs in general, not a specific dog. This second
example is much more difficult for Thai learners to understand than the first example,
thus teachers should point this out to their students.
8) Omission of articles.
Example: I like to go to cinema to watch movie. => I like to go to the cinema to
watch a movie.
Explanation: There are no articles in Thai, so Thai students struggle to understand
the difference between a, the and zero article. This is something that is apparent
from the lowest level to the very highest
level.

Top 25 mistakes for Thai learners by Joseph

Arxhoek
9) Confusion between countable and uncountable nouns
Example: *The teacher gave me good advices. => The teacher gave me some good
advice / a good
suggestion.
Example: *Next, add the garlics. => Next, add the garlic. / Next, add two cloves of
garlic.
10) Using the present where the past tense is required.
Example: *Yesterday I go to the mall. => Yesterday I went to the mall.
11) Overuse of already
Example:* I go to Phuket already. => Ive been to Phuket. / I went to Phuket.
Example: *He die already. => Hes dead. / He died.
12) Confusion between ed/-ing adjectives.
Example: *I am very interesting in English. => Im very interested in English.
Example: *I boring last night. => I was bored last night.
13) Use of the verb play
Example: *I play internet / computer / Facebook / Line. => I use the internet /
computer / Facebook / Line.
Explanation: In Thai, the word play is used for leisure activities, but in English it
used only for games. In English use is appropriate, or more specific words can be used.
(e.g. design websites, chat on Facebook/Line, upload pictures, play games, watch
YouTube videos, etc.)
14) Open vs. Turn on machines/lights.
Example: *Can you open the air-conditioner? => Can you turn on the air-conditioner?
15) Order of nouns in compound nouns
Example: *The key car is in the office LEP. => The car keys are in the LEP office.
Explanation: In Thai compound nouns, the head noun is the first noun, while the
second noun functions as the modifying (adjective) noun, while in English the exact
opposite order is used.
16) Prepositions
Example: *I was born on January. => I was born in January.

Top 25 mistakes for Thai learners by Joseph

Arxhoek
Example: *I need to take care my sister. => I need to take care of my sister.
Explanation: Prepositions are very difficult to remember for English language
learners. Teachers always need to
make sure to teach nouns/verbs/expressions in
combination with the most common
preposition(s).
17) Double subjects
Example: *My father he is a doctor. => My father is a doctor.

18) Passive - Active

19) too meaning very
Example: *I love you too much. => I love you very much.
Explanation: Too has a negative connotation in English, whereas the Thai
equivalent is synonymous with very. Of course I love you too much would be
possible in English, but it would mean something like I love you too much for my
own good (a negative meaning).
20) Use of ever
Example:* I have ever been to London. => I have been to London (before).
Explanation: In English ever is mostly used in questions, whereas in Thai it can be
used in positive
statements, too.
21) Telling the time
Example: I have dinner at 2. / I go to bed at 4. => I have dinner at 8. / I go to bed at
10.
Explanation: In Thai, 8 pm is 2 in the evening (, or song tuum), which is
why telling the time often goes wrong in English, particularly evening times. For
more on the telling the time in Thai, check: http://www.thai-language.com/ref/time.
22) Errors with comparatives.
Example: John is handsome than Joe. = > John is more handsome than Joe.
Example: John is more better than Joe. => John is better than Joe.
Example: John has books more than Joe. = > John has more books than Joe.
23) The use of even though in combination with but

Top 25 mistakes for Thai learners by Joseph

Arxhoek
Example: Even though I am tall, but I cannot play basketball. => Even though I am
tall, I cannot play basketball. / I am tall, but I cannot play basketball.
Explanation: Even though means but, which is why the two cannot be used
together in a sentence. Learners need to choose one or the other.
24) I go to shopping.
Example: I go to shopping. => I go shopping. / I go to the mall/shop/store.
Explanation: Activities in English often form the pattern go + V-ing. Alternatively,
the construction go
to + place may be used in this case. As shopping is not a
place but an activity, go to shopping is
wrong.
25) fun vs funny
Example: Play basketball is very funny. => Playing basketball is fun.
Explanation: Fun means enjoyable, while funny indicates something that makes
you laugh.
26) Use of Thai particles
Example: Dont forget your notebook na/ja/krub/ka. => Dont forget your notebook(,
okay?).
Explanation: In Thai the above particles are used to sound friendly or polite. In
English they do not exist.