Learning Thai language

Introduction Courtesy: www.thai-language.com Thai is the primary language of Thailand, a country in SoutheastAsia with a population of around 60 million people. This website is provides information for English-speakers with any level of interest in Thailand, its language and culturefrom beginners who wish to learn a few phrases before their vacation to advanced students who may be living, working, or retired in Thailand someday. History of the Thai language Thai is the national language of Thailand, spoken by around eighty percent of the sixty million residents of the South-East Asian country. Linguists consider it an "uninflected, primarily monosyllabic, tonal language" in the "Ka-Tai group." The spoken language is believed to have originated in the area which is now the border between Vietnam and China, an idea which provides clues to the origin of the Thai people, an area of continued scholarly debate. Linguistically, the language is related to languages spoken in eastern Burma (Myanmar), northern Vietnam, Yunnan, and Laos. The written Thai Language was introduced by the third Sukothai period king, Ramkamhaeng, in 1283. This writing system has undergone little change since its introduction, so inscriptions from the Sukothai era can be read by modern Thai readers. The writing was based on Pali, Sanskrit, and Indian concepts, and many Mon and Khmer words entered the language.

Regional variation Within Thailand, there are four major dialects, corresponding to the southern, northern ("Yuan"), northeastern (close to Lao language), and central regions of the country; the latter is called Central Thai or Bangkok Thai and is taught in all schools, is used for most television broadcasts, and is widely understood in all regions. Nowadays, English is also taught in all public schools. There are a few minor Thai dialects such as Phuan and Lue, spoken by small populations. Also within Thailand, small ethnic minority groups (including so-called "hill tribes") account for around sixty languages which are not considered related to Thai. The four primary dialects of Thai should not be confused with four different "languages" used by Thais in different social circumstances. For example, certain words are used only by Thai royalty, creating a royal language. There are also languages used for religious figures, polite everyday interactions, and gruff or crude communications. Alphabet, tones, and grammar The Thai alphabet uses forty-four consonants and fifteen basic vowel characters. These are horizontally placed, left to right, with no intervening space, to form syllables, words, and sentences. Vowels are written above, below, before, or after the consonant they modify, although the consonant always sounds first when the syllable is spoken. The vowel characters (and a few consonants) can be combined in various ways to produce numerous compound vowels (diphthongs and triphthongs). Unlike the Chinese language, Thai is alphabetic, so pronunciation of a word is independent of its meaning (English is also an alphabetic language). On the other hand, Thai is tonal, like Chinese and unlike English. This means that each word has a certain pitch characteristic with which it must be spoken to be properly understood. The Thai language uses five tones: mid, low, high, rising, and falling. Each syllable, consisting of one or more consonants and a simple or compound vowel (possibly inherent or implied, and thus not written) has a "default" tone determined by several factors, including the type of consonant(s) present (consonants are divided into three classes for this purpose). The syllable's tone can be modified by one of four tone marks. Some people incorrectly assume that the tone marks identify all necessary tones, or perhaps force certain tones, but neither of these is correct. Actually the final

tone of a syllable is determined by the tone mark in conjunction with the type of syllable, as determined by the vowel and consonant characters present. The grammar of the Thai language is considerably simpler than grammar in Western languages, and for many students, this makes up for the additional difficulty of tones. Most significantly, words are not modified or conjugated for tenses, plurals, genders, or subjectverb agreement. Articles such as a, an, or the are also not used. Tenses, levels of politeness, verb-to-noun conversion, and other language concepts are accomplished with the simple addition of various modifying words (called particles) to the basic subject-verbobject format. Many westerners do not make time to learn written Thai, focusing instead only on speaking. One problem with this approach is that the various reference materials you will accumulate each have a different transcription (phonemic spelling with a western alphabet) scheme, and it thus becomes difficult to recognize connections between your multiple sources of information. Although only you can decide whether to make the extra effort to study Thai script, I think it can provide a valuable and rewarding foundation for continued learning of the Thai language.

www.pattaya-funtown.com

Good Luck!

Introduction To Thai Language

Thai is a member of the Tai group of the Tai-Kadai language family which originates from Southern Chinese territory where the ethnic group of Thai people has developed before migrating to modern Thai territory. Historically Thai is linked to Sino-Tibetan languages and vaguely related to Chinese and Khmer. In many aspects (both script and spoken language) Thai language corresponds to Lao language which is closely related to the dialect spoken in the Northeastern Thai region of Isaan but has developed a slightly different simplified alphabet which has adjusted the official script to spoken language. There are many references to the ancient Indian languages of Sanskrit and Pali evident in scientific or political terms whereas modern Thai vocabulary which has developed in recent decades only has been influenced heavily by English language (e.g. check bin, bia/ "beer", tow-wer plus many more). Except for words of foreign origin, most original Thai words are mono-syllabic and consist of one syllable only. Some exceptions consist of two syllables (compound words). Combinations of mono-syllables, however, can specify the meaning. E.g. the adjective soong means "tall", kwaam soong (kwaam indicates a certain group of nouns) has the meaning "height". More in the Basic Thai Grammar section. Probably the most complicated feature of Thai language for western learners is Thai phonology with its unique tonal system which does not exist in most Western languages. In English, for instance, it is possible to pronounce one word with different intonations, however,

this doesn't modify the meaning. In Thai language, however, a certain intonation of a given word has the function of specifying a new meaning. There are five different tones that specify the meaning of a word and four signs in the alphabet that indicate the intonation of a syllable: standard tone, deep tone, falling tone, rising tone, high tone. This means that two seemingly similar words can have two totally different meanings depending on their intonation. A famous example is the syllable mai which can have such diverse meanings as "new", "wood", "silk" or "to burn" but is also used for negations ("not") and as marker at the end of a sentence in order to signalize a question. As the mai-example and the possible English translations also show, Thai words aren't automatically categorized into nouns, verbs or adjectives! More in the Basic Thai Grammar section. Sounds complicated? It definitely is, and if you want to learn to speak proper Thai your best option is to visit a language school. If your aim is to learn only some basic Thai, however, you could as well ignore this complicated tonal system as Thais will usually understand you correctly from the context of your utterance even if you have used a wrong tone to pronounce a certain word. There are various regional dialects and varieties of standard Thai language, for instance, the Lao-influenced version that your girlfriend from Nongkhai speaks or the Khmer-influenced variety of her friend from Buriram near the Cambodian border probably sound a bit different from the "Oxford-style" standard Thai of the actors on Thai television. The most apparent difference is probably the pronunciation of certain letters. To give an example, Thai alphabet features very well a letter for the R-sound, combinations of consonants, e.g. PL or KR, are nothing unusual in written Thai either. In opposition to a Thai actress, however, average Thai speakers tend to realize the R-letter as "L" at the beginning of a syllable whereas they would simply delete it if the R followed another consonant as in KR. For example, the Northeastern province of "khoRaat" is usually pronounced as "khoLaat" by the locals and "sawat-dee kRap" ("hello" for male speakers) is usually simplified to "sawatdee k_ap". Some consonants, however, have two official realizations, one if it appears at the beginning and an alternative one if it appears at the ending of a syllable, for example "CH" = CH/T; "F" = F/P; "J" = J/T; "L" = L/N; "R" = R/N; S = S/T. In many cases this weird feature of Thai letters has an irritating effect on the English transcription of Thai words. Two prominent examples are the King "Bhumiphol Adulyadeth" whose name is actually pronounced as "PoomipoN AdooNyadet" and the province of "Chonburi" which is sometimes written "Cholburi". According to the original Thai alphabet "chon" is actually written "choL", as the "L", however, stands at the end of a syllable it is correctly pronounced "choN". Other sounds will be neglected at the ending of a syllable even though the letter is actually written. Usually this applies to words that originate from foreign languages such as English "townhouse" which is realized as tow-how (without n and s at the endings of both syllables) in spoken Thai. Irregardless of the numerous regional dialects, standard Thai (including a standard Thai alphabet) is Thailand's official language and being studied by students and understood in all parts of the country. There are several different levels of speech in Thai language, "slang", "standard", "polite" and "very polite". By choosing a certain vocabulary a speaker indicates his self-perception and rating of his dialogue partner. Special vocabulary is being used when addressing Buddhist monks or when talking about (or with) members of the Royal Family. On a polite level of speech male and female speakers use different personal pronouns. The two frequently used particles khrab (for male speakers) and kha (for female speakers) are actually meaningless and could roughly be translated as "yes', when placed at the ending of a sentence, however, they indicate a polite level of speech and signalize respect for the conversational partner. The Thai alphabet with 44 consonants, 21 vowels, 10 diphthongs, triphthongs and several auxiliary signs indicating different tones will not be a subject of this introduction; instead I will try to use a suitable English transcription which comes as close to the original sound as possible. Furthermore, the tonal system mentioned above needs intensive speaking practice preferably at a language school in order to be learnt correctly and will thus be ignored in the

following sections. The basics of Thai grammar and syntax, however, are easy enough for a short description.

Thai Language
Courtesy: www.pattaya-funtown.com

Thai is a fascinating language with melodic sequences of sounds and words and an exotic, seemingly irritating alphabet which has challenged me since my first ever visit to this country. The Thai language pages on this website aim at giving those travellers and foreign residents of Pattaya interested in learning more of Thai language than just sawatdee krap and check bin a very basic introduction to the fundamental grammar, phonetics and syntax of Thai language. Thai might not be the easiest language to learn but it's definitely not as hard as it might seem initially to develop some basic Thai language skills! I have to admit that I'm neither a qualified Thai teacher nor have I ever studied Thai "professionally" at a language school. Instead I've picked up my most basic knowledge of Thai from textbooks, dictionaries and simple conversational practice with the locals. My Thai skills are far from being perfect but good enough for everyday conversation, furthermore I can read and write Thai, not fluently enough, unfortunately, to read Thai language books or newspapers yet reasonably enough to write a simple letter, read a restaurant menu or a street sign. For in-depth studies of Thai language I would advise you to visit one of the local language schools listed further below and start with an introductory course which is probably the most effective learning method for beginners. If you are ambitious enough, however, and have sufficient faith in your self-discipline you could as well begin with simple textbooks studies (preferably assisted by audio CDs or software programs), learn some basic vocabulary and turn the contents of your lessons into practice by simply talking to the local Thais! Still interested? Continue reading!

Thai alphabet () Courtesy: www.omniglot.com

Origin The Thai alphabet was probably derived from, or at least influenced by, the Old Khmer alphabet. According to tradition it was created in 1283 by King Ramkhamhaeng (). Notable features This is a syllabic alphabet consisting of 44 basic consonants, each with an inherent vowel: [o] in medial position and [a] in final position. The [a] is usually found in words of Sanskrit, Pali or Khmer origin while the [o] is found native Thai words. The 18 other vowels and 6 diphthongs are indicated using diacritics which appear in front of, above, below of after the consonants they modify.

8 of the letters are used only for writing words of Pali and Sanskrit origin. For some consonants there are multiple letters. Originally they represented separate sounds, but over the years the distinction between those sounds was lost and the letters were used instead to indicate tones. Thai is a tonal language with 5 tones. The tone of a syllable is determined by a combination of the class of consonant, the type of syllable (open or closed), the tone marker and the length of the vowel. There are no spaces between words, instead spaces in a Thai text indicate the end of a clause or sentence.

Used to write Thai (), a Tai-Kadai language spoken by about 25 million people in Thailand (), the Midway Islands, Singapore, the UAE and the USA Thai alphabet () Consonants () Consonants are divided into three classes: 1 (green), 2 (red) and 3 (blue), which help to determine the tone of a syllable. The sounds represented by some consonants change when they are used at the end of a syllable (indicated by the letters on the right of the slash below). Some consonants can only be used at the beginning of a syllable.

The consonants in the final row are compounds used as alternatives to the basic consonants. The letter o ang acts as a silent vowel carrier at the beginning of words that start with a vowel. Vowel diacritics ()

Numerals ()

Tone indication Open syllables unmarked Class 1 Class 2 Class 3 mid rising mid low low falling falling falling high Closed syllables * short vowel low low high long vowel low low falling

* Closed syllables are those ending with p, t or k

Sample text in Thai

Transliteration

rao thuk khon koet ma yang itsara rao thuk khon mi khwamkhit lae khwam khaochai pen khong rao eng rao thuk khon khwan dairap kan patibat nai thang diaokan Listen to a recording of this text by Jo S. (www.omniglot.com) Translation All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. (Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights) Longer sample text (Tower of Babel) Useful phrases in Thai Thai language courses, dictionaries, etc. Links Thai Translation

Our Price:$10.00 Information about the Thai language http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thai_language Online Thai lessons and other resources http://www.learningthai.com/ http://www.seasite.niu.edu/Thai/ http://www.into-asia.com/thai_language/ http://www.learn-thai.com/ http://www.wiwi.unifrankfurt.de/~sascha/thailand/dictionary/thaischrift.html http://1steasythaialphabet.com/ http://www.thai-lessons.com/ http://langhub.com/ http://www.its4thai.com/ http://www.learnthaionline.com/ http://learn-thai-podcast.com/ Thai <> English Dictionary http://lexitron.nectec.or.th/ Thai Electronic talking dictionaries http://www.ectaco.com/dictionaries/list.php3?refid=2516&lang=47 Thai-Isan-Lao Phrasebook http://www.phrasebook.thai-isan-lao.com/

Free online translation of English <> Thai http://c3po.links.nectec.or.th/parsit Virtual Thai keyboard and other software http://mog.software.free.fr/ Online Thai radio http://www.bbc.co.uk/thai http://www.escati.com/magic_radio.htm Your name in Thai http://www.learningthai.com/names.html http://www.cnx-translation.com/your-name-in-thai.php Information about King Ramkhamhaeng the Great http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramkhamhaeng

# Downloading Thai font:

Courtesy: www.into-asia.com To read webpages or emails written in Thai or to be able to type Thai, you will need to install the Thai font on your computer. Below we have a collection of basic Thai fonts that can be downloaded and used free of charge. An example of each of the fonts is shown, which is the Thai word sawat-dee (hello/goodbye). To download any of them, simply click on the name of the font or the example image. They are all in TrueType (.ttf ) format. If you are not sure how to install fonts on your computer, click here to read a step-by-step guide on how to do it. Example Font name Courier Mono Thai Courier Proportional Thai

Disclaimer: To the best of our knowledge, all these fonts are in the public domain. If this is not the case, please contact us and we will be happy to either credit them appropriately or remove them. All fonts contained on this website have been tested for viruses and though we believe they are perfectly safe, we cannot be held responsible in any way for any damages or any loss of data which may occur by downloading files from this website.

How to type in Thai:

www.intoasia.com To be able to type in Thai, you need to have both a Thai font installed on your computer and a piece of software that lets you type in Thai on your keyboard. A Thai keyboard (i.e. a keyboard with both the English letters and Thai characters on it) is not technically necessary, but it's very useful as without one you won't where the Thai letter you're looking for is located. If you don't have one, we have a page showing the layout of a Thai keyboard that can be used to type in Thai, albeit probably very slowly. With or without a Thai keyboard, you won't get very far if you don't have a program to switch between typing in English and in Thai. Short of getting a copy of a Thai edition of Microsoft Windows, probably the best and most sophisticated program to use is ThaiMaster. This costs 1500B to purchase but you can obtain a free 30 day trial copy from their website. It's also readily available to buy at Panthip Plaza or you may be able to purchase it online from DCOThai. There is also a free option which, although it comes with no added features, essentially works just as well. You can download it from http://thaigate.rd.nacsis.ac.jp/ftp/ thaisoft/new/HuiKey10.zip, and you should find the setup very simple. If you have any problems, the Nacsis Thaigate site is helpful and a good source of alternative and related downloads. There is also another similar program called ABCThai, which is also free to download albeit with some restrictions

Thai keyboard layout

www.into-asia.com This can be used to type in Thai without having a Thai keyboard, providing you have a Thai font and the necessary software installed already. You need a Thai font installed to be able to view this page properly. The tables show where the Thai characters are located in relation to the English letters and numbers. Because the Thai alphabet is so large, each English key has two Thai characters one which can be accessed by simply pressing the key, the other by holding down Shift and the relevant key.

English Thai

2 /

3 _

Thai + Shift

English Thai Thai + Shift

W "

] ,

English Thai Thai + Shift

' .

English Thai Thai + Shift

Z (

X )

Thai numbers: Courtesy: www.into-asia.com This page shows the Thai numbers from 1 up to 90, and these are given in English, Thai and an approximate pronunciation of the Thai. We have another page showing the Thai numbers from 100 to 1000000. The Thai script numbers are fairly rarely used in comparison to the standard international ones, as it seems that they are mainly only used in situations where there is a different price for Thai people and for foreigners. This is presumably in the hope that foreigners won't realize how much more they are paying, though if you can recognize the Thai price then you have a reasonable chance of only having to pay that much.

Thai numbers from 100 to 1 000000

This page shows the Thai numbers from 100 up to 1000000, and these are given in English, Thai and an approximate pronunciation of the Thai. We have another page showing the Thai numbers from 1 to 90. The Thai script numbers are fairly rarely used in comparison to the standard international ones, as it seems that they are mainly only used in situations where there is a different price for Thai people and for foreigners. This is presumably in the hope that foreigners won't realize how much more they are paying, though if you can recognize the Thai price then you have a reasonable chance of only having to pay that much.

The Thai Language

Though it's not really necessary to get by, you will undoubtedly have an easier and more enjoyable experience in Thailand from any time you spend learning Thai. Most Thais don't expect a foreigner to be able to speak any of their language, and are often visibly surprised if you can string a few sentences together. It's also encouraging how many people will tell you that you poot tai geng (speak Thai well), no matter how limited your command of the language really is. Even with only a fairly small vocabulary, you will find it a lot easier to get discounted prices at shops and markets (rah kah poot tai dai, "Thai speaker prices) and to make friends amongst the locals. Thai, like Chinese and Vietnamese, is a tonal language meaning that the same word can have a completely different meaning depending on it is pronounced. In total, there are 5 tones: Mid tone, high tone, low tone, rising tone and falling tone. A common example of the difficulty of tones in Thai is the word mai, whose meanings include "wood", "not", "silk", "burn", and "new" depending on what tone is used to pronounce it. It's not always this bad though, and the context means you will often be understood even if the tone is wrong. In some cases though, the context is unlikely to help very much and you will have to get the pronunciation correct in order to be understood - glai (mid tone, meaning "far away") and gli (falling tone, meaning "near") is a good example. It takes a long time to learn how to pronounce the tones correctly, and it's all too easy to make an embarrassing faux pas or inadvertently offend simply by getting the tone wrong on one word. Luckily most Thais realize how difficult it is for foreigners to speak their language, and are generally quite tolerant of any mistakes - which is just as well really. Though there's no real way to know how to pronounce the tones except by listening to a native speaker, the rising and falling tones tend to be the easiest ones to pick up. The rising tone is approximately similar to the inflection used in English to indicate a question, the falling tone roughly like calling someone's name from far away. The low and high tones are respectively pronounced near the relative bottom and top of your vocal range. Try to avoid speaking slowly and hesitantly, as this will distort the tone on the word and make you much more difficult to understand than if you spoke confidently. When speaking fairly quickly even the Thais routinely don't pronounce each and every tone, as there's simply not enough time to do so. If your tones aren't perfect, you stand a much chance of being understood by talking at the same normal speed, rather than hesitantly. You'll know you're

well on the way to getting it right if you start being told that you poot tai chat (speak Thai clearly) rather than simply geng (well). Tones on this website are indicated using tone marks on the first vowel of each syllable. If there is no tone mark, it is pronounced with a mid tone. Other tones are shown as follows: mi - Pronounced with a high tone. yi - Pronounced with a low tone. gli - Pronounced with a falling tone. son - Pronounced with a rising tone.

Thai grammar
www.Intoasia.com In comparison to English and other European languages, there is very little in the way of fixed rules in Thai grammar. There's no definite or indefinite articles, no verb conjugations, no noun declensions, no object pronouns, and past and future tenses are often indicated only by context, or with the words "already" or "will" tacked on. If words aren't needed to make sense in the sentence, then they're often omitted. This may make it seem quite simple, but the lack of structure can end up making understanding sentences more difficult than others with stricter grammar rules.

Basic Thai Grammar & Syntax

Courtesy: www.pattaya-funtown.com
On a most fundamental level Thai grammar is very simple, especially when compared with English or other more complicated European languages. For example, verbs do not inflect in Thai, each lexical unit (word) always stays the same. There is no declination in Thai grammar, no plural forms of nouns and no conjugation of verbs either. Additionally, no distinctive verb forms are being used in order to signalize distinctive time levels (past tense, present, future). Whereas in English the verb "to have", depending on the speaker, time level a.s.o., is modified each time (I have, she has, they had) the equivalent Thai verb mee = "to have" always stays mee, no matter what context. There is no morphological distinction between different classes of words such as nouns, verbs, adjectives or adverbs, instead of different categories certain combinations of words define the current usage of a word. To give a simple example, by simply doubling the adjective reo = "fast" it's turned into an adverb (reo reo = "quickly") whereas the prefix kwaam turns agejectives into nouns (kwaam reo = "speed"). Additionally, there are no articles in Thai language, and much less prepositions are being used. Basic Thai syntax is also incredibly simple, every sentence is structured by an "S-P-O" pattern:

Subject - Predicate - Object.

Questions or negations are easily signalized by the addition of meaningful particles to a sentence without destroying its basic structure. If the meaning of an utterance isn't diminished both subject and predicate can be deleted as well. Personal pronouns (e.g. "I", "you") that refer to a 1st or 2nd person speaker or subjects/ objects which have been mentioned previously can be deleted without diminishing the meaning of a sentence. (See examples below.) As Thai words do not inflect and the fundamental structure of a sentence always represents a simple pattern it is very easy just to learn some basic vocabulary and start building phrases and sentences. This basic simplicity of Thai grammar, however, doesn't mean that Thai is a "primitive" or less precise language than its Western counterparts. In order to exemplify some basic patterns of Thai grammar and demonstrate a few more complicated features of the language let's learn a few new words first! For a Basic Thai vocabulary click here. Personal Pronouns Depending on the level of speech, there are different personal pronouns in use. The ones listed are the most commonly used personal pronouns. There are no reflexive or other personal pronouns.

As mentioned above, in Thai language every sentence is fundamentally structured by an "SP-O" pattern =

SUBJECT - PREDICATE - OBJECT

For example, pom bpai pattaya = I go (to) Pattaya. Negation can be expressed by simply placing mai (falling tone) in front of the verb. pom mai bpai pattaya = I do not go to Pattaya. Questions are signalized by mai (rising tone) at the ending of a sentence. For example, khun bpai pattaya = You go to Pattaya. khun bpai pattaya mai? = Do you go to Pattaya? rue plao has the same function but a slightly different meaning ("or not"). khun bpai pattaya rue bplao? = Do you go to Pattaya (or not)? (laew) rue yang (roughly translates as "already or not yet") is being used in order to add a temporal aspect to a question, e.g. khun kin khao (laew) rue yang? = Have you already eaten (or not yet)? The correct Yes-answer is kin laew (khrab) = I (have) eat(en) already, the correct No-answer is yang mai kin (khrab) or simply yang (khrab) = not yet. Deletion of subject and/ or object As mentioned above, in certain cases both subject and object (or either of them) can be deleted when the reference is obvious. For example, question: khun bpai pattaya mai? answer: (phom) mai bpai (pattaya) = (I do) not go (to Pattaya). The same rule applies when a first person speaker makes a reference to him/herself or addresses a conversational partner. When uttered by a 1st person speaker "hiu khao" has the same meaning as pom hiu khao = I am hungry. Or hiu khao mai? has the same meaning as khun hiu khao mai? = Are you hungry?

hiu (khrab) instead of pom hiu khao would be fully sufficient as answer and could be translated as "yes" in this case. This example also displays the most common method of answering to a question. For a Yesanswer you simply repeat the most important word of the question (usually the verb), for a No-answer you simply place mai in front of the most important word of the question, e.g. question: hiu khao mai? answer: mai hiu. On a polite level of speech (recommended!) khrab (for male speakers) or kha (female speakers) are added to the answer, e.g. mai hiu khrab/ kha is more elegant and polite than just mai hiu. Question words are usually placed in front of the S-P-O structure. (The only exception is arai = what.) For example, tam-mai khun hiu khao = Why are you hungry? (tam-mai = why) Adjectives follow the respective noun they describe, e.g. poo ying tai suai. (poo ying = woman, tai = thai, suai = beautiful.) Literally translated, "woman/ women thai bautiful" (= "Thai women are beautiful.") Comparative forms are built with kwaa, e.g. suai kwaa = more beautiful (than). poo ying tai suai kwaa poo ying yoo-rop = women Thai beautiful more than women European ("Thai women are more beautiful than European women.") Superlative forms are built with tee soot, e.g. suai tee soot = most beautiful. poo ying tai suai tee soot = women Thai beautiful most ("Thai women are the most beautiful.") The "Too-form" of an adjective, e.g. "too expensive", is indicated by the particles koern bpai which follow the adjective, for example, paeng = expensive paeng koern bpai = too expensive. Adverbs are created by simply doubling an adjective. For example, reo = quick/ fast, reo reo = quickly. Plural forms Generally there are no plural forms of nouns in Thai language. poo ying can mean both woman and women. Unless the context points out the current usage or in order to make a more precise statement so-called "classifiers" must be used. There are different classifiers for different classes of nouns. Altogether there are twelve classifiers. For example, khon is the classifier for human beings. "Two women" in Thai language translates to poo ying so:ng khon, literally translared, "women two people" (so:ng = two; [o:] signalizes a long O-sound as in "morning"). To give another example. dtua is the classificator for animals, maa = dog, (see) dam = black. maa dtua dam = the black dog (dog animal black). maa song dtua = two dogs (dog two animal). In a few exceptional cases plural forms are created by simply doubling the respective noun, for example, dek = child, dek dek = children. As exemplified by the sentence poo ying thai suai the Thai equivalent of "to be" = bpen can be deleted when an adjective is used to describe a noun. It is toy bpen khon tai = Toy is a Thai, but poo ying tai suai (without bpen! poo ying thai bpen suai would be incorrect Thai language.) Genitive can be expressed with ko:ng which roughly translates as "of". For example baan ko:ng phom ("house of me") has the meaning "my house". As verbs do not inflect in Thai there is no conjugation either, no distinctive verb forms are being used in order to signalize distinctive time levels (past tense, present, future). Time levels, however, can be clarified by using certain adverbs and conjunctions. Present

kamlang, placed between subject and predicate, signalizes an action that is currently going on and can be compared to the "Present continuous" in English (e.g. "I am eating"). kin khao = to eat. Pom kin khao = I eat Pom kamlang kin khao = I am eating (right now). dtorn nee/ diao nee/ khana nee have an equivalent meaning as "now" in English, e.g.diao nee pom kin khao = I eat now. bpat-joo-ban (nee) has the meaning of "now, nowadays" as opposed to "before, in the past", e.g.bpat-joo-ban pattaya bpen muang yai = Nowadays Pattaya is a big city (in the past it was just a fishing village). we-laa/ dtorn tee/ khana tee are temporal conjunctions with a similar meaning as "when" in English. aharn tai = Thai food, took wan = every day. For example, we-laa pom yoo pattaya pom kin aharn tai took wan = When I stay in Pattaya I eat Thai food every day. Future ja signalizes an action that is going to take place in the future and has the same function as "to be going to" or "will" in English. proong nee = tomorrow proong nee pom ja bpai pattaya = Tomorrow I will go to Pattaya. diao ... ja, placed around the subject, signalizes an action that is going to happen in the immediate future, e.g.diao pom ja kin khao = I am going to eat (right now). eek ... ja adds a precise time information to an action that is going to happen in the future. pee = year. eek so:ng pee pom ja bpai pattaya = In two years I will visit/ go to Pattaya. Past phoeng signalizes an action that has just taken place. tueng = to arrive. pom phoeng tueng pattaya = I have just arrived in Pattaya. ... korn and mua ... tee laew indicate that an action has taken place in the past and equal English "ago" or "before". They must be combined with a precise indication of time. so:ng pee korn = two years ago/ before mua so:ng pee tee laew = two years ago/ before. mua korn indicates a previous state and can be translated as "before", "previously" or "in the past". lek = small, little. mua korn pattaya pen mue-ang lek = In the past Pattaya used to be/ was a small town. mua and dtorn tee signalize actions that have occured in the past and can be translated as "when". dtorn tee pom maa tueng pattaya = When I arrived in Pattaya ... mua pom maa tueng pattaya = When I arrived in Pattaya ... Temporal When-clauses are built with the temporal conjunction we-laa which originally has the meaning "time" but can be translated as "when" in this case. For example, we-laa pom yoo pattaya pom kin aharn tai took wan = When I stay in Pattaya I eat Thai food every day. Conditional If-clauses are built with taa which has an equivalent meaning as "if" in English. It is not obligatory yet possible to extend the main clause with the future particle ja (see above). For example, taa pom bpai pattaya pom (ja) kin aharn tai took wan = If I go to Pattaya I (will) eat Thai food every day.

There are much less prepositions in Thai language than there are in English. The one used most frequently and that can be used either as preposition or relative pronoun is tee. When used as relative pronoun tee can mean both "who" or "which/ that". For example, tee pattaya = In Pattaya (preposition) poo ying tee suai = women who are beautiful (relative pronoun) Time specification There are several methods of time specification in Thai, the most traditional method splits up the day (24 hours) into 4x6 hours, i.e. four 6-hour cycles. Within each cycle hours are counted from 1 to 6. For Thai numbers please visit our Basic Thai Vocabulary page. dtee ... - specifies hours between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m., ... mo:ng chao - specifies hours between 6 a.m. and 12 p.m, bai ... mo:ng - specifies hours between 12 p.m. and 6 p.m., ... toom - specifies hours between 6 p.m. and midnight. For example:

Half hours are specified by khrueng, e.g. 8.30 p.m./ 20.30h = so:ng toom khrueng All other time specifications are made by hours + minutes. sip = ten, naatee = minute/s. 8.10 p.m./ 20.10h = so:ng toom sip natee. For the last quarter of an hour eek can be used. 7.50 p.m./ 19.50h = eek sip natee so:ng toom ("ten to eight"). For some basic Thai vocabulary and useful Thai phrases or in order to turn grammatical theory into conversational practice please visit

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Personal Pronouns Singular I pom (male) chan (female you he/ she it Plural we they bpai rao puak khao to go khun, tur khao mun

mai (falling tone) mai (rising tone) hiu khao kin khao poo ying suai reo ("leo") so:ng sip maa (see) dam bpen yai lek aharn tai took wan (maa) tueng bpee natee 12 a.m./ midnight 1 a.m. 2 a.m. 3 a.m. ... 6 a.m. 7 a.m. 8 a.m. ... 12 p.m. 1 p.m., 13h 2 p.m., 14h ... 6 p.m., 18h 7 p.m., 19h 8 p.m., 20h ...

expresses negation ("not") signalizes a question hungry to eat woman/ women beautiful. pretty fast, quick two ten dog black to be big, large small, little thai food every day to arrive year minute tiang khuen dtee nueng dtee so:ng dtee saam ... hok mo:ng chao nueng mo:ng chao so:ng mo:ng chao ... tiang wan bai nueng mo:ng bai so:ng (mo:ng) ... hok mo:ng yen nueng toom so:ng toom ...

Half hours are specified by khrueng, e.g. 8.30 p.m./ 20.30h = so:ng toom khrueng All other time specifications are made by hours + minutes.

sip = ten, naatee = minute/s. 8.10 p.m./ 20.10h = so:ng toom sip natee. For the last quarter of an hour eek can be used. 7.50 p.m./ 19.50h = eek sip natee so:ng toom ("ten to eight").

Pronouns
One of the aspects of Thai that is very different from most other languages is the staggering number of pronouns that are available and used in everyday speech. With over a dozen words for 'I/Me' and a similar number for 'you', knowing which one to use and when can seem like a daunting task. The choice of which one to use depends on just about everything - who you're talking to, how well you know them, how old you are relative to them and, most importantly, the relationship between you and who is of 'higher status'. This is a choice that has to be made countless times a day in every conversation you have, which is effortless for a Thai but poses quite a problem for non-native speakers. Thankfully, no-one expects a non-Thai to have a perfect understanding of all the pronouns available and by learning just a few you can cope in almost any situation you are likely to find yourself in without offending anyone. These are shown below:

pom

This is the normal word for 'I / Me' that is used by men. It's slightly formal (few Thai men would use it when talking with friends), but still perfectly okay for most situations you'll find yourself in.

di-chan / chan

Di-chan is used only by women, and is a polite word for 'I/Me'. The shortened form, chan, is less formal but fine for everyday use and is

probably the most common word used by women.

More words for 'I/Me'... khun This is a polite and very common word meaning 'You'. It also doubles as the title put in front of people's name to be polite e.g. Mr Somchai would be known in Thai as Khun Somchai.

ter

Ter is another word for you, used with friends or in informal situations. More words for 'You'...

rao

This is a word for 'we/us' that can be used in any situation.

kao

Kao is a standard word for 'he/him/she/her' that can be used in any situation.

man

This means 'it', and is used when referring to animals or things. It can also be used instead of kao to refer to people, but to do this is, not surprisingly, very insulting to the person you're referring to. (In some Thai dialects, man is actually a common way to refer to someone so you can't necessarily assume it's an insult if you hear it.)

puak-kao

This is a standard word for 'They/them' that can be used in any situation.

pee / norng

Pee (literally 'older brother or sister') and norng (literally 'younger brother or sister') are very commonly used as pronouns, and can be used to

mean either 'I', 'Me', 'You', 'Him', 'her', 'he' or 'she' depending on the situation. The difference is when they can be used - pee must be used referring to someone older and norng must be used, not surprisingly, when referring to someone younger. Despite their literal translation, using pee or norng doesn't necessarily imply a close relationship between the speakers. Though they are often used between friends and even married couples (as well as actual brothers and sisters), they are just as likely to be used when calling the attention of waiters/waitresses in restaurants or the porter in a hotel. If you often find you are asked your age when talking to a Thai, it is most likely they are doing so to establish who is pee and who is norng. The problem with this system is that without asking it means having to guess the age of other people relative to your own, and hoping you don't offend anyone too much ! It's also worth being careful with the pronunciation of pee, as if said with the wrong tone there is a unfortunate change in meaning from 'older brother or sister' to 'ghost/spirit'.

If there is a substantial age difference (say, 25 or 30+ years) then pee and norng are not used.

Though this list is okay for most situations, none of these words are really appropriate if you are in conversation with someone perceived to be of substantially 'higher status' than you. For instance, if you were unfortunate enough to find yourself in a Thai court and in conversation with the judge, a more respectful pronouns should be used instead. Luckily, for the average visitor to Thailand it is very unlikely that you'll encounter many, if any, situations such as this. Buddhist monks are another example where respectful pronouns should be used, as they have pretty much the highest status of all apart from royalty. In reality though, monks in touristy temples are probably very used to foreigners not using the correct pronouns, and are unlikely to be offended if you forget. The respective pages on words used for 'I' and words for 'you' have more information on respectful pronouns.

Words for I / Me
Below is a list of pronouns meaning 'I/Me' in Thai, in approximate order of how common they are in everyday speech. Although there is a great range of pronouns, they're actually used quite sparingly and often omitted unless it's absolutely necessary to convey the meaning. For instance, to say 'Where are you going?' in Thai is just bpai nai (literally 'go where?') - no pronoun necessary. Though this list may seem pretty intimidating, you can get by perfectly fine in almost any situation you are likely to come across by knowing only chan, pom and di-chan.

chan

This is most common word used by women, and can be used in any situation that's not especially formal. Men can use chan also, but it's much less common and is only used very informally. In Thai love songs sung by men, for instance, they always use chan to refer to themselves.

pom di-chan

This is the normal word for "I / Me" used by men, which can safely be used at pretty much anytime talking to anybody. When talking to friends though, a less formal word is likely to be used instead. This is used only by women. It's a safe word to use for most situation but is quite formal, so it's unlikely to be used when talking with friends.

pee norng

Literally meaning "older brother / sister", this is quite a common word that can be used for 'I' when you speaking to someone younger than you. .

The opposite of pee, this means "younger brother / sister". and can be used to mean 'I' when talking to people older than you. [More information on pee / norng]

gra-pom

This is another word used only by men, and it's used to show respect when talking to people perceived to be of 'higher status' than you. For instance, the porter in an expensive hotel might say it when talking to a hotel guest.

rao goo

Confusingly, this is the normal word for 'we/us' but it is also used by both men and women as an informal word for 'I/me'.

This is sometimes used by Thais when talking with close friends. In almost any other context (even a husband/wife conversation), it is offensive and only used as an insult to the listener. As a foreigner, you're better off avoiding it altogether. When used, it's almost always combined with meung which is a similarly offensive word for 'you'.

noo

Literally meaning 'mouse', this is used by women when speaking to people much older. For instance, a Thai women talking to her parents will often say it. It can also be used as a word for 'you', 'him', 'her' etc if talking to/about a young child.

ua dtai-tao kah-pa-jao

This is a word used only by Chinese Thais.

Literally meaning 'under your feet', this is a respectful word similar to grapom.

This is a very formal word for 'I/Me' that is almost never heard in normal speech, but can be found written occasionally. For instance, when you have to sign an immigration form to enter Thailand, the declaration in

Thai uses kah-pa-jao as the word for 'I'. kah-pa-pra-put-tajao This is a Royal Thai word, and is only used by those in conversation with the Thai King or another member of the Royal Family. That being the case, it's not a word you're likely to hear often, except at the cinema where it's the first word of the royal anthem played before every film. Literally translated, it means 'The servant of the Lord Buddha.' Be warned that if you say this word in the wrong context, it may be taken as mocking the royal family and could land you in trouble.

This is not a definitive list of words (some sections of society e.g. royalty and the military have their own words that only they use, and family relationship terms are also often used as pronouns), but it includes most of the main ones. One of the most common ways for women to speak about themselves isn't listed though, which is the habit of using their first name instead of any pronoun and so speak about themselves in the third person. Though men can do this also, it's not very common and sounds a bit effeminate so it's not a good habit to get in to. Another common way of speaking is by referring to your position or title instead of using a pronoun. For instance, a teacher talking to his students may use a-jahn (meaning 'teacher') as a word for 'I/Me' instead of one of the pronouns above.

Thai words for 'you.

Below is a list of pronouns meaning 'You' in Thai, in approximate order of how common they are in everyday speech? Although there is a great range of pronouns, they're actually used quite sparingly and often omitted unless it's absolutely necessary to convey the meaning. For instance, to say 'Where are you going ?' in Thai is just bpai nai (literally 'go where ?') - no pronoun necessary. Though this list might seem quite long, in reality you can easily survive knowing only khun.

khun

Khun is a polite and very common word meaning 'You', which is appropriate for most everyday situations you will come across. It also doubles as the title put in front of people's name to be polite e.g. Mr Somchai would be known in Thai as Khun Somchai.

ter

Ter is a more informal word for 'you' that can be used with friends or

people you know well. pee norng [More information on pee/norng] tan meung / ayng / gair / / These is sometimes used by Thais when talking with close friends. In almost any other context, they are offensive words and only used as an insult to the listener. As a foreigner, you're better off avoiding it altogether. When used, they are often combined with goo which is a similarly offensive word for 'I/Me'. noo Literally meaning 'mouse', this is used to either to talk to very young children or to women who are much younger than the speaker. For instance, parents talking to their daughter will often use it, even if the daughter is an adult herself. leu dtai-fah-la-orngtulee-pra-baht Be warned that if you say this word in the wrong context, it may be taken as mocking the royal family and could land you in trouble. This is a Royal Thai word, and is only used by those addressing the Thai King or Queen. The degree of reverence that the Royal Family is held in in Thailand can be seen with this word, which translates as (the speaker being) 'under the dust which is beneath the soles of your royal feet'. This is a word used only by Chinese Thais. Tan is a very respectful word for you that is only used when talking to monks or others at a similary high level in Thai society. The opposite of pee, this means "younger brother / sister". and can be used when talking to people younger than you. Literally meaning "older brother / sister", this is quite a common word that can be used when you speaking to someone older than you.

This is not a definitive list of words (some sections of society e.g. royalty and the military have their own words that only they use, and family relationship terms are also often used as pronouns), but it includes most of the main ones. A common way of saying 'you' which isn't listed is just using someone's name instead of a pronoun, and talk about them in the third person. Also, someone's title or position can be used instead of using a pronoun. For instance, students talking to their teacher will use a-jahn (meaning 'teacher') as a word for 'you' instead of one of the pronouns above.

. Basic Thai Vocabulary & Useful Phrases

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday day today tomorrow week month year January February March April May June July August September October November December Personal Pronouns Singular I pom (male) chan (female wan jan wan ang-kharn wan poot wan pa-rue-hat wan sook wan sao wan aatit wan (= one) wan nee proong nee aatit duean bpee mokkara-khom koompa-pan meena-khom maysa-yon pruetsapa-khom mitoona-yon karakadaa-khom singhaa-khom kanyaa-yon dtoolaa-khom pruetsajeegaa-yon tanwaa-khom

you he/ she it Plural we they

khun/ tur khao mun

rao puak khao

Depending on the level of speech (slang, standard, polite, very polite) there are different sets of personal pronouns in use. The ones listed on the left are recommended to use for foreign speakers. Reflexive or other pronouns ("me", "yourself", "him/ her") do not exist in Thai language. In polite speech the (meaningless) particles khrab (male) and kha (female) can be added to any sentence. 1 nueng 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 ... 20 21 22 ... 30 31 ... 40 50 ... 100 101 102 ... 200 300 ... 1000 2000 ... 10,000 20,000 ... 100,000 200,000 ... 1,000,000 so:ng saam see haa hok jed baed kao sip sip-et (!) sip-so:ng sip-saam yee-sip (!) yee-sip-et yee-sip-so:ng saam-sip saam-sip-et see-sip haa-sip (nueng) roi (nueng) roi-et (nueng) roi-so:ng so:ng roi saam roi nueng pan (= pun) so:ng pan nueng mue:n so:ng mue:n nueng saen so:ng saen nueng larn

2,000,000 ...

so:ng larn Thai Numbers Please note that 11 = sip-et, not sip-nueng, 21 = yee-sip, not so:ng-sip! Accordingly 21 = yee-sip-et and 101 = roi-et!

Useful Words & Phrases (General)

Hello, Good morning ... How are you? I am fine. Thank you Excuse me, Sorry My name is ... What is your name? How old are you? I'm ... years old Do you speak English? I do not speak Thai Do you understand? I don't understand I don't know Never mind, No problem I don't want I don't like What time is it? Where do you come from? I come from ... Where is ...? Where is the toilet? When ...? I love you. Darling, Sweetheart How much? Can you give me a discount? Expensive Check the bill, please Hotel Air-con room Fan room sawat-dee khrab (male speakers)sawat-dee kha (female speakers)sabai dee mai? sabai dee khrab / kha khorb khun khrab / kha khor toad khrab / kha pom (chan) chue ... khun chue arai? khun ayoo taorai? pom (chan) ayoo ... bpee khun pood pasaa angkrit bpen mai?pom (chan) pood pasaa tai mai dai khao jai mai khrab / kha? mai khao jai khrab / kha mai roo mai bpen rai mai ao khrab / kha mai chorb kee mo:ng khun maa jark nai? pom (chan) maa jark ... ... yoo (tee) nai? ho:ng naam yoo nai khrab / kha mue-arai ...? pom (chan) rak khun tee-rak (rakhaa) taorai? lot dai mai khrab / kha? paeng chek bin / keb dtang duai ro:ng raem ho:ng air ho:ng pat lom

Restaurant & Food

I'm hungry to eat to drink Restaurant Thai food Seafood Western food I want, I would like ... Drinking water Ice(cubes) Beer One ... beer, please. Coffee (hot) Ice coffee Tea (hot) Ice tea Sugar Milk Orange Juice Menu Rice (normal) Fried rice Rice soup Rice noodles Egg noodles French fries, Chips Potatoes Vegetables Fruits Bread Beef Pork Chicken Fish Prawn, Shrimp Squid Crab Eggs Fried egg Salt Pepper Plate Glass Spoon Fork Knife Toothpick Spicy Not spicy Delicious Check the bill, please

pom (chan) hiu khao kin khao due:m raan aharn aharn tai aharn talay aharn farang kor ... naam due:m naam khaeng bia kor bia ... nueng kwat kafae ro:n kafae yen chaa ro:n chaa yen naam dtaan nom naam som rai karn aharn/ mennoo khao (suai) khao pad khao dtom kluay tiao bamee faen fai man farang pak ponlamai khanom bpang nuea moo kai bplaa koong bplaa muek bpoo khai khai dtao kluea prik tai jarn kaew chorn so:m meed mai jim fan pet mai pet aroi (dee) chek bin/ keb dtang duai

Accident Help! Pain to have a cold to have fever Stomach ache Headache Toothache Sore throat Pharmacy Hospital Doctor to see a doctor Dentist Medicine Tablets, pills to take medicine Injection Insurance

ubati-he:t chuay duai! bpuat/ jeb (temporary) bpen wat bpen khai bpuat to:ng bpuat hua bpuat fan jep khor raan khai yaa ro:ng payabaan mor bpai haa mor mor fan yaa yaa me:t kin yaa cheet yaa bpra-kan

Health Basic Thai Vocabulary A-Z

A address (to be) afraid (of) afternoon again (...) ago air-conditioned airport a little bit alone already alright, okay and angry animal arm to arrive ash trey to ask to answer B back (pain) bad, evil banana bank (financial) bank account bathroom, toilet to be to be (stay) beach beautiful because, as, for bed A tee yoo klua dtorn bai eek (...) tee laew, korn mee air sanaam bin nid noy khon diao laew riab roi lae kro:t, mo-ho: sat khaen (maa) tueng tee khia boori tarm dtorb B (bpuat) lang jai rai, jai dam kluay tanakharn bunchee ho:ng naam, sookhaa bpen I am a man = pom bpen poo chai yoo I am/ stay at home = pom yoo baan haad (sai) suay pro-waa dtiang

better big, large bird black (light) blue (dark) blue boat, ship body book bosom bottom bridge brigh brother (younger) brother (older) brown bus (do) business businesman but, however to buy C can, to be able to, capable of can, to be able to cannot, impossible capitol car car park careful, attention! cat to change to (ex)change money cheap, inexpensive cheat, untruthful child, baby cigarette(s) city, town clean climate to close clothes coconut cold, cool (to feel) cold colour to come to come back to come from to come home company (business) to cook (the) cook country to cry D

dee kwaa yai nok (see) dam (see) faa (see) naam ngoen ruea dtua nang-sue: nom kon, dtoot sapaan sawaang no:ng chai pee chai (see) naam dtarn rot bus (speak "but") (tam) toorakhit nak toorakhit dtae sue: C bpen, e.g. I can speak Thai = pom pood paasaa tai bpen dai mai dai mueang luang rot (yon) tee jord rot rawang maew plian lae:k ngoen too:k khee ko:ng loo:k, dek boori mueang sa-art akart bpid suea paa (loo:k) maprao yen nao see maa klab maa maa jark klab baan borisat tam kab khao mae/ por khrua (fem./ male) pra-te:t ro:ng hai D

dangerous (during) day daily day off, holiday dark (to have) debts difficult, hard dirty disappointed to do, make dog do not ...! door (to) drink (the) drink to drive (car) drugs drunk dry E ear easy to eat egoistic electricity elephant entrance evening every, each exit expensive, dear eye F face family fan fast fat (to be) father fire flood(ed) food foot (massage) football for for free to forget fridge friend friend (girl-/ boyfriend) fruit fun, amusement G garlic

antarai (klaang) wan took wan, wan la wan yoot mue:d bpen nee yark sok-kra- bpok pid wang tam maa yaa ...! bpratoo due:m krueang due:m khab rot yaa sep dtit mao, mao mao (adv.) haeng E hoo ngai kin khao hen kae dtua fai faa chaang taang khao dtorn yen took taang ork paeng dtaa F naa khro:b khrua pat lom reo, reo reo (adv.) uan, pom puy por fai (mai) naam tuam aharn (nuad) tao foot-born hai, puea f(r)ee lue:m dtoo yen puean faen ponlamai sanook G kra-tiam

to give to go (to) to go home to go out, go on a tour good good heart green H hair haircut handsome happy to hate to have head to hear heart heavy (weight) to help hot, warm hotel hour house how how long? how many ...? how much? hungry husband I icecubes if, in case in (three days) (to be) interested (in) island J jealous jeans K (to) kiss to know (s.o.) L language to laugh to learn leg letter to (speak a) lie light light (weight)

hai bpai (no preposition) klab baan bpai tiao dee jai dee (see) khiao H pom dtat pom lor dee jai kliat mee hua dai yin hua jai nak chuay ro:n ro:ng raem chua mo:ng baan yaang rai naan taorai kee ... (rakhaa) taorai? hiu khao saamee, pua I naam khaeng taa eek (saam wan) son jai (nai) ko J hueng kaang kaeng yeen K joob roo (jak) L paasaa hua ro rian khaa jot mai ko hok fai bao

lighter to like (drink) liquors, spirits to listen (to) to listen to music little to live in, stay at lonely long (material) long (temporal) to look to love I love you M man manager manicure/ pedicure many market to marry (married already) menstruation, to menstruate midnight minute money to borrow money to have no money to owe money, have debts to send/ transfer money month monthly morning mosquito mother mountain, hill mouth must, have to N neighbour never

fai chef chorb (kin) lao fang fang ple:ng lek, noi (pak) yoo (tee) ngao yao naan hen, doo rak pom (chan) rak khun M poo chai poo jat karn dtat lep lai, e.g. many women = poo ying lai khon dtalaat dtaeng ngaan dtaeng ngaan laew, mee mia laew bpen men tiang kue:n natee ngoen jue:m ngoen mai mee ngoen/ dtang bpen nee song/ faak ngoen duean took duean, duean la dtorn chao yoong mae poo khao bpaak dto:ng N puean baan mai koey ... loey, e.g. I never go to Pattaya = pom mai koey bpai pattaya loey mai nang-sue-pim (klaang) kue:n mai chai jamook mai ... loey yang (mai) dtorn nee, diao nee O ko:ng kao

new newspaper(s) (in the) night no nose not at all not yet now O of old (material)

old (person) only to open or orange other ... P to pay perfume to pick (s.o.) up pineapple plane to play play cards police polite poor powder pretty price (to) promise proud province Q quick(ly) R railway station rain ("It is raining.") to read really, sure red rent (the) rent restaurant rich river to run S sad salary, income to save money to say (to be) scared school sea, ocean to see to sell shirt, blouse shoes shop short shower, to take a shower

kae taonan bpoe:d rue: som ue:n (ue:n) P jai naam ho:m rab sapparot krueang bin len len pai dtam-ruat sooparp jon bpaeng suay rakhaa sanyaa poom jai jangwat Q reo (reo reo = adv.) R sartaanee rot fai fon (tog) arn jing, jing jing (adv.) (see) daeng chao khaa chao raan aharn ruay mae naam wing S sao jai ngoen duean keb ngoen bork dtok jai ro:ng rian talay (mo:ng) hen, doo khai suea ro:ng tao raan san arb naam

shy silk sister (younger) sister (older) to sit skin to sleep slim slow(ly) small (to) smile snake soap some ... sorry, excuse me sour to speak sports to start, begin strange, weird street, road side-street strong suit, costume sweet to swim T to talk tall tax(es) taxi to teach teacher telephone mobile phone to call s.o. to call back phone card phone number to think (that) thirsty tight, "Cheap Charlie" time at what time ...? tired, sleepy to be tired of ... today together tomorrow tongue tooth, teeth toothbrush toothpaste towel traffic jam train, railway to translate trousers

(khee) ai paa mai no:ng sao pee sao nang piu norn (lab) porm chaa, chaa chaa (adv.) lek, noi yim ngoo saboo baang ... khor toad khrab / khab priao pood keelar roe:m bplaek tanon, sai soi khaeng raeng choot warn len naam T khui (kan) soong paa-see (rot) teksee sorn ajarn, khroo torasap mue: tue:, mobai to: haa to: klab bat torasap boer torasap kid (waa), nuek (waa) hiu naam khee niao wee-laa ... kee mo:ng nguang norn, nueay buea wan nee duai kan proong nee lin fan bpaeng see fan yaa see fan paa chet dtua rot tit rot fai plae kaang kaeng

U to understand unhappy

U khao jai sia jai, sao jai, mai mee kwaam sook V

V vegetables very (many, much) village to visit (s.o.) W to wait to wake up to walk wallet want to to watch TV water water melon week weekly wet what what, please? what is the time? when? when (temporal conjunction) where? where do you go? where from? where is ...? which (person) which (material) white who? why wife second wife, mistress with woman to work to work hard to write Y year yearly yellow yes yesterday bpee bpee la, took bpee (see) lueang chai, khrab (kha) mue-awaan ro: dtuen norn dtoen krabpao dtang yark, dto:ng-karn doo toratat naam dtaeng mo: ar-tit ar-tit la, took ar-tit bpriak arai arai na? (wee-laa) kee mo:ng mue-arai? wee-laa, dtorn tee teenai? bpai nai? jark nai ... yoo (tee) nai? khon nai an nai (see) khao khrai tammai, pro arai panrayaa, mia mia noi kab poo ying tam ngaan tam ngaan nak khian Y pak mark, mark mark (adv.) moo baan bpai haa W

Asking questions

Asking questions in Thai is relatively straightforward, though there's a few different ways of doing it depending on what time of question you want to ask. An important thing to remember is not to automatically change the tone of your voice to indicate a question on the last word of the sentence (as English speakers naturally would), as this can interfere with the Thai tones. The most common way is simply to add the word at the end of a sentence, which can be thought of as the equivalent of a question mark.

- Do you like it ? (literally "you like %translit%")

- - Yes, I like it (literally "like") - - No, I don't like it (literally "not like") If you are asking for confirmation, then you can use instead ( on it's own means "yes"). This is roughly equivalent to "isn't it?" or "is that right?" in English.

5 - You're coming to Thailand on the 5th aren't you?

(literally "you will come Thailand day 5 %translit%) - - Yes, I am (literally "yes") - - No, I'm not (literally "not yes") Another very common structure is to use the word (though normally pronounced as

). This tends to be used when asking questions you think you already know the answer
to, similar to a "so......then ?" structure in English. So you can't eat spicy food then? (literally "you eat food spicy not can %translit%) - - Yes, that's right (literally "yes") - - No, I can eat spicy food (literally "not yes") , literally "or not yet?", is used in questions where it's expected the action being asked about will happen at some point even if not quite yet. These type of questions can be replied to by repeating the verb and adding the word meaning "already", or say "not yet" to reply in the negative.

 Are you tired ? (literally "tired or not yet")

- Yes I am (literally "tired already") - No I'm not (literally "not yet tired") and , both literally meaning "or not?" are also frequently used. Unlike in English where asking an "or not?" question may be considered abrubt or rude, it's considered a normal way of showing you want a straight answer in Thai and is perfectly acceptable. These can be answered in a similar way to the type questions.

- Are you going to go (or not?) (literally "you will go or not")

- Yes I will (literally "go") - (literally "not go") or (literally "no"), both meaning No I won't go

Countries and continents

These are given in English, Thai and an approximate pronunciation of the Thai.