In case its not entirely obvious, tone marks are depicted by the first letter of the following: common, low, falling, high, rising. You should be able to cut and paste it into a spreadsheet to mess around with it to make a SRS file. If anyone can think of a sentence/phrase that you say everyday that I haven’t mentioned, do bring it up.
| English Phrase | Acceptable Thai Equivalent | Tones + Notes |
| I don’t know how (to open it) | (เปิด) ไม่ เป็น | (l) f c |
| Where did you go? | ไป ไหน มา | c r c |
| I’m not sure. | ไม่ แน่ ใจ | f f c |
| I don’t feel very well. | ไม่ ค่อย สบาย | f f l-c (สะบาย) |
| I’ve never been there. | ไม่ เคย ไป | f c c |
| How long have you been here? | อยู่ (____) นาน หรือ ยัง | L () c r c |
| Its too expensive. | แพง เกิน (ไป) | c c (c) |
| I learned it myself | เรียน (โดย ตัว) เอง | c (c c) c |
| Who did you go with? | ไป กับ ใคร | c c c |
| I can’t remember. | จำ ไม่ ได้ | c f f |
| I don’t understand. | ไม่ เข้า ใจ | f f c |
| Have you ever been to Japan? | เคย ไป ญี่ปุ่น มั้ย | c c f-l h |
| How did you go/get here? | มา ยังไง | c c-c |
| I think so. | คิด ว่า | h c *This can stand alone or you can add stuff after it like it was “I think that….” |
| I don’t know her. | ไม่ รู้จัก เค้า | f h-l h |
| He looks familiar. | หน้า ดู คุ้นๆ | f c h-h |
| Did you see “The Matrix” yet? | ดู “The Matrix” รึ ยัง | c “_” h c *replace Matrix with movie of your choice |
| Ok. Thats fine with me. | ก็ ได้ | f f – sound often gets shortened to ก๊ ได้ *Super useful – ไป ก็ได้, กิน ก็ได้ ,ไม่ไปก็ได้ |
| I need to wake up early tomorrow. | พรุ่ง นี้ ตื่น เช้า | f h l h *Not usually necessary to use the word “need” in Thai |
| What time do you finish work? | เลิก งาน กี่ โมง | f c l c *many words for “to finish” learn them in context ’cause you will guess wrong |
| Well, what do you think? | แล้ว คิด ยังไง | h h c-c |
| I learned it myself. | เรียน เอง | c c |
| Thats impossible. | เป็น ไป ไม่ ได้ | c c f f |
| Wanna go get something to eat? | ไป กิน ข้าว มั้ย | c c f h |
| What day(s) are you free? | ว่าง วัน ไหน (บ้าง) | f c r (f) * without (บ้าง) you are just asking about one day – if you use the (บ้าง) then its more like What days are you free – (not working, not studying, etc) |
| I’ll call you tomorrow. | พรุ่ง นั้ จะ โทร หา | f h l c r |
| Tell me | บอก มา | l c *Great for when someone tells you they have a secret and then they won’t give it up |
| I’m not going – Its too friggin hot! | ไม่ ไป !! ร้อน จะ ตาย เอย | f c h l c c *ok to use with friends – not polite, but not really impolite either |
| I can’t keep up (with someones speaking, a song, etc) | ฟัง ไม่ ทัน | c f c |
| What’s this?! / What’s going on here!? | อะไร เนี่ย | l-c f *the word เนี่ย usually implies a feeling of surprised – feigned or otherwise |
| Whats up?/ Whats going on?/ Whats new? | เป็น ไง บ้าง | c c f Hows it crackin? ไง is short for ยังไร or ยังไง |
| So are you coming/going or what? | จะ ไป รึ เปล่า | l c h l *remember this is often used as a mild pleading to get the listener to come/go with you. |
| I just woke up. | เพิ่งตื่น | f c |
| I’m gonna go (back) now/in a moment | เรา จะ กลับ แล้ว | c – l – l – h เรา or ไอ (from English) is better than ผม in most cases. |
| I’m just about to start eating. | เรากำลังจะกินข้าว | c c-c l c f |
| My bad. Sorry ’bout that | โทษที | f c *Informal |
| I’m almost there. | ใกล้จะถึง | f l r |
| Where to next? | ไป ไหน ต่อ | c r l |
| Why, your not fat at all! | ไม่ เ้ห็น อ้วน เลย | f r f c I don’t see how (you think) you are fat! You can use this whenever somebody tells you they are fat. อ้วน remember the sound is ooo-wa(n) |
| (We’ll/I’ll) never make it in/on time! | ไม่ทันแน่ | f c f |
| Nobody’s going. | ไม่มีใคร(จะ)ไป | f c c (l) c |
| I probably shouldn’t go. | ไม่ไปดีกว่า | f c c l |
| I’ll wait downstairs. | จะรอข้างล่าง | l c f-f *can sub ข้างนอก outside or ข้องใน inside |
| Up to you. | แล้วแต่ | h l up to you Can also be used as “depending on…” |
| Are you married? | แต่งงานหรือยัง | l c r c |
| Are you used to (something) yet? | เคยชินรึยัีง | c c h c |
| What does it/that mean? | หมายตวามว่า อะไร | r c f l-c *can also be used when you don’t get the point of what someone is talking about |
| What time does the shop open? | ร้าน เปิด กี่ โมง | h l l c |
| Did you wait long? | รอนานหรือเปล่า | c c r l |
These are great!
I translated suggested phrases from the Quick and Dirty Guide to Learning Languages Fast (Hawke) but I’ve yet to put them into a format I can use. Time…
I’ve made a number of realizations since I began teaching Thai. As I remember what things really got me moving in Thai, I can pass on this knowledge while at the same time steer my students clear of the errors that I made for years and see others do all the time.
You need to know the equivalent of these phrases before you can begin to do anything else in any language. Even as I work on this, I’m surprised and disappointed at which ones I can’t say in Chinese, Korean or Japanese, but at the same time, most stuff like this just isn’t laid out right (if at all) in textbooks and it really should be.
And that is what’s so great about your advice. I’ve had several ‘Ah ha!’ moments reading it. It seems obvious after I’ve read your explanation…
I’m at the opposite end… the beginning stages of learning Thai. Being accountable is my main push, but I have hopes that jotting it all down while it’s fresh would help someone besides myself.
Your phrases are similar to what Hawke suggests for those learning a foreign language. Only, as he doesn’t know Thai, there are redundancies.
Thats what I’ve found and what I’ve been trying to use to sell myself for a couple of years now. I certainly don’t know anywhere near as much as a native speaker, but I was in their shoes of learning a few years ago and I went through layers and layers of crap with no one ever correcting my mistakes – leading me to assume that they were all acceptable and/or correct. On top of that, even the times when I realized I wasn’t grasping things and I asked for explanations, I couldn’t find anybody who could explain the stuff to me. Now I can explain all of it to save people enormous amounts of time, but I am still forced to deal with that silly idea that languages need to be taught by native speakers in classrooms. Times are changing, but a bit too slowly.
I’ve spent about 2 years each of p/t classroom study with Chinese and Japanese, 2+ years of private Korean lessons and 5+ years of living in Thailand with no formal or informal study and the only one anyone will pay me to teach them is Thai.
I can teach the alphabet in 5-6 sessions over 2 weeks or less and they can start reading the supposedly “Advanced” level books within 2 months of practice. Its not hard at all. The problem is that the options for Thai just plain suck.
After studying French in Pau, I totally agree with the opinion that native speakers are not the way to go. They don’t understand the mindset and the struggles, so they can’t anticipate what we are going through.
And I do have a Thai teacher, but sometimes I feel she’s wrapping the answers in too much cotton wool. Making them way more complicated than they should be.
Don’t get me wrong, she’s great. But it took me a long while (and many baht) to realise that I learn Thai a totally different way than it’s being taught.
I’m surprised that you can’t teach Japanese here as it’s such a big push in Thailand. Well, in BKK anyway. There’s a school just across the main street from me (but I don’t know how active they are or if it’s even financially feasible to teach there).
‘with no formal or informal study’… I came across that earlier. Impressive. It also had me scrambling for the online version of The Fundamentals of the Thai Language.
Yeah, like I’m going to suddenly take on the brain cells of a polyglot? 🙂 Not likely, but I’m aiming to follow the best I can.
“like I’m going to suddenly take on the brain cells of a polyglot? ”
I know your joking, but its that mindset that keeps you from believing you can do it. I’m not special or some super-genius, its partially time..partially method and mostly being consistent. If you do anything long enough, you will get kinda good at it.
Grammar complicates things. You aren’t thinking about subjects are tenses when you are speaking in your language and neither is your teacher when they are explaining theirs. So just stop. If thats all your teacher does…get a new one. The biggest problem people have is motivation and thats where I’m trying to come in – as a type of guide. I try to keep people pointed in the right direction and help them find that next sentence that will build on what they know as it relates to their situation. Random information you have no need for in the near future. Anyone can do what I did with the right guidance and though I don’t like saying it, I’m sure there are loads of people who can do it better if they just went about it the right way. Its methods of study that I found via numerous trials and plenty of errors. Anyone can do it – even you.
I agree with you on the learning mindset (but I wouldn’t go so far polyglot 😀
I’m an artist. I’ve always been an artist ever since I can remember. Four years old? Mainly, because it clicked with me.
I didn’t understand how to explain it until I read ‘Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain’. And there it was. Its’ the click.
Some people click with art, some with maths, some with languages.
Much rarer are those who can explain the click. The ‘ah ha’s.
And I do have a mental block when it comes to languages. I dance around, but I haven’t gotten over that fear yet (not sure what to call it).
I believe I’m not alone in this.
And it’s not like I’m painfully shy anymore (as was part of my problem in France). Or (ditto) that the locals don’t do what they can to make it a pleasant experience (I know of no other country where learning a language is so fun).
Motivation. Yes. It’s the little things about motivation actually. Deciding what learning method to go for. Then sticking to it. Making a learning schedule. And keeping to it.
‘help them find that next sentence that will build on what they know as it relates to their situation’
I have a great interest in acquiring sentences that work for me. I get frustrated when I’m given sentences (such as with AUA), then told that I’ll never use them because they are obsolete. That they are there purely to teach rhythm, etc…
So please, bring on the methods. And the clicks!
The last sentence should be รอนานหรือเปล่า, I think.
Yes you are right. Thanks!
If anyone has ideas for super-useful sentences that might not necessarily be obvious, I’m open to suggestions. Heading into last week of school so I gotta worry about exams and final papers and such. I’ll finish the 100 sentences in October .