[Thailand] Basic Every day Thai

Okay boys and girls. Any Thai speakers out there that want to give me some basic phrases that will help me out on my holiday?

"woah, that ping pong ball almost got in my mouth"

etc.

 

Pom Rak coon nun lowel









"me love you long time"

 

I know you will darling, but thats not really helpfull atm .


Smells bad= Men (spelt phonetically of course)

 

just make sure to check under the skirts of the "girls" you say it to, kk?

 

I wont be saying it to any thai girls, thats for damn sure . Maybe the Swedish girls. :love:

 

:love:

That's sig-able

 

Katoey (sp?), I think its pronounce Ka-toy

You hear that being shouted around the 'girls' avoid!

If only someone had told me! :-(

 

Too late yatezy! i think hes already gone!!

 

Haha oh well!

He'll soon find out what a ladyboy is then!

 

Come on guys... this whole thread became nothing but the typical
farang-sex-tourist stuff. None of which is going to get you very far in Thailand. Great start for the Thai cultural thread.

To get it back on track:

1. Greetings: Hello -- sa-wa-dee krup (if you are a male)
sa-wa-dee kaa (if you are a female)
goodbye -- la gon.

2. Kop Khun -- thank you
garuna -- please.

3. Prices: How much is this? -- nee tahw rai
that is very expensive -- paeng maak
I don't want (it) -- mai ow

4. Kor thoad -- sorry; excuse me

5. Torasap -- telephone

6. Hong nam -- restroom

7. Chai -- yes
mai chai -- no

8. Food: Not too spicy, please -- kor mai phet.

9. Numbers: Neung (one), sawng (two), sahm (three), see (four), hah (five), hok (six), jet (seven), bat (eight), kao (nine), sip (10), roy (100), pahn (1000), yee sip (20 - special), sahm sip et (31), sawng roy see (204).

10. Baht -- the Thai currency.

11. Farang -- white person, foreigner

12. Khun -- term of respect; Khun John, Kuhn Bill

13. Sanuk - fun

14. Soi, thanon -- road or street

15. Tuk-tuk -- motorized rickshaw, salmor rickshaw

Tips:

1. Pronounciation: "ph" in Thai sounds like "p" in English; "th" sounds like "t";
"p" sounds like "b"; "t" sounds like "d".

2. Unfortunately, there is no standardized transliteration scheme for Thai,
and many different schemes are in use by different Western texts.

3. Thai is a tonal language. Different pitches convey different meaning with
the same set of letters.

Basically the best phrases to learn and the ones you will use most often when first getting to Thailand are the politest ones. You really can't error on the side of politeness in Thailand. Don't expect most Thai's to understand you're attempts at Thai... it's usually common sense and sign language that is going to get you the furthest... unless you make a concerted effort to learn to speak Thai and speak it on a daily regular basis it's probably not going to work for you.

Thai is a complex and tonal language and it takes years to master. Phrases like the ones above basically serve as a buffer - saying:

'Yes I'm a farang but I respect Thai culture enough to make an attempt to speak it even though no one can understand me because I haven't got a clue as to the sound of the words I'm saying nor the tone'----

The Thai's generally are a gracious people and won't ask for more than that.

 

Excellent post from slip,ill add,

Pom kow jai khrap-i understand,
pom mai kow jai khrap--i dont understand
khun mee....-have you a ....(eg kafae rawn-hot cofee)
pom(or chan if a lady is speaking to you usually)mee khrap-i have
pom mai mee khrap(i havent) eg pom mai mee kafae rawn khrap-i havent hot cofee.
wow when ive read that back to myself it doesnt make much sense! hope it helps a bit,slip contribute some more please

 

just got back!

pheeew.

the only phrases we really needed were "sawaadee kaa/khap" - hello and "ka poon kaa/khap" - thank you, and "katoy" did come in handy! most people speak pretty basic english, even the girl offering nk and i "whole night, you two one thousand baht!".

 

Hey succy, glad to hear you and NK are ummm sampling the culture

 

wow... it'd be nice if we could have this topic (Thai language) continue without the constant reference to prostitution in Thailand.

 

that was what thailand was all about, wasn't it?

i was just being honest about the only phrases we needed. and considering the OP, i think references to prostitution are plenty on-topic.

 

"Khoon khit maak maak" - "You think too much".

"Ai yo(ng?) mai!" - "Give me your money!".

 

hahahah... this is a good one. It sums up much of the Thai attitude in some ways. Going with the flow is a very important element of Thai culture and this phrase and similar ones are quite common.

 

I can't take the credit. My sensei taught that to me...he tells me that all the time, LOL. :bang:

 

Chan Kittung Khun Na Ka,or Pom Kittung Khun Na Khap,-i Miss You,first One Said By A Lady,second By A Man :d

 

http://www.thai-language.com/lessons/

Heres a link to thai learning lessons, featuring everyday phrases and audio examples.

I was really interested in learning some thai, even if it would be only most basic stuff, but these simple lessons proved me that i'm a stupid european who should curb his enthusiasm for thai culture.

I'm relatively good with languages (although i'm not a woman), but trying to learn thai makes me feel mentaly defeated.