Tips for Learning Thai Language

[Dan7373]

The best way to learn is to do both at the same time, learn reading and writing in Thai at the same time you're learning to speak Thai.

Of course you need a native speaker to teach you how to pronounce Thai words, easy to do when you're in Thailand, difficult if you're in your country.

Depending on which country you come from, nowadays you can find some good stuff to learn Thai (books with CDS particularly) and if you don't give up before finishing the lessons you can get a very good level.

I agree that for foreigners, it's best to learn how to read and write and speak at the same time. Because the alphabet tells you exactly how to pronounce the words.

You might have difficulty with pronunciation anyway. But without the writing, you might end up inventing new words in Thai language that only people close to you will understand but not anybody else. This is how English and other languages were changed in the past. It was a large infusion of foreigners, who didn't speak the language and didn't know how to read and write. And I've seen some Thai people do this kind of thing with the English language, because they've learned it without knowing how to read and write in English.

But you can get more or less perfect Thai pronunciation on your phone nowadays. You just need to install on your phone a free app called Google Translate, which you can find at the link below:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...hl=en_CA&gl=US

This app will correctly pronounce any Thai word that you spell correctly in there. And this app will even translate street signs that are written in Thai language. You just need to point the phone's camera at the street sign and your phone will show you the English translation of what's written there in Thai language. This app has some offline translation capability, if you download Thai language in its settings. But to have its full functionality, you need to have an Internet connection on your phone.

I've tried using this app to see if it will translate sex-words, including words that some people might find offensive. And it does translate such words. But I also found that this app's translation isn't always perfect. So, if you want to be sure that you have good translation, then you should translate from English to Thai and then back to English to see if you are still getting the same meaning in English. If you still have the same meaning, then you can be sure that you have a good translation.

If you use short and simple sentences or phrases, then this app's translation is pretty good.

[XXL]

https://learn-thai-podcast.com

They had the best non-nonsense no-frills podcasts. There are samples in Youtube under "learningthai". Unfortunately the series is not supported any more. I mailed them for ways of sending the 197 USD to then download all the podcasts, but got no answer. I don't want to gamble my credit card. Sick and tired of sleepless nights over chargebacks.

I don't like ThaiPod101. They're spammers. Most importantly, their podcasts are three quarters filled with ramblings in (thai-accented) English. I remember one of their introductory podcasts about greetings in Thai.

[Paolo99]

https://activethai.com

Very good site. I hope they continue expanding it.

Spending like 3 months to learn the Thai script BEFORE learning the language is the way to go if most experts are to be believed. That way you can skip the transliteration almost from the start.

The best way to learn is to do both at the same time, learn reading and writing in Thai at the same time you're learning to speak Thai.

Of course you need a native speaker to teach you how to pronounce Thai words, easy to do when you're in Thailand, difficult if you're in your country.

Depending on which country you come from, nowadays you can find some good stuff to learn Thai (books with CDS particularly) and if you don't give up before finishing the lessons you can get a very good level.

[Berrys66]

The sort of women you will meet don't have a very large vocabulary so you don't need to know many words of Thai. Mostly about money is all they chat about.

[XXL]

https://activethai.com

Very good site. I hope they continue expanding it.

Spending like 3 months to learn the Thai script BEFORE learning the language is the way to go if most experts are to be believed. That way you can skip the transliteration almost from the start.

[Syzygies]

Many of you probably know about Pimsleur, which teaches from speaking and listening, which is how people learn their native tongues. But they only have a beginner level and no plans to produce more. However, if enough people ask for it they'll reconsider. So fill out the form if you want.

https://www.pimsleur.com/request-new-language-program

I heard a lot about Pimsleur being good. I had it for German at one time.

It is my belief though that if the Pimsleur Basics course has taught you well, pronunciation and also basic grammar (which is trivially easy for Thai. No word ending changes), then you are set for self education from various sources. It will be important to get a book to teach you Thai script at some stage, to get at all advanced, but not top priority. I taught myself Thai script from AUA Reading and Writing book. Maybe hard to get these days.

Thai-Eng-Thai Talking Dictionary from Paiboon is very good because you can listen to words pronounced clearly. It has several different phonetic / Romanisation schemes built in. For me I am working on a set of flash cards (for a phone App) in a spreadsheet covering 10,000 Thai words. I know probably less than half of them. Comes from various sources but Belisan and Volubulis are words to search for to find vocab spreadsheets. One might have a top 1000 words as example.

Important to get a Thai teacher at some point to correct the pronunciation mistakes before they set in too deeply. Thai has sounds different to English so we are not good at even hearing them correctly at the early stages. Bad pronunciation of vowels will cause your Thai to be not understandable, where this does not happen in English. 99 % of good Thai speakers needed a teacher to listen to your attempts and correct them. Thai girls did help correct me in early times, but was not easy.

Best of all is immerse yourself with Thais that don't speak English. That was one of my early techniques in 1991. Ha ha. I improved rapidly at the time. I was forced to.

[Trillian]

Many of you probably know about Pimsleur, which teaches from speaking and listening, which is how people learn their native tongues. But they only have a beginner level and no plans to produce more. However, if enough people ask for it they'll reconsider. So fill out the form if you want.

https://www.pimsleur.com/request-new-language-program

[Syzygies]

Does anyone know what this Thai word means?

Maybe Mr. Syzygies?

The writing is too lazy and indistinct to make out Thai letters. An experienced Thai might be able to read it. I can maybe pick some letters but not all.

Last shape looks like a word repeat mark, but shape before that is not really like any letter I can think of.

[Syzygies]

I still cannot put a clear definition on some bad words, for example the word "kwanteen". I think I saw some reference to a foot in a dictionnary but it has to be something else.

There are also some not nice ways to call someone, I suspect that the word "bak" (probably only spoken by eesan girls) put just before the name is one of them (let's say your name is David and the girl call you bak David when she talk about you) but I never found a way to put a definition on this word.

Sorry to read this so late.

Guan Dteen literally means irritating or pestering another person's foot. In reality means you are pestering or annoying someone, such that their foot wants to kick you. Ha ha So beware irritating some one so much that they want to lash out with hand or foot. Can be a light hearted expression for anything you say that is irritating or being a smart ass.

Bak is word used for males, so it is almost like Mr but much less formal possibly even flippant at times, and can be used for young boys, even for male dogs, so it is not a respectful term. Used for persons of equal or lower status. Think of meaning something like boy or lad. Heard more often in Isaan I think. Would not use for older men when need to show respect. Certainly do not use for Monks. Monks should be addressed very respectfully like "Than" (sounds like Tun), or "Ajaan" (teacher).

[Syzygies]

I still find it difficult to understand the difference betwin "ngian" and 'siaoo". I think I was told "ngian" is more intense that "siaoo" (and it might be used only by girls also).

The definition that I might come close to it would be that "ngian" applies to a girl that is very excited and would like to have sex (applies even if she is alone) and "siaoo" would be an excitement that comes after being stimulated by her partner.

Yes "ngian" simply means horny or "mii arom".

Siaow means a nerve has been stimulated with strong feeling arising. Could be sexual or could be like ice on a sensitive tooth.

[Syzygies]

I just swear in English. Everyone seems to understand the foul language I use just fine.

Isn't the whole purpose of swearing and bad mouthing supposed to p1ss someone off?

Its much safer to swear in your own language that you understand well.

[Falcon 95]

Does anyone know what this Thai word means?

Maybe Mr. Syzygies?

[Paolo99]

I agree that I also struggle to put a clear definition on many words.

I still cannot put a clear definition on some bad words, for example the word "kwanteen". I think I saw some reference to a foot in a dictionnary but it has to be something else.

There are also some not nice ways to call someone, I suspect that the word "bak" (probably only spoken by eesan girls) put just before the name is one of them (let's say your name is David and the girl call you bak David when she talk about you) but I never found a way to put a definition on this word.

[Paolo99]

"Dtolae" is a word used by girls, that got me into trouble early on. Essentially guys cannot use it. I thought it means "bullshit artist". It is very offensive when spoken to girls. We might never understand why. Thais have gender double standards.

I heard that word a lot in my first trips (late 1990's), I wonder if it's used mostly by bar girls, because nowadays I almost never interact with bargirls and I never hear that word anymore. For us if we want to confront someone who keep lying, we would be better at saying he or she "choop gohok maak".

I also could not say "ngian" (horny) with her.

I still find it difficult to understand the difference betwin "ngian" and 'siaoo". I think I was told "ngian" is more intense that "siaoo" (and it might be used only by girls also).

The definition that I might come close to it would be that "ngian" applies to a girl that is very excited and would like to have sex (applies even if she is alone) and "siaoo" would be an excitement that comes after being stimulated by her partner.

"Hee" essentially means "c*nt" so I would not use it. "hoi" is slightly softer ("clam") and "jim" is softer still (so advisable).

I like to point at it by calling it "nong saao" to say it in a cute way.

GF uses an Issan expletive "huu daak" (sounds like "who dark" and means "asshole" literally).

Didn't know that word myself but a few years back I read a review on a blog dedicated to Thailand where that word was used in an interesting way. There was a pack of gogo girls that were outside in the Nana complex before the opening of their bars, a customer went to one of the girls (obviously he already knew her) and she welcomed him by saying "oh my daak ling" . The guy thought that she said "oh my darling" when in fact she was saying "oh my monkey's ass", everybody around was laughing, and the guy didn't know they were all laughing at him. So it's good to know it just to understand it clearly when your being played by one of these girls.

"ee dork thong" seems to be calling a girl a "golden flower" but is very offensive. I am not totally clear of the real meaning. Seems to be close to "b*tch". Important to know the danger words and avoid them.

This is also the definition that I came out with that word (eedork=*****). Almost all the girls in Pattaya call their close friends by this word, even used by cute girls in Bkk. We should never use it, it's just a word that they use by themselves.

I have to avoid using "dting dtong" which I once thought was a playful word. Seems the meaning ranges from "Crazy" to "Son of a b*tch".

Since now I never thought it could be something like "son of a be*tch", I always thought it was something like calling someone "crazy" but in a funny way (a guy or girl that likes to do crazy stuff but in a funny way).

Other very bad words (to absolutely never use) are:

"Ay heea" (addressed to man) or "ee heea" (when addressed to a girl) would have a definition close to "mother fucker, or son of a WG (even though it doesn't literally translate in son of a be*tch but it's a very very bad word).

"ay sat" or "ee sat" , basically translate as "someone who is an animal, or subhuman (very very bad word also in Thai).

The very commonly known "kwaay" to designate someone that is very very stupid.

I agree that I also struggle to put a clear definition on many words.

Another expression that was used a lot before was "top salop salai" with the girl making the gesture (giving a slap on one side of the face and then coming back with the back of the same hand and slapping the other side of the face). I understood it as "slapping one's face" but it was always accompanied by the same gesture even when it was different girls saying it.

[Banana Boi]

I just swear in English. Everyone seems to understand the foul language I use just fine.

Isn't the whole purpose of swearing and bad mouthing supposed to p1ss someone off?