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Thai language for newbies


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Hi Markle,

 

Right now I'm just posting stuff for correctness. I'm still thinking on the best format. Believe me, there is no format here at all, yet. Just stuff that might be included, as I think of them. One thing that I do see is tone markers getting in the way of being able to quickly memorize a phrase. They'll have to be included somewhere, though....either at the bottom of the lesson, or user will have to go to the word list, if interested in knowing them. I'm including them here now, so when I go back and cut & paste all this stuff into a cohesive format, I won't have to go look up the proper tone markers a second time (laziness).

 

Phrase book I have has tones above the word, which is nice, but I can't duplicate that with MSWord.

 

HT

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Hi BB,

 

>>>>Actually, it is not about finding time, its all about making time, right ?<<<<

 

A VERY serious time investment, I agree. What is your level of ability, if I might ask? And what level is your future wife on, in learning Angrit, if not already well versed?

 

HT

 

 

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Says HIGH THAIED:

Hi BB,

 

>>>>Actually, it is not about finding time, its all about making time, right ?<<<<

 

A VERY serious time investment, I agree. What is your level of ability, if I might ask? And what level is your future wife on, in learning Angrit, if not already well versed?

 

HT

 


 

HT,

 

I simply do not have as much time as I would want, but from last year I have 40 hours at Sonchart under my belt, but without any chance of practicing today :(

 

As for the GF, well, she did spend 2 years at university in Sydney, so I would say her english is very good, way better than my Thai anyway :)

 

Hopefully, I'll make the time when she will be here to learn more Thai as on the webcam there is never time :(

 

But I'm just waiting my time to close all here and move over to BKK, then I'll just jump right into it.....

 

Cheers !

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Hi BB,

 

Yea.....much easier if you have a long haired dictionary laying around (read: T/G in your bed). I'm assuming you two communicate in English, then?

 

I wish you luck in your move. You're living my life, you imposter. :: :grinyes:

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HT,

 

Yea.....much easier if you have a long haired dictionary laying around (read: T/G in your bed). I'm assuming you two communicate in English, then?

 

-> yes, all in english so far, and she corrects me endlessly in thai...... :rolleyes:

 

I wish you luck in your move. You're living my life, you imposter.

 

-> moi ? I'm just trying the utmost to live mine, why would I try another one ??? :doah: :doah: :doah:

 

Cheers !

 

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Since I'm being stalked by a guy with a knife in his hand, I've completed intro. page. I know some will think is too much, but you really got to understand about tones, importance of 'mai, how to say 'me, you, her, etc. This will be the only 'hard' page, but as a complete novice, there are some things you just have to know, before trying to speak this language. These few things have to be said, and much easier to do in the beginning, than having to stop in the middle of a lesson, to do it.

 

The format I've chosen (I think) is to present phrase in English, in Thai without tones, in Thai with tones, and then in English 'sounds like' format (poem my by hong/I am not going to room) for quick reference. We'll see. I'm going to start on that tonight, and see how it looks.

 

The '*' for short sound, and the "sounds like/ryhmes with" (sl/rw) format is the best I've been able to come up with. I don't think can be simplified any more than that.

 

In essence, reader will be able to see phrase in thai without tones for memorization purposes, with tones and vowel length for proper pronunciation if desired, and then in phonetic English for fast reference, if in bar, or room, or taxi, and needs immediate knowlege.

 

All comments are welcome! Good, or bad. :)

 

HT

 

---------------------------------------------------------------

 

OK! So, you want to speak Thai, and you're in a hurry. You've come to the right place. But a few words here, before you get started. First of all, this is not the place to learn proper Thai, and all the meanings associated with a particular word. This is a basis guide for punters, and addresses what they may run into. Some phrases will not be technicly correct, and have been altered, to avoid difficult sounds, or to shorten phrase for ease of use, and might include some slang, as well.

 

Format for 'Sounds like' / 'rhymes with':

Format for showing how a word sounds, will be shown in the following format: 'sounds like' will have this symbol (sl) , and 'rhymes with' will have (rw) shown.

 

R is L, and V is W

In proper Thai (like you will hear on the TV and radio there) the, 'r' is pronounced as a slightly rolling 'r' sound. But usually, Thai's will replace the 'r' with an 'L'. So, the word 'a-roi' (delicious) will be spoken as 'a-loi'. You may see the Thai word written with the 'r', but them when we spell it out for you in English phonetics, you will see we have replaced with an 'L', for your convienience. The exact same is true for 'V'. Most Thai's replace this with a 'w', and so will we here, also.

 

Tones:

Thai is a tonal language, which has 5 separate tones, and either a long or short sound. This leaves 10 different ways of speaking a word. Some Thai words are made up of 2 or 3 small words, which multiplies the difficulty. The 5 tones are represented as being high, middle, low, rising, and falling, which will represented as (h), (m), (l), ®, (f). The short sound will be represented with an (*) for short sound. Nothing will be shown for the long sound, assume all words are long, unless seeing the (*) symbol. A short sound means you say the word very quickly, and a long sound means you drag the word out in a more relaxed manor. So let's try the phrase "Thai food is delicious". A-han Thai a-roi = food Thai delicious = a-han® Thai*(m) a-roi*(l). A-han means 'food', and is said with a rising tone, and long sound. Thai is said in the middle of your vocal range, and said quickly. A-roi means delicious, and is said with a low flat tone, and said quickly. Here, a word or phrase will be written both with, and without tones. And here is why. A single Thai word can have multiple meanings, depending on the tone applied to it. One of many examples is the Thai word 'ya'. It can mean medicine, divorce, or grass, depending on the tone. It can be further complicated by the fact that 'ya' can also mean 'don't', and 'paternal grandfather'. 'Don't' is said with the exact same tone (l) as 'divorce', and 'paternal grandfather' is spoken with same tone as 'grass'. So unless you have the time to master the tones in a phrase (or any single word, for that matter), it is best to say whole phrase in a monotone, mid level, voice. The listener will then put into context as best they can. This is very important. If you're on your way to pick up some condoms, and ask your Thai girlfriend where 'ya' (medicine) store is, she will probably be able to figure out you are not on your way to pick up her grandfather, at his store.

 

Sentence structure:

This is too complicated to go into here. Example: 'Why' (tam-mai) is put at the beginning of a negative question, and at the end of a positive one. So, just put structure as you would in English ('I want more spicy', and not 'Spicy, I want more'), and you'll be understood most of the time. Once you become familiar with the common basic phrases, you'll quickly get the hang of it.

 

Mai:

Mai is a very important word you'll use constantly. Placed before a word, it turns that word into a negative. Think of it as meaning 'not' in this case. Example: "I go to store". "I (mai) go to store", means "I (not) go to store". When you learn the Thai word for good, you can simply place 'mai' in front of it, to be able to say 'not good', or place it in front of the Thai word 'want', to say 'not want'. Placed at the end of a sentence, it turns a statement into a question. Example: "you are good". Add 'mai' at the end (you are good (mai)?), and you are then asking person if they are good. You may not understand what is being said to you, but if you hear 'mai' as the last word, you will always know that you are being asked a question. ///Mai, at end of sentence 'mai'* (h /sl- my) --- Mai in front of word, to negate it 'mai'* (f)

 

Khrap and Ka:

These two words (Khrap for men / Ka for women) are often added at the end of a sentence to soften it, and make it polite. It is often used to acknowledge a person on the phone, and by doing so, can also be the equivalent of 'yes'. You might hear your Thai girl friend say 'ka....ka.....ka..... 20 times on the phone before speaking anything. She's just saying "uh huh.....yes.....I see......" to the speaker. I should be noted that it is common to drop the khrap and ka's after a few minutes of speaking (when being used to make a statement polite). If you know the person well, then you can eliminate altogether, unless it needs to be used to soften a harsh sounding request like "give me the phone", or "I don't want". In this case, you might use as to not to sound like you're giving an order. /// Khrap*(h) // sl- crop) -- Ka*(f) // sl- ka).

 

Ph sound:

In Thai, ph represents the p sound, 'with breath'. Say 'pot' with your hand close to your lips. You will feel air escaping against you fingers. In Thai, this would be written as 'phat'. Now do the same, and don't let any air escape. In Thai, this would be written as 'pat' (in Thai, the 'a' sound is said as the 'a' in father). Also, ph is never pronounced as the 'f' sound as in photo, like in English.

 

I/me, you, us, them, him, her:

Phom ® (sl-poem) is what males say to refer to themselves (I/me).

Chun* (h) (sl-shan) is how females refer to themselves (I/me).

Koon* (m) (sl- coon) is the word for 'you'.

Rao* (m) (rw- cow) is the word for 'us'.

Khao* (h) (sl-cow) is the word for he, she, them, they, her, him. Make sure you say with a high, short tone, as this word can mean many things.

Man* (m) (rw- ron) is the word for 'it'. If used in context of a person, it's like you are referring to them as an 'it', instead of a person. It is a common insult, and bargirls can call you this behind your back as a joke when with her friends, so be aware if you're hearing this from her often when she's speaking to someone else. To avoid any mistakes on your part, we will not include any lessons for you to be using this word.

Thoe (m) (sl- ter) This is an informal word for 'you'. Two intimate people might call each other this, instead of 'koon', and is often heard in Thai songs. If going L/T with a girl, might want to try it, and she if she picks up with it.

 

Falang, poo-chai, poo-ying

Falang (m) (sl- just as it looks, with the 'a' as in 'father). Falang is what Thai's call a foreigner. It's not a negative word. You'll hear it a lot, and in fact, use it yourself.

Poo-chai* (m) (sl- puu-chinese, without the 'nese') Poo-chai can mean man, or boy. Generic term when you don't know the guys name. "Poo-ying just told me store is closing".

Poo-ying (m) (sl- puu-ying) Poo-ying can mean woman, or girl. Generic term when you don't know the girls name". Puu-ying just told me store is closing".

 

Well, these are some of the basics you need to know to get started. And don't be scared off by the 'tones' issue. The Thai people will understand you are a newbie to their language, and will understand you making mistakes. They almost always will have a great appriciation of the fact you are making the attempt to do so.

 

Understanding the above is basic stuff that you will need to understand before proceeding. The other lessons will address simple phrases, slang, verbs, and small dictionary.

 

 

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:: :grinyes::grinyes:

 

I'll take your last post as an approval marker for said work. :: The next to come is what you're really looking for, though. Got a little side-tracked tonight, but should have 'phrase lesson' done in a few days, to accomodate the 20,000 needy punters encroaching upon LOS daily. :grinyes:

 

HT

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