AD1985 Posted October 31, 2010 Report Share Posted October 31, 2010 Hi all, I'm curious what it's like to live in Thailand without speaking Thai. I'm planning a 6-12 month long stay somewhere outside the US, most likely Thailand or Philippines. I'm a simple guy and don't care about many of the usual criteria (beer prices, shopping, restaurants, tourist/travel areas) so the choice is fairly close for me. The big differences I see are big language barriers in Thailand vs unreliable electricity, higher crime, less expat community in the Philippines. It would be nice to hear how current expats are doing out in Thailand especially if you're getting by without speaking Thai. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted October 31, 2010 Report Share Posted October 31, 2010 Why would you not want to speak Thai? Basic survival Thai is very easy to learn and plenty of expats never go beyond that: ordering a meal, telling a taxi driver where to go, basic greetings, please-thank you, numbers. You can pick that up in a day or two. But as to living here without speaking Thai, there are many expats who do so. Most Thais speak enough English to communicate with you. It is a required subject in the schools from kindergarten through university, but unfortunately is generally taught very poorly. (The English teachers in the lower grades don't even speak English themselves!) Some expats seem to feel that if you shout or speak baby talk you can be understood. If you live in an expat ghetto, you'll have no problems getting by in English. But you will also find yourself paying higher prices then elsewhere. I had a friend back in my Peace Corps days who spent 2 years working in Bangkok - and virtually the only word of Thai he knew was "biah" (beer). He had a great time nonetheless, so don't worry about it. Just jump in with both feet and see what happens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AD1985 Posted October 31, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2010 Hmm. Some of what you said puzzles me further - I've read that Thai is a relatively difficult language to learn. I Guess I could learn basic phrases in a couple days, but conversational Thai? - Why did you call an expat area a "ghetto"? I assume they would be the nicer areas. - Living in an expat area may be more expensive, but for an extended stay it helps to be around others who you can talk and relate with. I'm not saying I don't appreciate Thais but the ideal is to have a social circle of both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USVirgin Posted October 31, 2010 Report Share Posted October 31, 2010 While not being qualified to comment (having never been an expat in either place), I was gonna mention that language makes no difference for a short stay. Thailand is just about as English speaking friendly as the PI. But Tagalog is a lot easier to learn than Thai. I know 3 or 4 words by now after 25 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coss Posted October 31, 2010 Report Share Posted October 31, 2010 I'm married to a Thai, I like to spend as much time in Thailand as I can but I haven't got conversational Thai. I can point, I know about 5 numbers and can say a few choice phrases that I learnt by rote. I get by just fine. Plenty of expats (this board) to drink with and most Thais will speak a little english. True I limit myself in the depth of interaction I have but make up for it with the fun (that's Sanuk). Dive in, don't look back. Coss Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USVirgin Posted October 31, 2010 Report Share Posted October 31, 2010 I know one or two words in Thai. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Munchmaster Posted October 31, 2010 Report Share Posted October 31, 2010 So you don't know any Thai now, but if you plan to live in Thailand for 6-12 months then with a little effort you should be able to learn basic communication. Definitely helps the experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted October 31, 2010 Report Share Posted October 31, 2010 Thai is not a difficult language to learn ... unless you are tone deaf. But even if you butcher the pronunciation, Thais will understand you. A few points: verbs are always infinitives. For tenses, you add a tense indicator to the infinitive - and that's it! Same with Chinese. No learning verb conjugation and all that. Also, sentences are short. You can leave out a lot of word, and while it won't sound elegant, it will be understood. I came as a Peace Corps volunteer as a young fella. After our first week, they told us they weren't feeding us any more. We were on our own, but after just one week of Thai it wasn't a problem. After 3 weeks of Thai, they told us we were going to study half way across the country. "Here's your money and you've got 3 days to get there." We did. (I spend 2 days playing in Bangkok before going. ) The expat "ghettos" are around Sukhumwit, where the nightlife and shopping centres are. Many expats want to be close to the fun, so rents will be expensive. I live on the northern edge of Bangkok. For 10,000 baht a month I get a very large house (2 bedrooms, 3 baths). I am the only non-Thai within at least one square mile, but no sweat (my Thai is fluent). Live around Sukhumwit and you won't get a broom closet for 10,000. Even though they know I speak Thai, many Thais still try to speak English to me. They want to practice! Pilfered from a backpacker site: Greetings and some other simple phrases Hello = Sawad-dee The word "sawad-dee" is like "Ciao" in Italian. Use it to say both hello and goodbye. How are you? = Sa-bigh dee mai? I'm fine. = Sa-bigh dee. I'm not feeling well. = Migh sa-bigh. Thank you = Kawb koon I'm sorry. = Kaw tote Never mind./You're welcome. = Migh pen righ My name is.... = Pome cheu... What's your name? = Kun cheu a-righ? Yes = Chigh No = Migh chigh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mekong Posted October 31, 2010 Report Share Posted October 31, 2010 I side with Flash on this, Thai is not too difficult to pick up for the basic phrases. My problem with Thai is the fact that the little that I do know I have been told I speak it with a perfect accent (same as Queens English) and as such Thai's tend to reply to me in "Machine Gun Thai" which I don't have a snowball in hells chance of comprehending. Go to Thailand and enjoy, FFS up until 10 weeks ago I didn't speak a single word of Spanish but after being in Madrid for that time I soon picked it up. Farang Ghetto is a phrase applied to the areas of BKK where the majority of Tourists / Expats tend to stay / live, not a ghetto as such but there are better and cheaper areas of the city to be based. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelseafan Posted October 31, 2010 Report Share Posted October 31, 2010 Like U.S. Virgin I am not qualified as I am limited to a couple of trips per year, however I do try and expand my vocabulary beyond the basics as it makes conversations a lot more interesting though sitting in a bar listening to inane bar-girl speak I sometimes wonder why I bother On the whole, by learning Thai I would expect many more doors to be opened for you and if you are serious about learning to speak the language I've been told its better to learn to read and write first Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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