Sentence patterns

[hall]

Help!!

Could any 'cunning linguist' help with the following:

ผู้ชายกำลังอ่านหนังสือ

ผู้ขายกำลังเต้นรำอยู่

My learning CD translates these as

man reading book

man dancing

My CD (Rosetta Stone) has many similar examples sometimes using 'อยู่ ' at the end of

a sentence, other times not doing so. Why???

Thanks Hall.

[Guest]

Hall,

The rule to this use of continuous tense has often confused me. It appears that either can be used without the other to denote continuous tense. Both function as auxiliary verbs - "กำลัง" being the auxiliary verb before the main verb and "อยู่" coming after the verb or after the subject if there is one... eg. "เขากำลังจีบผู้หญิงอยู่" (..he is flirting with the girl) or with no subject after the verb.. "เขากำลังจีบอยู่" (..he is flirting). But in common speech I think one would more often just hear "เขาจีบผู้หญิงอยู่" without the 'gamlang'.

"อยู่", my book states, is not used if the verb is one indicating physical movement from one place to another...

This makes sense. You would hear "เขากำลังไปโรงเรียน" - (He is going to school), but wouldn't hear it with the "อยู่" on the end.

cheers,

Dan

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[Lamock Chokaprret]

While I don't read Thai, I suspected the nature of your question regarding use of 'yoo' and confirmed it with the help of my long-haired dictionary.

My understanding that 'gam-lang' is used with either 'bpy' or 'mah' depending on direction of motion to from the speaker. 'Yoo' (stay) can be used (optionally) in most any other case. The problem is that sometimes there's some subtleties regarding ones comings and goings.

A less than subtle example has to do with a phone call.

gam-lang tor tor-a-sap bpy - calling (out)

gam-lang tor tor-a-sap mah - calling (in)

My girlfriend says it's usually 'good' to include 'yoo' rather than omit it. Meaning it's more correct.

I'm still something of newbie with the language so don't take my word as gospel.

[Guest]

In most cases กำลัง and อยู่ can be used singly

or together I think it depends on personal

preference and to give some extra intonation

or emphasis on the -ing. Also to keep rhythm

in the sentence I think its important to note how thais construct their sentences

and look at how they've put it together,

be careful because male and female speech can be different and if you learn from listening to females you can end up using a lot of female female speech patterns.

You hear a lot of farangs using female or worse still very low class female patterns that any thai knows was learnt in a bar

[hall]

Dan,LC and Noo,

 

Many thanks for your assistance.

Cheers Hall.

[hall]

Dan,LC and Noo,

 

Many thanks for your assistance.

Cheers Hall.