Saying "Please"

[zanemay]

I asked my TGF how to say "please" and got an incredibly complicated answer. I asked her how to say, "Give me a beer, please." and was told it's one way if you are buying it and it's another way if it's a beer coming out of your refrigerator. But

Poat yeep bia

should work.

Is "please" contained in that phrase?

If you ask for your bill you say

Kep teng duai.

"Keep money please."

Here it is clear (maybe) "duai" is please. But is it a universal "please" or are there several different words for different situations? Or is it that Thais just don't say "please" like farangs?

Thanks for the help.

Zane May

[Guest]

Ok, I'll have a go at this one.

I'm sure 'please' is just as much a concept in Thai as it is in English though there is not one word that con be used to express it as such.

Take into consideration; 'pass me my beer please', 'he was very pleased', 'please sit down', 'can I have two drinks please', 'fuck off please will ya!' (just kidding). As you can see it is a very multi-faceted word in English. Anyway, I will attempt to break it down into the Thai equivalents.

 

POR JAI - พอใจ - (to be satisfied) but can be related as please.....as in, 'kow por jai mak' - เขาพอใจมาก - 'he was very pleased.'

 

NOY - หน่อย, low tone and adverb meaning , 'a little' - not to be confused with the other NOY - น้อย, the adjective (small, little, tiny etc.).

'Noy' is used at the end of a sentence to somewhat soften down a command and somewhat has the effect of please as in;

'Chuay song beer phom noi - ช่วยส่งเบียร์ผมหน่อย - 'please pass me my beer.'

Or, 'Ow beer kuwat nee pai hai pooying sexy khon nun noi khrup..' - เอาเบียร์ขวดนี้ไปให้ผู้หญū 6;งเซคซีคนนั้นหน่อยครับ - 'Can you Please take this beer and give it to that sexy girl.'

 

There is also CHERN, เชิญ - Which is the verb 'to invite'.

This is used when you ask someone to do something, but more as an invitation.. 'chern nung' - เชิญนั่ง - 'please sit down.'

Or, 'chern kow mah' - เชิญเข้ามา - 'please come in.'

Or, simply just offering a cigarette or beer.....'chern soop' - เชิญสูบ - 'please have a smoke!'

Or, chern ghin khrup - เชิญกินครับ - 'please have (drink) this beer!'

 

KOR -ขอ- 'I would like', but also is a form of 'please' I guess, but probably best used with the NOY on the end also. Again, referring to my little book here it says - "It is a much less abrupt way of asking for something than to use 'ow mah', เอามา 'bring'." Example: 'kor poot gup pooying khon nun noy khrup' - ขอพูดกับผู้หญิงคนนั้นหน่อũ 8;ครับ - 'Can I please speak to that girl.'

 

Probably the closest related word to please (or so my book says) is PROHT - โปรด - which it translates as "will you please". I haven't heard this in speech but have seen it in signs as on the skytrain station steps.. 'proht dern chit kwa' - โปรดเดินชิดขวา - 'please walk close to the right'. My book also says, "In conversation it sounds rather formal and is not very much used except in certain cases where it becomes a mild form of order" Example: 'proht nung tee nee' -โปรดนั่งที่นี่ - 'Please sit here.' or 'proht fung' - โพรดฟัง - 'please listen'

 

Another more formal word and not often heard in speech... (except for those damn automated telephone operaters!!) is GAROONAH -กรุณา- which my dictionary translates as; 'to be kind, or kindly'. But I'd always interpreted it as 'please'..... as in - 'garoonah ror sugkroo' - กรุณารอสักครู่ - 'please wait a moment...'

Or, I have read in public bathrooms that had an English translation also 'garoona rak-sah kwahm sa-aht' - กรุณารักษาความสะอาด - 'please take care of cleanliness' .. keep clean and tidy. This also appears on public garbage bins, and school grounds I've noticed.

So, PLEASE, is this enough? I'm sure I haven't covered the full spectrum of 'please' I'm sure some others can add to this, or correct me where I may be wrong.

cheers,

Dan

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[luckyfarang]

A very good question. For a people as incredibly polite as the Thais, you rarely ever hear the actual word "please". I assume this word is mainly written, not spoken.

 

PROHT(l) "please"

GA(l)-ROO-NAH "kindly"

These words are rather formal and rarely heard in speaking. Thai people use one or several of the following words to soften up a request without using the formal word for please.

 

Helping words:

NOI(l)(a little), DUAI(f)(also), CHOOAI(f)(help), DAI(F) MAI(h)(could you?),KHAW®(beg)

GA(l)-ROO-NAH PERT PRA(l)-TOO Kindly open the door.

GEP(l) TAANG DUAI(f) Check please! I think this is Northern dialect although would be understood elsewhere. In other regions I always hear CHEK BIN!

KHAW® BIA NOI(l) A little beer, please? Literally "beg a little beer".

KHAW® BIA NOI(l), DAI(f) MAI(l) KHAP(H)? Could you get me a little beer please?

CHOOAI(f) is generally used when requesting a person to do something, and KHAW® is generally used when you are requesting permission to do something.

KHAW® YUEM MAW(f) KHAO(f), DAI(f) MAI(h) KHAP(h) Could I please borrow your rice pot?

CHOOAI(f) PERT(l) FAI "Please turn on the light". Literally "help turn on the light".

You also need to be aware when these helping words reflect their literal meaning and don't mean "please":

PAI DUAI(f) "Go with you" or "go together". PAI CHOOAI(f) KHUN PAW(f) "Go help your father".

CHOOAI(f) DUAI(f)!! This widely heard phrase is a bit idiomatic. It can mean anything from "a little assistance, please" to "Help, I'm drowning!"

[ August 18, 2001: Message edited by: luckyfarang ]

[Guest]

I don't think "gep tang duay" is Northern dialect. It's a bit more informal than "chek bin". For example, if you had just eaten a bowl of noodles from a street vendor, you would probably say "gep tang duay" rather than "check bin". Also "check bin" is a more recent expression, and older people are more likely to use "gep tang duay" than "check bin".

[Lamock Chokaprret]

I've used 'ga-roo-nah' a couple of times in speech and the reaction it elicits can be pretty comical. It's almost like a 'super-please.' The reaction is the listener will try to do almost anything to accomplish your request. I've read that it is used nearly exclusively in written Thai.

Another expression for 'check, please' appears to be 'kit ngun.' I'm told it is more formal and polite.

[Guest]

Originally posted by Lamock Chokaprret:

"I've used 'ga-roo-nah' a couple of times in speech and the reaction it elicits can be pretty comical. It's almost like a 'super-please.'"

It certainly is. "Garuna" stems from Sanskrit "karuna", which means compassion, pity and mercy. Who would't be moved by that!

[shamus]

Zane May, l think you will find it is actually Gep Dung, Dung being slang word for money, otherwise it would be Ngern.

l believe dung is used more by issarn folk

And Mr Dan, you have come along way with you studing, you surprise me!!!!!!!!!!

most likely to many women to practise with!!!!!

Shamus

[Guest]

Originally posted by shamus:

"l think you will find it is actually Gep Dung, Dung being slang word for money, otherwise it would be Ngern.

"Gep tung (tang)" would be more correct. It's short (and colloquial) for "satang", which is "money" as well as, well, Satang.

The Satang, the smallest Thai monitary unit, is derived from Sanskrit "shatam"(one hundred), which is also the root of Latin "centum" and Engl. "cent". Sorry, I'd mentioned that before in some other language post.

"Ngoen" of course means "silver" as well as "money".

[Guest]

Also KOR RORNG is even stronger than ga-ru-nah and is what you can use when all other 'please' words fail, it's more like pleading or begging for something. The same words in another context mean 'I want to sing !'

[ August 18, 2001: Message edited by: Iaxia ]

[Guest]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Iaxia:

Also KOR RORNG is even stronger than ga-ru-nah and is what you can use when all other 'please' words fail

---

Sure, literally speaking you are asking permission to bellow! Quite far removed from 'please'.

 

'rorng' has a meaning on it's own, as a tiger will 'rorng' and an elephant will 'rorng' emitting it's natuaral animal sound. Even a human will 'rorng hai'(cry) and 'give' its natural animal sound. It's often lazily used as the abbreviation of 'rorng phleng' - to sing.