Phrase Of The Day

[Pescator]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Ajarnski:

It's pretty easy to remember. Just use "dai" just as you would the English word " capable of/able to "

For example: Dai Yin - Capable of/able to hear (heard)

Dai Dyou: Capable of/able to see (saw)

Mai Dai is just the opposit: Unable to/Incapable of

IE: Mai Dai Yin: Unable to hear (Didn't hear/haven't heard)

Again these are just general rules. But for a non-native speaker, we Thais don't expect you to know all the finer points of the language.

---

I think you a simplyfying the meaning of Dai a bit.

Besides from meaning Uanable to or Incapable of, Dai also is used as an auxiallary verb BEFORE the main verb to indicate the past tense or present perfect tense.

Therefore: Pom pai mai dai = I cannot go

Pom mai dai pai = I didn`t go.

Dai has a number of other meanings. IE an important budddhist expression:

tham dee dai dee, tham chua dai chua.

If you do a good deed you will be rewarded equivalently and the other way around.

In this context it means get or obtain.

[Guest]

One handy phrase for all farang is the response to touts on the street who ask 'where you go?'.

They ask this as a direct translation of bpai nai? (go where?) - which really is the Thai equivalent of us asking 'how are you going' i.e you don't want a literal reply.

If you don't want to stop, or be rude and ignore them, a good answer is bpai toola.

It translates as 'go business', but it's like saying 'i'm busy'.

[Guest]

Originally posted by seeker:

"One handy phrase for all farang is the response to touts on the street who ask 'where you go?'... If you don't want to ... be rude and ignore them, a good answer is bpai toola."

Why should you answer them at all? It's not all that rude not to answer. Most Thais would just ignore the person in question. In your own country, would you answer someone who lurks at a street corner and asks "How are you?"??

[Guest]

Could someone help translate "a leopard never changes its spots" ? (or the Thai phrase meaning the same or similar)

[Guest]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Blackie:

Could someone help translate "a leopard never changes its spots" ? (or the Thai phrase meaning the same or similar)

---

This may be helpful Blackie.

'luuk seua luuk jarakay'

ลูกเสือลูกจระเข้ the meaning is something like you can't change what is. Literally it's simply translated as 'baby tiger, baby crocodile'. But it's meaning is more something like; as babies, crocodiles and tigers are harmless but they will grow and be what they are.

===========================

cheers

Dan

[Lamock Chokaprret]

Mushroom originally posted:

quote:

---

mai dai bi = not can go

---

I had a problem with this phrase. Normally I'd thought:

bpy mai dai = cannot go

and I'd never heard 'mai dai bpy'!

So I consulted the long-haired dictionary and she indicated that you can indeed say 'mai dai bpy' but the meaning is slightly different. From her I gleaned:

bpy mai dai = cannot go (due to some restraint)

mai dai bpy = cannot go (can go but don't want or need to)

Restraints can be physical (i.e., no transportation) or mental (e.g., because of some fear associated with going - like embarrasing someone). All in all quite unclear but seemingly has no impact on tense.

Can substitute other verbs such as 'phuut,' 'tahm,' etc. and have similar meaning. I'm still looking for clarification on this one, but I think 'bpy mai dai' is the much more common of the two expressions.

[Guest]

How about maybe the bai bit is less important so it can be tacked on to the front or rear of the sentence.

mai dai is the important part, so the rest of the sentence is able to revolve around it.

dai isn't the only word that can move around.

tammai hew kao why are u hungry?

hew kao tammai u are hungry, why?

In my example of dai in an earlier message I was just saying how in some sentences it's more commonly said one way and in other sentences it's said another.

[Guest]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Lamock Chokaprret:

...So I consulted the long-haired dictionary ...

mai dai bpy = cannot go (can go but don't want or need to)

---

Not so.

Hi,

Oh dear, these long-haired dictionaries are a good source of confusing information at times, but here goes; this is quite simple I hope.

mai dai pai = I didn't go

pai mai dai = Cannot go (due to whatever circumstance)

2 rather different meanings.

In the first example the use of 'dai' in front of the verb indicates the past tense and is much more commonly used only in the negative (with negative 'mai'word) as it is in our example - mai dai pai- meaning "didn't go"

..So used like this "mai dai", the meaning is still dependent on the position with relation to the verb. "mai dai" placed in front of the verb means "did not" and this is very widely used.

mai dai kin = I didn't eat

mai dai pai= I didn't go

mai dai korhok = I didn't lie

mai dai jai ngern = I didn't spend money..

BUT...

"mai dai" placed after the verb in question simply means "cannot", "could not", etc.

Pai mai dai = I cannot go.

Ahtit nah pai mai dai = next week i cannot go

pai teeow disco mai dai = I can't go to the disco..

(note this use of "dai" or "mai dai" coming after the verb does not mean can or can't' in the sense of physical ability ("pen" is used for that), but as Lamock pointed out in the sense of circumstance and something restricting you. So you couldn't say "kub rot mai dai" and take it to mean "i can't drive (you are not capable of driving a car). Perhaps you are very able but a broken arm is stopping you or whatever...you haven't got a car maybe!!!

 

Anyway......i hope this is clear enough

Cheers,

Dan

[CondomKing]

Scum_Baggio wrote: "Why should you answer them at all? It's not all that rude not to answer. Most Thais would just ignore the person in question. In your own country, would you answer someone who lurks at a street corner and asks "How are you?"??"

Yes, maybe most Thais would, but, as I'm sure you know, if you are not walking with purpose in Pat Pong these guys will get in you face and usually will not let up without some kind of verbal response. A somewhat chilly "Mai ow" (I don't want) usually works.

Also, in my own country, I think I would definitely answer some one lurking on the corner who asks, "How are you?" if the next thing out of his mouth was, "And would you like to see a Pussy Show?" Maybe, "No thanks, man", would be the called for response.

Anyway, if we're talking literal translations, I do get your point, hope you get mine.

[Lamock Chokaprret]

Will consult the dictionary again on this because I'm still confused. Not saying you're wrong though. They may not be blondes but they can still be pretty confusing.