Mai dai vs mai pen

[golyadka]

Chlp said:

Except, it is my understanding that dai / mai dai is commonly used for ability, not just circumstance.

 

E.g. "Poot pasaa Angrit mai dai" means, "I cannot [do not know how to] speak English", rather than "I know how to speak English but the circumstance is such that I won't speak it."

I think we are both right!

The formally correct way of saying 'I don't speak English' is (to my understanding) 'puut paasaa angrit mai bpen', but as also noted in my original post 'daai' is commonly used instead of 'bpen' in spoken Thai (and I guess the spoken language is what we really care about here)...

 

To quote from "Fundamentals of the Thai Language" by Stuart Campbell and Chuan Shaweevongs:

 

The word PEN (See Lesson 2) also has the meaning of ?can? and in certain cases can be used instead of DAAI.

 

The difference between DAAI and PEN is that DAAI assumes you have the knowledge or ability to do something but implies that some other conditions may prevent you, whereas PEN relates more to the fundamental ability to do something.

 

WAI NUM PEN MAI

Can you (Do you know how to) swim?

 

WAI NUM MAI PEN

I can?t (Don?t know how to) swim.

 

PROONG NEE MAH WAI NUM DAAI MAI

Can you (come for a) swim tomorrow?

 

PROONG NEE WAI NUM MAI DAAI

I can?t (go for a) swim tomorrow.

 

G. ::

[iuytrede]

i cannot (don't know how to) read/write/swim/drive - PEN, even in colloquial speech