how many can speak thai!!

[belfastish]

like a conversation,i can say the hello ,thankyou,nice food etc,has anyone learnt it outside of thailand aswell?

are there any sites to learn a few more easy words,sites which say the words to you?

i think its nice and good to learn and try to speak the lanugage!!

[samak]

http://www.thai-language.com/

[belfastish]

cheers

[Old Hippie]

Yes, I can speak crap Thai, actually can hold a very basic conversation...er sort of...grammer is crap though...I have been studing out side of Thailand for about 4+ years...? getting better, but it is difficult. Oddly, or maybe not odd at all is I find it basically comes down to how badly a person wants/needs to understand you, and their willingness to do so.

 

Cent and I were traveling around Surin, Buri Ram and (Gulp) Si Sak** last year, did o.k. in Thai, as people were patient and made the effort to understand me. We got the food we wanted, and the directions we needed. The best fun was messing with some school kids heads who were making jokes about us, and the look on their face when I started speaking Thai to them...priceless! In fact, here are some pictures of them

 

 

 

 

In BKK and with Thais here in the USA, I find some just aren't interested in trying to help you learn, or just can't be bothered to make the effort to understand you. But then, Americans often do the same to forigners here as well...

 

What helps is watching Thai movies, listening to Thai music, and exposing yourself to as much of the language as possible. If you are interested, see if there is a Thai temple near your home, and ask if they have someone who can help you learn, or even have regular classes.

 

I can possibly send you some Interactive CDs to help you learn, let me know

[sayjann]

i have wry smile when i think of the Thai word for drunk.......mau.

 

i used to see locals after a Night out and i was always told i was mau the previous Night.

i work in a Dept which is known in an abbrevation as MAU.

 

as a visitor i have never felt the need to learn good Thai.

yes i picked up words and always asked the locals to teach me words or phrases which would come in useful during my visits.

 

i picked up many useful things but know that i have no use for them while away from LOS.

but i find the most useful words in any language are hello and thank-you.

being polite is always a good thing.

 

while i wanted to learn a few words it was difficult as many Thais wanted to speak English.

in that way they improved their language skills and more beneficial to them.

after all they mix with more English speakers then i would mix with Thai speakers.

[Flashermac]

Rule #1. Don't learn Thai in bars or from BGs. Not unless you only plan to speak Thai in bars and to BGs.

 

 

 

[sayjann]

i used to learn my basic words/phrases from all walks of life in LOS.

BG's/GTG's and Ex-Pats.....

all were a good source for learning different things.

in fact i hardly learnt any sort of Bar talk from the BG's.

they taught me more of the basic everyday stuff.......

[cavanami]

This is an excellent way to learn some basic Thai.

 

Pimsleur Thai

 

I put the courses on my MP3 player and listen/practice while in the bus, train, walking, etc.

[bust]

I know a few students here in Sydney and they tell me that they hate it when guys try to talk thai to them here. They say they come to practice english not tospeak a language they are already fluent in. As for myself, I know some basics but I think what I found more important was recognising things when they were being said. Have tried to find language school here but still searching.

[belfastish]

the hardest thing seems to be getting your voice in the correct pitch.as im from n.ireland i have quite a deep strong accent which makes it hard for me to say some words but when i try the words my voice sound completly different stupid maybe i dont know?

thats a nice offer old hippie thanks but i live miles away!!