Common "particles" that end/change sentences

[Guest]

She probably would only like Gritz if she was from the south of Thailand, anyway! Dr. Pepper too!

[markle]

True, I've never thought of it like that.

 

 

 

In fact thinking about what I would say I very rarely use 'mai' or 'rue' in real life. I tend to used 'ËÃ×Ãà»ÅèÒ'(rueplao) or just 'à»ÅÒ' instead of 'äËÃ'(mai) and 'ÅêÃ'(la?) instead of 'ËÃ×Ã'(rue)

 

One again I find textbook Thai has little relation to how people, especially younger people, speak in everyday life.

[Crash999]

"1a) A similar one to Na is Wa. Seems to be used mostly among women of lower status when speaking to a peer in an informal setting. You'll often hear, "Arai wa?" instead of "Arai na?""

 

 

 

LOL!!!! Women of lower status when speaking with a peer in an informal setting like......... in....... a bar perhaps? =) Actually this is often used by guys and is a bit rough. Sort of like the ending 'yo' in Japanese for all you nihongo fans out there.

 

 

 

"2) Si. Apart from emphasis can also be used to turn a request into a mild command. "Pai si" means "Go away!""

 

 

 

My first lesson using this particle was 'pai chok wow si!' (go fly a kite... though it means 'go choke your chicken')...

 

 

 

Related to this, which I don't think anyone has mentioned, is the polite form 'tur'. As in 'pai tur' which is more imploring whereas 'si' is more demanding. So therefore 'pbai chok wow tur' would be like (please go have a wank).

 

 

 

"3) Leuy. "Altogether," or "not at all." Not really a particle. (Not that I mind discussing it in this thread, just making the distinction.)"

 

 

 

Leuy just makes the sentence have more impact, whether it be positive or negative. 'mai chop' vs 'mai chop leuy' being 'I don't like it' vs 'I don't like it at all'. Or aroi maak vs aroi maak leuy meaning 'it's tasty' vs 'its completely tasty' (ok doesn't work so well in English...)

 

 

 

"4) Jang. Colloquial way to emphasize an adjective. My favorite use for this word is, "Khun joop geng jang." (Well, there's another one I like even more but I won't mention it in this section :-).) Can be used with any adjective and has a nice ring to it. "

 

 

 

I only ever hear chicks say 'jang' and avoided it after I was told it makes me sound like a katoey. See thread on how not to sound like a chick/katoey.

 

 

 

"5) Sa. Never heard of it"

 

 

 

Me neither. Could be a colloquialism? Like 'di' is the Isaan equivalent of 'si'.

 

 

 

No idea about ha either.

 

 

 

"7) Ja. No clue, but I've heard it. Often in Thai chat rooms."

 

 

 

It's used instead of kha/khrup when talking to your tirak to make you sound sweet. Hence the words you don't want to hear are, "Tirak, jaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, ...." meaning that she's about to ask you for something. It's even worse then the girl is massaging your arm and your shoulder (usually just one) as she says that to you.

 

 

 

"9) Rue? (Lue?) (rising tone). Apart from being a question word in full sentence, can be used to express a mild surprise when you listen to another person. An equivalent of "Really?", "Is that right", "Is that so?""

 

 

 

It's like an english non-sequitor, "So are you going or...?" It can be more polite, as in "sa bai dee ru?" often learned by entry-level students on day 1. Saying 'rue?' by itself is a way of saying 'yeah?' in conversation.

 

 

 

How about:

 

 

 

10) Noi... Belittling oneself (but not really) in order to make a request. Last time I heard it was at a very bad Thai pop concert when a female singer told the crowd 'khaw siang noi' asking the crowd 'all my homies in the front lemme hear ya say hoooooooooo'

 

 

 

11) Ror/Lor? As far as I can understand, it's the slangy equivalent of rue? You'll especially hear "Women of lower status when speaking with a peer in an informal setting" saying lorrrrrrrrrrr???? when listening to a particularly juicy story.

 

 

 

12) Towoi!!!! No idea what this means except it gets a laugh whenever I use it. Closest I've figured out is that it means something like 'you betcha feckin ass thats right' as in a DJ saying 'DJ Spida yuu tooo woiiiiii' but I think you have to be a teenager to use it correctly.

 

 

 

13) Nyeeaah- a random very nasal ending put onto just about every single sentence by some college chicks. It's like Thai valley girl talk. "Yuu nai nyeeeahhhh?"

 

 

 

14) Uuey- Not sure about this one- I hear it sometimes when my female office staff talks with someone else they know and typically it's added to 'pben arai' as in 'pben arai uuey'... I'll ask them tomorrow as they'll be surprised I'm listening that close. =)