anyone speak thai?

[Hello Hello]

Exactly Mike,

When I speak with the misses, she has adjusted to me and the way I speak and does understand when I dont nail it exactly. But thats the whole problem, in me thinking that I have got my point across and believing I have said it correctly, when in fact I have probably said something totally different and not being corrected on it.

Rule number 1, dont learn from your misses.

 

[t.n.h]

Please visit http://brennihelvete.com/speakthai.html here you find good stuff.

39 days untill im back iiiiihhhhhhaaaaaa

 

[__sanja_____]

I tend to agree with DM. The language is completely different to what a westerner can even imagine. The english alphabet or way of speaking cannot express the sounds 100 % correctly. In asia ( not just thailand ) the language is based on tones and not sounds and we all know at this seforum.xxxe that the same word written in english alphabet will not always be spoken correctly.

We also need to take into account that we all come from different countries and speak different languages. I speak english and dutch and have dictionaries in both languages i.e. dutch/thai and english/thai and the pronunciation is different in both. The only way I have found to be able to be understood is to spend the time and effort to practice while you are there.

Jimmy

 

[sayed]

SAME SAME......
BUT ENOUGH TO GET BY...........
JONNY

 

[XlenaX]

Of course, you are correct. Khao is the correct transliterated English spelling of the Thai word, because if spelled kao, then it should be pronounced more like "gow" than "cow". For some reason, my English Thai dictionary that I was looking at when I wrote kao, doesn't use standard transliteration, although I have seen an awful lot of different kinds of transliteration, so I guess it isn't surprising.

Transliteration is a funny thing which results in some hilarious pronunciations of Thai words by farangs with their phrasebooks in hand. It's no wonder that Thais think farangs are stupid! Katoey is a good example. Doesn't even sound remotely like "ka-toe-ee" when said correctly!!

 

[bluareochick8]

"sa Thai" --- you mean "pasah Thai" --- means Thai language.

Sorry, not to be a stickler, just trying to help!

 

[puppy]

bottle = koo-ad
glass = gaew
check bill = kep tang
water = nam
ice = nam yen
hot = rohn
cold = yen
large = yai
small = lek
and = lae
with = gab
hotel = rong raem
room = hong
open = bperd
close = bpid
bathroom = hong nam (lit.. water room)
shower = ab-nam
to go = bpai
to come = maa
I (me) = phom (m) chan (f) ... my(mine) = khong phom/chan
You = khun .. your = khong khun
he (him) = kao .. his = khong kao
she (her) = ter .. hers = khong ter
us = rao .. our = khong rao
them = puak-kao .. their = khong puak-kao
it = man .. its = khong man
alone = kon di-aow
together = du-ai-gan
each other (one another) = gan
night = keun
tonight = keun nee
all night (LT) = tang keun
day = wan
today = wan nee
all day = tang wan
tomorrow = prung nee
how much? = tao rai?
too much = paeng pai

MOST IMPORTANT
1,000 baht = neung paan baht
200 baht = song roi baht

 

[Pompal 09.]

This is so true! There have been times when Thais give me those blank looks or look at me like I'm an idiot. One girl, her name was Da, I met her after not seeing her for a year. She asked if I remembered her name. I did remember that her name was Da, so I said yes. She said, "OK, what is it?" I said, "Da." Granted, I never got it in the first place what the tone was supposed to be, so I took a shot in the dark and tried high tone.

She immediately makes a face and starts whining and pouting, "Oh, you don't even remember my name. You don't remember me. How could you forget me so easy? You said you liked me," and so on, really making a big deal about that I had forgot her name.

I was baffled, because I was sure her name was Da. Could I be going crazy, I thought? So I said, "Hey, settle down. I'm sorry if I forgot. What is your name?"

"Da," she says. Got the tone wrong. You would think she could have figured it out. For the way she carried on, I might have just as well had called her Rumplestiltskin. Could have given me a little credit for being close, but to her ears, I was not even close, missed it by a mile. It never occurred to her that I really did remember her name, but had only made the mistake of mispronouncing it.

When these things happen, I often think, "Hey, if you could only hear the way your English sounds to me!"

Once a BG asked me if I had HIV. Nice to know she's being careful. Only one who ever did ask me. But it was a small miracle that I figured out what she meant to say after several repetitions. The way she said it was like "Ekkawee."

 

[Chauncey Q. Buttercup]

Yes Jaybee , just an error on my part , i did know that but thanks for spotting the error and correcting me you picky bastard ..haha

 

[seahorse02]

You are right on the money as always Mike.
I have experienced this time and again, I just start to think that i put as much effort as i can to embrace their language and culture but they don't seem to want to help me out a little.
Personally i think it comes down to the fact that bg's in particular don't really want us to learn as this prevents them from saying what they want to say while we remain blissfully ignorant.

 

[dobermann lover]

''No Pom pem'' & ''we go loom?'' are my particular favourites

 

[Harry]

What's "NO Pom pem" mean?

 

[Jsgirl]

how old are you ? - R U Tao Rai
Khor Toht - Excuse me / Sorry.
Bai Nai - Where you going?
Yak Bai - I like to go to ....
Mai Ow - I don't want (for those tuk tuk f*ckers with their photos)
Ow Mai - you want?
Mai Mee - I don't have
Shun Lurk Ter - I Love You
Kit Teung - I miss you
Tee nai - Where?
Pohm Chop Koon - I like you
Koon yak bai gup pohm - Would you like to go with me..
*important one* --- MAI COW JAI - I don't Understand.

I have been trying to piece all the words that I have learnt when I was in thailand.. And I have gotten pretty good at it. I think ..

I used www.learningthai.com for reference as well, nice resource. Just trying to help out.. good luck out there..!!

 

[DayiTh!nkz Bill ist Sexxi]

HI WILDONE.
NOT BEING A STICKLER.
BUT I LOVE YOU IS....PHOM RAK KHUN..........MAN
CHAN RAK KHUN.......GIRL
MAI KOW JAI..........NOT COW.......
JONNY

 

[amtserg]

Ter is 'you' same as 'khun'

Chan is the female 'I'

I suggest WildOne is more used to hearing it than saying it..........

 

[Casm]

ter is she/her
kao .. he/him

 

[Pompal 09.]

I think "no problem"

 

[Thi]

Try here: http://www.sattaya.de/

This site teaches you Thai pharses as well as pronoucation.

 

[Big Yoda]

Chuck wow = Yeerk Off

Allways good to know hahaha

cs//

 

[black&proud]

Neither ter nor kao are gender specific.

Kao means he/him or she/her. It also means they, but puak-kao is sometimes used for they to avoid confusion. Usually when written, puak-kao will be used but in conversation, kao often can mean they.

Ter is a word which has often confused me so I asked my teacher very specific questions about it. Basically, she said that it can mean he, she, or you. Ter and kao are similar, except that kao doesn't mean you. I was not aware that ter could be used to mean they, but I just consulted my dictionary(Thai-English, English-Thai, 3rd edition, Paiboon Publishing) which defines ter as you, he, him, she, her, they or them.

I asked my teacher this question, "If someone told me, "Chan rak ter," how would I know if they were saying "I love you" or "I love him." She said that it would depend on the relationship you had with the person, the context of the conversation and the look in her eyes and sound of her voice when she said it to you, and if those things didn't make it clear, then you would just have to ask her. The reason I asked the question was that in April a BG wrote this in Thai in my notebook. I still don't know to this day who she meant, me or someone else.