What do you chat with your Thai friends?

[christianpfc]

What do you chat with your Thai friends?

(This applies to people who have a Thai boyfriend and lead a long distance relationship or have Thai friends they regularly chat with via MSN or skype or call on the phone. Not email or messages on gayromeo or facebook.)


Very happy i'm going back to Thai next week and seeing my bf..we talk on line every day but not seen him since jan

I wonder what you talk about every day.

I have chats on MSN or skype (so we can see and hear each other) with a few Thai friends, and once every two weeks for each friend is enough for me. There is simply not much to talk about: the weather, where are you now, what did you do today, when do you come back to Thailand and a few other subjects. I must admit that IтАЩm donтАЩt converse much with my family, and if then exclusively via email. Chats with my Thai friends have gaps that I fill by reading on the computer or a book (I canтАЩt just sit there and look at the screen wainting for something to happen).

Here is a typical example on MSN:


15.09.2011 19:06:40 ThaiFriend -> Christian hELLO
15.09.2011 19:07:27 Christian -> ThaiFriend hi
15.09.2011 19:07:51 ThaiFriend Christian how are you?
15.09.2011 19:08:11 Christian ThaiFriend I'm fine. Can we chat with cam?
15.09.2011 19:08:40 ThaiFriend Christian you want open cam
15.09.2011 19:08:43 ThaiFriend Christian ?
15.09.2011 19:08:50 Christian ThaiFriend yes
15.09.2011 19:09:30 ThaiFriend wants to start a video conversation accept (Alt+C) refuse (Alt+D)
15.09.2011 19:09:43 Sie haben die Einladung zum Starten eines Videoanrufs angenommen. Anruf beenden (Alt+Q).
15.09.2011 19:12:35 ThaiFriend Christian you don't open
15.09.2011 19:12:35 ThaiFriend Christian cam?
15.09.2011 19:12:50 Christian ThaiFriend internet is slow
15.09.2011 19:13:15 Video-Unterhaltung mit ThaiFriend wird gestartet... Anruf beenden (Alt+Q)
15.09.2011 19:13:15 ThaiFriend Christian ok
15.09.2011 19:13:27 ThaiFriend hat Ihren Videoanruf angenommen. Anruf beenden (Alt+Q).
15.09.2011 19:14:08 Christian ThaiFriend Where are you now?
15.09.2011 19:14:54 ThaiFriend Christian in room
15.09.2011 19:14:58 ThaiFriend Christian home
15.09.2011 19:15:16 Christian ThaiFriend Buriram or Pattaya?
15.09.2011 19:15:45 ThaiFriend Christian Buriram
15.09.2011 19:16:22 Christian ThaiFriend Do you go to Pattaya for your birthday?
15.09.2011 19:17:05 ThaiFriend Christian birthday in Buriram
15.09.2011 19:17:43 Christian ThaiFriend ok
15.09.2011 19:18:17 Christian ThaiFriend I go eat dinner now.
15.09.2011 19:18:42 ThaiFriend Christian dinner where
15.09.2011 19:18:51 Christian ThaiFriend in kitchen
15.09.2011 19:19:03 ThaiFriend Christian ok
15.09.2011 19:19:11 Christian ThaiFriend good night
15.09.2011 19:19:20 ThaiFriend Christian ok

[colmx]

When i am Ireland i usually call BF 3-4 times a day
I have a "Tesco" branded sim card that allows me to call him at 1c per minute

Usually call when i am walking to work each day... that is around 3PM his time this call is around 5 minutes
Also call at my lunch time... if time allows, that is around 7PM his time this call too is around 5 minutes
Short call when i finish work - usually after midnight his time
And a call before a sleep - usually a longer call... if he is awake!

At the weekends the calls are usually longer... if both of us are in the right humour!

Of course this all depends on whether he is staying in Issan or Bkk/pattaya at the time and have been doing this maybe 10 years now

What do we talk about?
Usually its about whatever drama is going on in his life (or occasionally mine)
Other topics: boys, friends, family, making holiday or visa plans, movies/DVDs, facebook, fight about money, fight about boys etc

The odd weather conversations usually centre around Thailand=hot or heavy rain., Ireland = colds and constant rain!

Can be monotonous at times... but would really miss our chats if they were not in my life

[anonone]

I use skype with a "subscription" for Thailand. About $12 USD a month for unlimited calls to Thai phone numbers, including mobiles.

We usually talk 3 times a day. Once in the morning, once at night, and once in the middle of the day. As I am in the USA, this works pretty well to Thailand time, as there is a 12 hour difference.

I think it is like any conversation with a boyfriend. Sometimes it is about family stuff, sometimes about friends. Could be talk of the raid in Sunee or how fucking hot it was at the farm. Buddha days, birthday parties, broken air conditioners and on and on.

I think it is much different with a BF than trying to just "chat" with a friend. The transcript you posted seems like a chat with a stranger. How are you, how is the weather, I go eat.
This is much more like checking in with some friends we have in Thailand. How you doing, when you coming back, I now work here....

After 2 years together, we have much more to talk about.

Most of the time it is chatter, nothing earth shaking. But I am with colmx on this one, I would miss it a lot if we didn't talk so often.

It allways makes our day nicer when we have chatted to each other
we talk about all sorts of things ....what we have been doing today..what our friends are doing..what movies we watched ...what we eat...updates on man city....music we've been listening to.....lots of joking with each other...we allways make each other laugh ....love talk...we never get bored..i think we have very similer personalty's so were like long time friends
i think our love and friendship is more important than the sex.

[francois]

Wow! Three calls to bf in one day; and love talk also. Me, one call a week for 5 minutes to the bf.

[Khor tose]

Hell, I live with mine and between his job, his friends and my friends you do better then I do some weeks. :scratch:

[martin911]

I think the most important factor in this question is to what degree of english (or Thai ) that each other knows !!-this of course influences all aspects of potential topics

If its limited then you will get the type of conversation that Christian refers too in his post

If the Thai boy is pretty fluent(as in Colmxs case ) then its easy to have normal type conversations --- about anything and everything

My own Bf is quite fluent also (i als buy one of those talking dics from tukom --find it helps a guys to understand enormously )
When i met him first he had not a stick of english----- then was pretty good after 6 months (there were 2 other eng speaking boys in house at that time which helped him a lot) --
As he spends a lot of time with me i find we will talk about the widest range of topics over the course of a day
-from the new cute coyote in Nab -- what his friends doing in bkk -mad stuff from youtube - -some news topics from tv (either he or me will ask each other to clarify what is going on depending which news channel it is ) -- his family -my business stuff -cars etc etc
-lady gaga (that came up yest lol and i said NO -not at 3k a ticket )

We talk about everything -even our exs !
Oh forgot to mention --we are both quiet fiery so we can fight a lot too --but its never boring :happy7: :happy7:

Ive seen that some guys will pick up english and be keen to learn and others ive come across are just too lazy to bother !!
Above im referring to only spoken conservations !!

With some of my other thai friends the conversation will be limited to sex/boys /.going out/ mao --usual run of the mill boring stuff

[francois]

My own Bf is quite fluent also (i als buy one of those talking dics from tukom --find it helps a guys to understand enormously )


What is a a talking dics?

[cameroncat]

I usually talk for a short time each evening via Skype with my guy. Conversation can get a bit slow even though he speaks excellent english. I supply him with a weekly copy of GLEE and AMERICAN IDOL via Dropbox which gives us something to talk about. He loves those shows...
If you and your Thai guy both have smartphones with a data plan, you can talk for free with apps such as "VIBER".

[martin911]

Francois --
Its a talking dictionary --

It will speak whatever word you want translated --
I think its a great item to have in the house , has helped me and whatever guy im talking with to understand so much easier !!
--and they are not so expensive -- the one i have bought in the past is in the region of 2000b

[Sooty]

If you have an iPhone you can get this talking dictionary http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/talking- ... 32067?mt=8 (http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/talking-thai-english-thai/id411632067?mt=8). However I'm with BrisbaneGuy's comment (in another thread??) - most Westerners I know have opinions that aren't worth the paper they're written on; I've absolutely no interest in listening to their opinions let alone to someone's from a totally foreign culture. Jokes, witticisms, gossip (especially political and salacious gossip), puns, put-downs - I'll never learn enough Thai to engage in my favourite activities so I won't be bothering and frankly the things that interest me most about Thai politics can get you locked up.

[martin911]

wow --you sound like a fun guy to know !!!

Or rather somebody that you should run a mile from --

You having a bad hair day or something deary ?? :laughing3: :laughing3:

[greenteaman]

I call my thai boy friend via web cam several times a week , we chat for up to 3 hours a session , I also speak to other thai friends ,

I took the time to learn the Thai language , I learnt over a 6 years period with pretty in depth study , my boy friend insists I speak Thai every time we converse to improve my skills ,and vice versa he speaks English ,

I can read Thai , [slowly] I can write THai [even more slowly ]- the point is I do it and so can you .------when I speak with my boyfriend our conversation is topical covering all areas , every thing falangs would expect to cover , including phassa kohtioy =[queen speak ]

A great many of the falangs I met in Thailand [in particular Pattaya ] since 1997 cant even speak proper English , I feel embarrassed when I hear them speaking pigeon english to Thais . [but thats a different story westerners abroad do tend to think themselves as superior to the natives and expect every one to learn English ,

its more than noticable that the majority of falangs are not interested in learning , or are too lazy , or incapable of learning a new language be it thai or what ever, and they expect thier boy friends to learn English rather than put effort in themselves to meet them half way, well your never too old take a look at the oldest owner of La Copa ,he doing really well and hes no spring Chicken

I only know of one other falang who speaks THai and Laos at my level and thats Kevin Quill , Thai is Not as difficult as people think , the context of conversation can sort the tones out , I quickly learnt that tone errors make not one hoot of a difference , I say go away you chaps learn THai forget about relying those talking dictionaries ,
I recommend Mc Farlands THai English Dictcionary ,

so there is food for thought enjoy your Chaa kiaw bay mon

[lukylok]

A great many of the falangs I met in Thailand [in particular Pattaya ] since 1997 cant even speak proper English , I feel embarrassed when I hear them speaking pigeon english to Thais . [but thats a different story westerners abroad do tend to think themselves as superior to the natives and expect every one to learn English ,



While I agree with many things you said, may I point out - as non-native english speaker - that they speak "pidgin" english and not pigeon ! :scratch:

I feel embarrassed when I hear them speaking pigeon english to Thais.

Whilst generally I agree and there's nothing more cringeworthy than someone talking down to a Thai using Pidgen English as if they are somehow stupid and if they repeat what they've just said but in Pidgen English - and very loudly that all of a sudden the Thai person will miraculously "get it" - very bad !!

However !? - and this is more of a question than a comment as I've had to revert to this myself many times perhaps whilst in Thailand where you perhaps say something random to your Thai friend such "I wonder would you and your friend like to join me tonight for a meal and then perhaps we could go on to a disco" and the guy perhaps does not understand ( although funny that's one sentence I think ALL Thai guys understand lol ) but anyway after a while you realise they aren't understanding you so you quickly alter your words to "tonight you, me, your friend we go eat then disco?" and they get it as it's easier for them to comprehend your meaning - is that a bad thing then - surely not ?

[joe552]

NIrish Guy, that's how I would speak - it seems to work for me (though not sure about the disco bit lol)

[RonanTheBarbarian]

If you have an iPhone you can get this talking dictionary http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/talking- ... 32067?mt=8 (http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/talking-thai-english-thai/id411632067?mt=8). However I'm with BrisbaneGuy's comment (in another thread??) - most Westerners I know have opinions that aren't worth the paper they're written on; I've absolutely no interest in listening to their opinions let alone to someone's from a totally foreign culture. Jokes, witticisms, gossip (especially political and salacious gossip), puns, put-downs - I'll never learn enough Thai to engage in my favourite activities so I won't be bothering and frankly the things that interest me most about Thai politics can get you locked up.


Jeez, Sooty, that app would want to be pretty damn good - it costs 25 dollars in the itunes store!

Have you used it yourself?

I would be interested in it, but at that price I would be expecting it to project a holographic image of Mario Maurer speak the translation.

[christianpfc]

A great many of the falangs I met in Thailand [in particular Pattaya ] since 1997 cant even speak proper English , I feel embarrassed when I hear them speaking pigeon english to Thais
For me, it's between amusing and cringe-worthy, but seldom embarrassing. As I spent a lot of time studying English, e.g. English - German false friends (words that sound similar, but have differnent meaning, e.g. in German a Pr├дservativ is a condom in English, not a preservative), I can sometimes back-translate wrong English into correct German and then into correct English. A friend of mine once asked for a map in a restaurant. Of course he meant the menu, in German we have one word for menu, map and postcard.

I sometimes catch myself reducing my English to pidgin when conversing with Thais. This starts with staring sentences with lower case letters and omitting full stops (periods) a the end and ends with reducing grammar. However, I dislike abbreviations like "how r u", so I don't use them.


so there is food for thought enjoy your Chaa kiaw bay mon
What?

Initial chats on camfrog can last up to two hours (in English as well as in Thai), but I try to keep subsequent chats short (as well as chats with friends from Thailand I met in real life) as there is not much to say. I prefer writing with video, it's easier to undertand and silence is not as awkward as when speaking with video. I'm just not that talkative (neither with my Thai friends nor European friends nor with my family), for me one short message per month is sufficient.

[joe552]

[
I prefer writing with video, it's easier to undertand and silence is not as awkward as when speaking with video. I'm just not that talkative (neither with my Thai friends nor European friends nor with my family), for me one short message per month is sufficient.

christian, what is the difference between writing with video and speaking with video? I know English isn't your first language, but this doesn't make any sense to me. :dontknow:

I'm guessing he means having a video web cam image up on screen but typing not speaking your words i.e. not using a mic.

And as for writing with no full stops......hell you're WAY behind the times Christian as "some" of us have been doing that for years ( much to others disgust which I love he he :-)

[christianpfc]

NIrishGuy is correct. I have microphone (in the webcam, so I can have a chat hands and ears free) and speaker and on skype I chat with a friend using them (he is online with his mobile phone, so pointing the cam to his face and writing on the phone would be difficult for him), but when a Thai friend is in an internet cafe, I prefer to write. No misunderstandings, I can read again if necessary, no problems with adjusting volume and problems with data transfer (if sound is interrupted, you can't understand, whereas interrupted video is still useful). I can sometimes hear the background noise from the headset (microphone and headphone) lying on the table.

[joe552]

I sometimes feel like an old man on this site. But most of the time I feel like a young man, which is why I go to Thailand. :party

thanks for the explanations.