Learning passa Thai

[Oliver2]

No doubt the archivists will tell me that we've discussed this before....but what the heck, I'm stuck here thousands of miles away and, for the moment, have nothing better to do.

Learning Thai. How many of us can speak Thai a little? comfortably?. or fluently? After two years of travelling to Thailand, I took out a CD course in spoken Thai, a collection which I played constantly in my car. I was able to pick-up some basic comments, enough to answer the Big Three Questions...." What's your name? Where do you come from? Where you stay?" in a manner which appeared to impress my chosen companion.

But that was it. I hit a full-stop and was reminded just how damn useless I was at school with languages- French, Latin, Greek- subjects that I staggered through with embarrassing 'O' level results.

When P came along, I thought that it would provide a good opportunity to pick-up some more Thai. After all, he was forever nagging me to forgo my favoured Thinglish and speak "proper" English to him.

Would he assist me? No. While he had described my faltering Thai as "cute" when he was merely an offed guy, now he was embarrassed by my mistakes. Or worse, amused. My pronunciation of " naam kaeng" (Ice) provided twenty minutes of merriment on a taxi journey to Pattaya, the driver almost losing control of the car amidst the hilarity of the moment. To this day, I'm not sure why.

My futile attempts to speak passa Thai came to a full-stop when I mis-ordered in a restaurant.. No more attempts were allowed. Either I'd order in English, or P would in Thai.

How do other boyfriends, partners or offed-guys cope with us falangs when we- as I put it to P without gaining his approval- try to respect the local language?

[Nirish guy]

I've had the exactly the same experience - with a new off " ohhh that's cute / funny when you try to speak Thai" which after a period of knowing them moved on to "please stop trying talking Thai, you sound like baby" ( and Im guessing he didn't mean in a cute way) and it was plain this was a non negotiable subject and that if I wanted to try and learn it shouldn't be anywhere near him or in front of his friends.

I took that as my cue never to bother my ass trying again - and neither Thailand or myself have been any the worse for that decision I should add !

[StevieWonders]

Part of the problem of learning Thai is that it’s a tonal language and Western languages aren’t. For us different inflections for the same word convey different meanings. In my experience Thais find the opposite - they think there’s only one way to say a word, and using a different intonation means it’s a different word.

But the difficulty is really in whether we can have a worthwhile, satisfying conversation with guys with whom we have literally nothing in common (apart from a love of cock). I don’t recall the last time I had a conversation in my home country, for example, with someone who hadn’t been to university. My expat circle of friends here is made up of university graduates without exception. My conversation relates to history, politics, current affairs and literature. Is China a threat, and how, for example. I simply cannot (and do not try to) have a conversation on any of those topics with the local guys whose interests are material - money and mum, mostly.

For everyone in the world learning English - even from third-rate expats whose own English is barely adequate - is a lopsidedly valuable skill. Have it and they can travel the world and talk to others everywhere of whatever country. The most ironic thing about Brexit is that English still remains the most common language of the EU members. Learn Thai and it has value only in Thailand.

[cdnmatt]

I know my Thai is quite horrible, but I've never been criticized for using it, at least not that I can remember. Quite the opposite, and I'm confident it's helped save me from having to deal with people trying to take advantage of me due to thinking I'm a two week tourist.

This is actually one of my regrets though. I taught myself enough Thai to take care of myself in Thailand without ever any need for translation, and then I got lazy and stopped learning. For example, you could drop me off in some random village, and I'd be just fine getting around.

After I broke up with Kim, I never bothered moving to a "farang ghetto", and always lived in just typical Thai communities / subburbs. Although I guess the kids were taking some English in school, there was never any conversing in English with the adults, and it was all Thai. I got on just fine with this.

Having said that, by no means am I fluent. I can't sit around for a few beers with some Thais and all of us enjoy an easy flowing conversation in Thai. Instead, it's just this semi-awkward conversation where both sides have to somewhat struggle to make themselves understood, many times things have to be repeated or said differently, et al. It still works and we manage to get the point across, but usually takes enough effort that it kills any enjoyment from the conversation.

When I meet someone new it's generally this back and forth for the first while as I learn what English he knows, and he learns what Thai I know. Then we gradually mish mash the two into this personalized quasi language, and run with that. meh, it works.

[Dodger]

If I can manage to remember 1% of the Thai words I learn I'm doing good.

Rosetta Stone puts out a pretty good video course for those who are interested. I pull it off the shelf once n a while just for fun.

I learned most of my Thai up in Kantaralak (SiSaket) years ago, but that's a strong Khmer dialect which is pretty useless in Chonburi where mostly mainstream (Bangkok) Thai is spoken.

I don't lose any sleep over it, but would really like to improve my language skills for when I'm up-country.

[christianpfc]

Learning Thai. How many of us can speak Thai a little? comfortably?. or fluently?

As soon as it became clear (in 2010) that I would regularly spend time in Thailand in the future, I went to a language class in Bangkok during a 3-month-holiday. After that I studied alone and reached a plateau where I can do all my business (taxi/bus/train, restaurant/market, hotel, small talk, dating) in Thai. I can read Thai articles about tourism fluently because that's my area of interest, reading a newspaper would be difficult.

I apply this (learning the language) to every country I want to regularly spend time in.

When chatting with Thais (in real life or online dating), figure out who speaks the other's language better, and then converse in either English or Thai.

In Bangkok or Pattaya you can get along without Thai, but I travel a lot in the provinces and there speaking Thai is very useful for getting around and meeting boys.

[gerefan2]

I've had the exactly the same experience - with a new off " ohhh that's cute / funny when you try to speak Thai" which after a period of knowing them moved on to "please stop trying talking Thai, !

There are reasons they don’t want you speaking Thai. They don’t want you understanding what they are saying about you and they don’t want you understanding what they are planning for you, evenings out etc. Especially if it’s about money. They don’t want to be caught out by a secret Thai speaking falang. As far as they are concerned the less Thai you speak, the better.

The other problem, as pointed out, is the number of regional dialects, particularly in places like Pattaya. Can you imagine a Thai in London, who is able to speak and understand basic English, being confronted by someone with a broad Irish or worse an acute Scottish accent? No chance!

Same applies to us in Pattaya.

[goji]

There are reasons they don’t want you speaking Thai. They don’t want you understanding what they are saying about you and they don’t want you understanding what they are planning for you, evenings out etc. Especially if it’s about money.

I was going to raise exactly the same point.
Everything they want you to hear can be explained in English. Then if you don't speak Thai, they can decide what not to share with you.

This can also work with vendors, baht bus drivers etc.
I don't speak Thai, but several years back I was quoted 200 baht for baht bus out of Pattaya Northern Bus station, which I wasn't having. Meanwhile, the same guy quoted 30 baht to the Thais, who weren't happy with that.
30 was one of the few numbers I knew at the time, but I decided it would be good to learn the rest of them.

I just need to work a bit harder at the rest of the language.

[Nirish guy]

You're absolutely right there of course Gerefan re them not wanting us to speak Thai and it's hilarious watching their shocked faces if and when you drop a few words in half way through a conversation as if you "forget" and started speaking Thai as you just KNOW the "OHHHH you can speak Thai !??" isn't a congratulatory thing but more a "oh shit, how much do you think he understood" moment for them. Likewise then too you can see the look of relief on their faces if your boy de jour comes along and confirms for them that you can't actually speak Thai after all.

Still that works both ways as when I first started visiting Thailand I thought it would be a smart idea to know what was being said about me but I've now picked up enough knowledge to make me sure that I absolutely DONT WANT to know what's being said about me as a) it's most likely negative anyway and b) what they think of me will probably have little bearing on my night anyway ( as long as I remain able to pay the bill(s) and my off's fee satisfactorily that is of course )

[arsenal]

Do you really WANT to know what they're saying about you?

[billyhouston]

Though not a linguist, French, Latin and Russian were compulsory at school. Latin was great as there was no listening or speaking and the grammar was well defined. French was fine as there was little speaking required and testing was by way of the dictée, which is the French fashioon. Russian is largely phonetic and once the cyrillic alphabet had been mastered was fairly straighforward.

Thai, on the other hand, proved to be a nightmare for someone who cannot distinguish the tones. It seems that the preferred method of teaching is conversational, whereas I'm much more at home with learning the grammar and the vocabulary. I am further disadvantaged because, being lazy and having a partner who is a capable linguist, I have no need to know anything other than the basics in Thai. My partner is not Thai, but has an excellent 'ear' and is a good mimic which serves him well. His ability to slip from Thai to Shan, Burmese, Mandarin, Karen or other ethnic languages always amazes me. My total incompetence in this field, and many others, has led to our splitting of the chores, 50:50. I do the 'mathematics' and he does all that is 'not mathematics'...... though, occasionally, I do some ironing.

[Marc K]

oh ma gosh, learning some paasaa Thai can be fun! yes, you will make some mistakes, who cares, and let's not be completely paranoid about what they are saying behind our back, we do the same. the key, as has been said, is learning to hear the tones, which takes a lot of practice. i remember the first time i heard the various "a's" they all sounded the same, now, if spoken by a careful speaker, you can clearly hear the difference. Thai language has no pesky tenses (yipes, French!), no conjugations (yipes, Russian!), no genders (yipes, German!), few prepositions, no articles...

so i took up learning conversational Thai some years ago, not so hard, given i have learned 4 other languages before, but what really kills me is Thai spelling. I would desperately love to learn to read, and perhaps write. the reason is that once you get past the touristy places in Thailand, the number of signs in English dwindle to almost zero. it drives me nuts.

this is the part that it is most frustrating, as Thai words contain so many (to us) extraneous letters in them. in fact i didn't realize how crazy English spelling was until i attempted Thai spelling. Our language is also rather crazy - might, dough, laugh, know, etc etc. So I guess I can't complain. It would be nice if someone invented a "simple English" spelling system, as well as a "simple Thai" spelling system.

[StevieWonders]

“Just because you’re paranoid that doesn’t mean they aren’t after you” - Catch-22

I find that if you treat each guy as a one night stand, ever ready to move on to the next “conquest”, you’ll usually be treated somewhere along the continuum from indifference to contempt. Build up some sort of relationship and entropy takes over that continuum and a (sometimes wary) friendship develops. That’s more difficult when you’re a sex tourist here for a fortnight. It’s the basis of the bar boy question “How long you be in Thailand?”

[snotface]

Yep, the tones are the hardest part of learning Thai. I used to overdo them in the early days, which got some smiles from taxi drivers and the like. 'Song' meaning two has a rising tone and I would turn it almost into an operatic aria. An English friend, who has never made the slightest attempt to learn Thai despite living here for over twenty years, does not let this inconvenient fact stop him from pontificating about the language and he insists that Thais speak too quickly to use the tones themselves. Wrong! Once your ear gets properly tuned in you can always detect the tones. I was fortunate in that my female Thai teacher for several years, although not great overall, was very strict about tone pronunciation. I still have to take care when pronouncing words like 'glai' (mid-tone) meaning far and 'glai' (falling tone) meaning near. Depending on how keen they are to please me, Thais tell me my Thai is anything from 50 to 90 percent clear. I suspect it's at the lower end of that scale but that's enough to be easily understood in tourist areas and usually understood elsewhere.

Apart from the tones, as Marc K says, Thai is much easier to learn than English. If you live here as I do, it's worth learning to read and write Thai too. You can nearly always work out how to pronounce a word from the spelling, Thai being a phonetic language. There are some tricky words of Sanskrit origin but most are straightforward. I'm not up to reading legal documents or newspapers (which have lots of slang words) but it's a real advantage to be able to read signs etc in the street. I don't use my written Thai much, which would be time-consuming for me. In messages to Thais I mainly use English as they all have access to translation apps. If they write in Thai to me, that's no problem. My main difficulty is still comprehension if Thais speak too fast. And if it's a bunch of guys jabbering away in an Isaan dialect - forget it, I just tune right out.

I don't think tourists, even regular ones, need feel any guilt about not learning Thai. A few stock phrases go quite a long way. If you live here, it's another matter. I think it's just common courtesy to make the effort, as well as having all sorts of practical advantages. I can see why those with longstanding Thai partners might not have a strong incentive but it would still serve them well. Thailand and its culture is strange to us in many ways and it's all just a bit less so when we learn the language, if only (like me) to an intermediate level.

[Smiles]

"...How do other boyfriends, partners or offed-guys cope with us falangs when we- as I put it to P without gaining his approval- try to respect the local language? ..."
No problem ... he learns English. You help when asked.
Works for me.

On a different tack ... how does one say (or write) "Snotface" in Thai?

[snotface]

On a different tack ... how does one say (or write) "Snotface" in Thai?

I should think 'naa kee mook' (all three syllables falling tone). Try it on Suphot. If he punches you in the face it's probably correct.

[Mancs]

I tried to learn Thai at first. I can manage some simple phrases and numbers. But then I realised it's more important that the lads learn more English to help their careers, as MB or whatever in the future, rather than I speak more bad Thai. So I do my duty and speak English. But even a little Thai is very useful in the provinces. Then I had to learn some Vietnamese, as I like Vietnamese men. Once I found a very old woman in Hanoi who could speak French. The only use my bad French has been put to before is talking to men in Tunisia and Morocco.

[a447]

As a visitor to Thailand I can get by with a bit of conversational Thai. The problem is, I can ask a question but can't always understand the answer.

But if I were living there full-time I would definitely learn as much Thai as possible. It would drive me crazy not being able to read signs or having to stick to the touristy areas where English may be understood.

I think the best way to learn a foreign language is to make friends with people who do not want to use you to improve their English.

I was thrown to the wolves at the age of 13 when I was put into a Japanese high school where nobody spoke English - including the English teacher! - and it was a case of sink or swim. Lucky for me, spoken Japanese is relatively simple, especially when compared to European languages with their verb conjugations and complicated tenses. It's the non-verbal cues you need to be able to pick up on, being able to constantly read between the lines, plus deciding which level of politeness to use that are difficult. I'm an expert at reading body language, thanks to my years of practice.

The written language is a whole different ballgame and I had to learn all the Chinese characters in 1 year instead of over 6 just to catch up and be able to read the text books. I've got a fairly good memory so I was able to do it but it was a hard slog, that's for sure. I have enormous respect for students in Taiwan who have to learn 7200(!) characters - and they write the traditional complicated characters, not the mainland Chinese simplified ones.

Thai tones put many people off learning the language, but so does the Thai attitude that farang will never be able to learn it because it is too hard. Anyone willing to persevere can eventually master any language.

It's just that it is way easier to give up.

[Marc K]

An English friend, who has never made the slightest attempt to learn Thai despite living here for over twenty years, does not let this inconvenient fact stop him from pontificating about the language and he insists that Thais speak too quickly to use the tones themselves.


I have just never understood this phenomenon. I've heard all the excuses ("it is not easy" -- so what?), "Thais should learn English" -- their culture is based in their language and religion, "I've tried but failed" -- well try again, no disgrace in that).

And yes, sorry for seeming racist, but it does seem it's the English who suffer this fate the most. Even though they have a slim 20km channel separating them from another linguistic world, not to mention Scottish speakers, Welsh speakers and others in their own land) they make no attempt to understand that learning another language is a way for us to break out of our native culture and try to understand the world outside us.

Of course the fortnighters have bigger things on their mind (like "lust"!) but long-timers who see no value in attempting at least a kindergarten vocabulary in Thai are really truly missing out.

And if you ever visit my home in Hawaii I do hope you will learn at least a few more words in Hawaiian than the tourist industry teaches you. There is far more beyond "aloha" and "mahalo" as there is beyond "sawasdee krub" and "kawp koon krub".

[StevieWonders]

Of course the fortnighters have bigger things on their mind (like "lust"!) but long-timers who see no value in attempting at least a kindergarten vocabulary in Thai are really truly missing out.
Missing out on what, exactly? They have no literature, no science and their “Buddhism” is thinly disguised animism, as corrupt as late medieval Catholicism in Europe. As for politics ...

[StevieWonders]

I live in an Anglophone ghetto here but I regard it as no different than the Thai bubble inhabited by the Thai boyfriend of an old chum who lives in the UK. The boyfriend works in a Thai restaurant, shops in Thai grocery stores and for entertainment subscribes at a cost less than Netflix to a SE Asian streaming service called Malimar.

[arsenal]

Marc K wrote.
"And yes, sorry for seeming racist, but it does seem it's the English who suffer this fate the most. Even though they have a slim 20km channel separating them from another linguistic world, not to mention Scottish speakers, Welsh speakers and others in their own land) they make no attempt to understand that learning another language is a way for us to break out of our native culture and try to understand the world outside us."

This policy has served us well. Atms, signs, gvt literature, menus etc are usually in two languages. The local language (we'll call it foreign) and English.

[StevieWonders]

In the 17th and especially 18th centuries French occupied in Europe the place currently taken by English. In Russia the upper classes all spoke French at least as often as Russian. In Roman times Greek was the language of the educated and upper class.

[snotface]

I think the best way to learn a foreign language is to make friends with people who do not want to use you to improve their English.

That is no doubt true if you have some innate aptitude for learning foreign languages. They don't come easily to me and I've always needed a structured approach with a teacher. Either way, having someone there to correct pronunciation errors is vital. Teach Yourself books and tapes can achieve a certain amount but the danger of getting into bad habits with pronunciation are high, especially if it's a tonal language. I had a friend who was a retired Professor of Russian and used to visit Pattaya for several months a year. He applied himself to learning Thai with the same dedication that had stood him in good stead throughout his career. He bought grammar books, dictionaries and story books in Thai which he studied for several hours a day. His vocabulary grew impressively. The only trouble was that Thais found it almost impossible to understand him. He had always been too stingy to employ a teacher and perhaps felt that he didn't need such lowly assistance anyway. Being in a restaurant with him could be embarrassing I was told by those who had the misfortune. He would insist on ordering in Thai even when it was clear that the waiter was baffled. In the end the poor waiter would have to virtually beg my now-very-irritated friend to speak English or just point on the menu. We fell out eventually. He was a strange man even by Pattaya standards.

[christianpfc]

The best motivation, and practice at the same time, for me to learn Thai was online chat in gay chatrooms of Camfrog (some good encounters in 2011/12, but now down the drain). "The best way to learn a language is to sleep with her." literal translation from a German saying, where "language" is female in gender.


Though not a linguist, French, Latin and Russian were compulsory at school.
That's an odd combination. Where did you go to school? Through combination of growing up in Eastern Germany, fall of the wall 1989 and change of school, I learnt three foreign languages at school, but only two at one time, in chronological order: Russian, English, French.


...whereas I'm much more at home with learning the grammar and the vocabulary.
Same for me! My main objective is reading understanding, I could attend a language course with no speaking/listening at all.


...but what really kills me is Thai spelling. I would desperately love to learn to read, and perhaps write.Thai is phonetic, forming a sound from the written word is very regular. But the other way is not, as one sound can be presented by several letters for words that come from Sanskrit. Similar to photography and elephant and dolphin, whose ph come from Greek phi, but in Thai it's much worse!

I found the arrangement of Thai letters as in below picture only once in my entire studies. If arranged in this way, it makes much more sense than arbitrary arrangement as everywhere else. It was a revelation for me! A bit like the periodic table of elements (where arrangement by properties left gaps that represented elements not discovered yet, but here gaps have to be added to arrange consonants by properties).

10896

[a447]

I'll take your word for it, Christian! It looks way too complicated for me.

Although I love trying to figure out grammar - German is a total nightmare! - my main aim is to speak to people. Reading and writing comes second.

My English teacher at school had never left Japan and I think I was the first foreigner he'd every met. He could not put 2 words together in English, but he knew all the ins and outs of English grammar, spelling and punctuation.

But just learning grammar is like learning the piano but only studying music theory. At some stage you are expected to put that theory into practice and actually play a song.

It was from meeting my teacher for the first time that I came across the concept of face. I made the mistake of speaking to him in English in front of the other students and the poor guy didn't understand a word I had said. They all laughed at him and I felt really terrible.

A couple of days later, after they had found someone to interpret for me, I was called into the principal's office and the situation was explained to me. I felt even worse.

Thai is needed sometimes to clarify things with my offs, but I would also love to be able to sit and chat with the locals. So I listen to CDs in the car and watch kruu Wee on youtube. A friend reckons she must have been a pornstar before she started her channel. A bit like Nigella Lawson. It's all part of the act.

I would only learn to read and write if I were living there.

[christianpfc]

Although I love trying to figure out grammar - German is a total nightmare! - my main aim is to speak to people. Reading and writing comes second.
For me, reading and writing is much easier than speaking and listening. At that time (2011/12 when I used camfrog) I was in Europe, I had no partner for speaking Thai, but could in gay chatrooms to read and write in Thai. Even better, you can learn from reading what others write (with the difficulty of slang and misspellings).

[AdamKY]

My experience: In my visits to Thailand I have made a major effort to integrate myself into Thai society by learning / practicing proper behaviors. Learning to speak the language has been my downfall. After taking speaking lessons from a local for weeks, a frowning face advised me I would be better understood if I stuck with English. This was followed by a big smile. With the few words I have mastered, creative body English & hand gestures, I've done O.K... I think :)

[StevieWonders]

Thai is needed sometimes to clarify things with my offsA world where Google Translate on the phone doesn’t exist!! You do know you can speak into the Google Translate App and it will convert what you’re saying? You don’t even have to type (don’t tell Dodgems).

[Marc K]

I found the arrangement of Thai letters as in below picture only once in my entire studies. If arranged in this way, it makes much more sense than arbitrary arrangement as everywhere else. It was a revelation for me! A bit like the periodic table of elements (where arrangement by properties left gaps that represented elements not discovered yet, but here gaps have to be added to arrange consonants by properties).

10896

Thanks, Christian, this is interesting. Now I only knew how to read German and I'd be all set! Hehe. Dankeschön!

[a447]

A world where Google Translate on the phone doesn’t exist!! You do know you can speak into the Google Translate App and it will convert what you’re saying? You don’t even have to type (don’t tell Dodgems).

There have been a number of times where I have used google with a guy and the translation in both languages didn't make any sense at all. We tried Japanese to Thai, and vice versa and it was an absolute joke.

I have no idea how accurate computer translation is in Thai but I have tested the latest and, apparently, greatest app on the iPhone using French, German and Japanese. It didn't always work for Japanese.

Besides, I much prefer to speak to people, not phones.

[StevieWonders]

There have been a number of times where I have used google with a guy and the translation in both languages didn't make any sense at all. We tried Japanese to Thai, and vice versa and it was an absolute joke.Your native language is English - as Sybil Fawlty said, “Pretentious, moi?”

[a447]

Your native language is English - as Sybil Fawlty said, “Pretentious, moi?”

??

[StevieWonders]

??I’m sure the Thai guy didn’t think of you, a native English speaker, showing off your fluency in Japanese as - to use that great Australian phrase - “a total wanker”. Perish the thought.

[a447]

What makes you think that English is my native language?

It isn't.

Best to stick to things you know, rather than promoting stereotypes.

[StevieWonders]

What makes you think that English is my native language?

It isn't.

Best to stick to things you know, rather than promoting stereotypes.We know from your other posts that you already spoke English when you first went to a school in Japan aged 13 and you only began to learn Japanese at that age. My point about parading your Japanese language ability still stands so yes, you’re still a total wanker.

[a447]

We know from your other posts that you already spoke English when you first went to a school in Japan aged 11 and you only began to learn Japanese at that age.

Ah, yes. But what language did I first speak as a child?

Hint: it wasn't English. That came later.

Just because I was born in Australia doesn't mean English is my native language. I'm surprised you didn't know that. So let me educate you here. People from different ethnic groups usually speak the language of their parents at home and learn the language of the country in which they live at a later date.

There are many non-native speakers of English on this board (e.g. Christian, Moses). So in your narrow view of the world I guess they are also "wankers" because they are "parading" their ability to speak English as a second language when they communicate with the guys.

People use the language which is most convenient for communication. It has nothing to do with showing off. In my case, the guys know I grew up in Japan so are hardly surprised when I use a Thai-Japanese dictionary on my phone if English doesn't work.

You need to get out more and widen your horizons.

[StevieWonders]

There are many non-native speakers of English on this board (e.g. Christian, Moses). So in your narrow view of the world I guess they are also "wankers" because they are "parading" their ability to speak English as a second language when they communicate with the guys.
I have made no comment about any poster other than you. Stop trying to hide behind other people.

[a447]

I have made no comment about any poster other than you. Stop trying to hide behind other people.

Well, as the cases of Christian and Moses are the same, would you like to comment now?

[StevieWonders]

Well, as the cases of Christian and Moses are the same, would you like to comment now?
...
Is there any need for that, what does it add to the board? FFS try to stop it, it doesn't impress anyone and it's you who ends up coming across looking like a knob, not the other person.

[a447]

...

Score: a447 1
StevieWonders 0

With that, I'm off to lunch.

[StevieWonders]

With that, I'm off to lunch.Whose?

[Dodger]

Whose?

You forgot to add: wingnut "likes"

[christianpfc]

Thanks, Christian, this is interesting. Now I only knew how to read German and I'd be all set! Hehe. Dankeschön!
Everyone who can read and write Thai will understand the logic behind this arrangement, without understanding the German row/column headers and explanations.

[Dax]

Been there, done that. Not learning to speak the Thai language has been my biggest regret.

[Jellybean]

Posts not relating to the topic of learning the Thai language have been moved to the Everything Else forum and given the title, Fact or fantasy?

To contribute to the new topic, please click on the following link:
https://sawatdeenetwork.com/v4/showthread.php?21964-Fact-or-fantasy

[Brad the Impala]

[COLOR="#FF0000"]Posts not relating to the topic of learning the Thai language have been moved to the Everything Else forum and given the title, Fact or fantasy?



I know it's a difficult call, but post #46, just above yours, doesn't have anything to do with learning Thai so when splitting the thread should have gone with the others.

Agreed. Now done.

[StevieWonders]

I know it's a difficult call, but post #46, just above yours, doesn't have anything to do with learning Thai so when splitting the thread should have gone with the others.Especially as the first post of the “new” thread is a direct response to it. However I think Jellybean did a great job in naming it Fact or fantasy?

[cdnmatt]

And Stevie always bitches at me for going off-topic. Isn't there some saying about a pot and some sort of kettle, or something?

Anyway, if anyone is interested in learning Thai I can recommend the Benjamin Poosan Becker series of books:

https://www.amazon.ca/Thai-Beginners-Benjawan-Poomsan-Becker/dp/1887521003

I found them excellent at least, and helped me get a grasp on the language. Please note though, even the Advanced book in the series is still very much beginner Thai.

[Marc K]

Been there, done that. Not learning to speak the Thai language has been my biggest regret.

I hope Dax that is a lesson for those younger members of this forum who may be relatively new to Thailand. For me, I remember when I was young (yeah long ago) and during one of my very first visits to Thailand I was in a bank and this young good looking foreigner was speaking what appeared to be perfect paasaa Thai. He was rattling away with the bank employee never once did either person step into English. I was sold. I thought "wow if this guy can do it, so can I!" and that started my quest to speak, and later to read, Thai. I think if I had not done so (even though admittedly my Thai is far from perfect) I would have regretted not learning. My friend from SF, who began going to Thailand about the same time, still today speaks "tourist Thai" at best. Things in life that are worthwhile do take some time and energy and determination.

The trick? You must practice the tones. Our western ears were just never built to be attuned to tonal languages. So, if you want to play the piano, you must practice the scales. If you want to learn to speak (intelligible) Thai, you must practice the tones. It took me a year to be able to distinguish between a rising tone and a falling tone. Yes, you'd think it would be obvious but it is not especially when the word has several syllables at different tones. Middle tone (monotone) is easy. High tone (555) is easy. Low tone is quite low. But the rising/falling tones are another kettle of fish, at least they were for me.

[latintopxxx]

...sounds like far too uch trouble...maybe if i was nuts enough to consider living in Thailand then yes...but for short visits of less than a month...nah...

[StevieWonders]

...sounds like far too uch trouble...maybe if i was nuts enough to consider living in Thailand then yes...but for short visits of less than a month...nah...I find my cock in their mouth precludes conversation.

[snotface]

The trick? You must practice the tones.

An addition to that which I should have mentioned in an earlier post, it's not just the tones that need practice but the long and short vowels. Getting that wrong can cause just as much misunderstanding as a wrong tone.