Thai Language Phrases

Here we will try to give an insight into some basic Thai phrases. But first, we need to know a little bit about Thai grammar. Thai is a very logical language but very different to the way English is structured. That said, here are a couple of good points: The word for I depends on the speaker. Phom for male, di-chan  for female. Chan can be used for both in an informal chat too but chan is usually reserved for the woman. (Little tip here. Where there is an h after a p, it denotes a hard p. So phom is pronounced pom. The same way that Phuket is pronounced pooket and not fooket). krap and ka are polite endings to most phrases. krap is used if you are a male speaker and ka is used if you are a female speaker. Hello/goodbye sa was dee krap (male speaker) sa was dee ka (female speaker) How are you? sa bai dee mai krap (male speaker) sa bai dee mai ka (female speaker) The word mai when used at the beginning of a phrase means not. Mai when used at the end of a phrase turns the phrase into a question. Think of it as a question word in this context. So, sa bai dee which means am good becomes a question when mai is used at the end, just like the above sa bai dee mai; and krap or ka is then the polite ending. So let's get to some more phrases now. Thai people do appreciate any effort in trying to speak a little thai. I am fine sa bai dee krap/ka Thank you khob khun krap/ka Never mind mai pen rai A quick note here, mai pen rai is a great phrase. It can mean never mind, no problem, that's ok and also your welcome, so this is a great one to learn. I don't understand mai koa jai Do you understand koa jai mai Speak slowly phoot cha cha I cannot speak Thai chan/phom phoot Thai mai dai Where is the toilet hong nam yoo tee nai How much is this nee tow rai A table for two do sam-rap sawng kon The bill please gep dtang   or   chet bin Yes chai No mai Water nam Tea nam cha Coffee ga-fair Ice nam kheng Chicken gai Beef wooa Pork moo Fish plar Prawns ghoong Seafood arharn talae Noodles kway-teo Steamed rice khao suay Fried rice khao pad Sticky rice khao neeow Numbers are fairly straightforward but have a few rules. We will just do one to ten. These words are also used in numbers from 11 to 20, 20 to 30 and so on. (So 12 will be sip sawng  and 42 will be si sip sawng) There is one exception, 11 and 21 etc where et follows the 10 multiple. (41 is si sip et). One neung Two sawng Three saam Four si Five haa Six hok Seven jet Eight paad Nine gow Ten sib So, a few phrases to get you started. Here is a pretty useful print version including the above plus many more for you to print out and take with you on your journey. It is a good printout to keep with you. Good quality phrase books are great but when you need a basic phrase in a hurry, this will be great to keep in your pocket. If you are keen to learn more Thai language please click here  and we'll take you through some more grammar and provide some information on quality learning material.

Thai Language Phrases

Here we will try to give an insight into some basic Thai phrases. But first, we need to know a little bit about Thai grammar. Thai is a very logical language but very different to the way English is structured. That said, here are a couple of good points: The word for I depends on the speaker. Phom for male, di-chan for female. Chan can be used for both in an informal chat too but chan is usually reserved for the woman. (Little tip here. Where there is an h after a p, it denotes a hard p. So phom is pronounced pom. The same way that Phuket is pronounced pooket and not fooket). krap and ka are polite endings to most phrases. krap is used if you are a male speaker and ka is used if you are a female speaker. Hello/goodbye sa was dee krap (male speaker) sa was dee ka (female speaker) How are you? sa bai dee mai krap (male speaker) sa bai dee mai ka (female speaker) The word mai when used at the beginning of a phrase means not. Mai when used at the end of a phrase turns the phrase into a question. Think of it as a question word in this context. So, sa bai dee which means am good becomes a question when mai is used at the end, just like the above sa bai dee mai; and krap or ka is then the polite ending. So let's get to some more phrases now. Thai people do appreciate any effort in trying to speak a little thai. I am fine sa bai dee krap/ka Thank you khob khun krap/ka Never mind mai pen rai A quick note here, mai pen rai is a great phrase. It can mean never mind, no problem, that's ok and also your welcome, so this is a great one to learn. I don't understand mai koa jai Do you understand koa jai mai Speak slowly phoot cha cha I cannot speak Thai chan/phom phoot Thai mai dai Where is the toilet hong nam yoo tee nai How much is this nee tow rai A table for two do sam-rap sawng kon The bill please gep dtang   or   chet bin Yes chai No mai Water nam Tea nam cha Coffee ga-fair Ice nam kheng Chicken gai Beef wooa Pork moo Fish plar Prawns ghoong Seafood arharn talae Noodles kway-teo Steamed rice khao suay Fried rice khao pad Sticky rice khao neeow Numbers are fairly straightforward but have a few rules. We will just do one to ten. These words are also used in numbers from 11 to 20, 20 to 30 and so on. (So 12 will be sip sawng and 42 will be si sip sawng) There is one exception, 11 and 21 etc where et follows the 10 multiple. (41 is si sip et). One neung Two sawng Three saam Four si Five haa Six hok Seven jet Eight paad Nine gow Ten sib So, a few phrases to get you started. Here is a pretty useful print version including the above plus many more for you to print out and take with you on your journey. It is a good printout to keep with you. Good quality phrase books are great but when you need a basic phrase in a hurry, this will be great to keep in your pocket. If you are keen to learn more Thai language please  click here and we'll take you through some more grammar and provide some information on quality learning material.