Speaking Thai

[ThailandRanger]

How to say: May i speak to _______ please ? in thai. any regular thai bros can help me please

[Si Geena]

"Hello, can you please connect me to ____?"

" Han-Loh, Kor Saai Gap ____ Duay Krap "

"Hello, is ____ in?"

" Han-Loh, ____ Yuu Mai Krap "

[Si Geena]

"Hello, can you please connect me to ____?"

" Han-Loh, Kor Saai Gap ____ Duay Krap "

ฮัลโลขอสายกับ ___ ด้วยครับ

"Hello, is ____ in?"

" Han-Loh, ____ Yuu Mai Krap "

ฮัลโล ___ อยู่ไหมครับ

[singman80]

Anybody has recommendation on how to pick up Thai language?

Tone seems like a critical part of this language and if not pronounced correct could mean a different word/meaning altogether - could be embarrassing.

Rosatta Stone is highly recommended and is used extensively by the CIA and other agencies in US. But I'm not sure how good is it for learning Thai.

Thanks.

[hosayboh]

Just go community centre sign up for Thai course....

[Ah_Hia]

Anybody has recommendation on how to pick up Thai language?


Pick up a thai girl (or guy if that is ur preference) and u can pick up thai too !
Preferably someone who cannot speak English at all !
You'll learn faster cuz u'll be less inclined to use English (or any other common language).
This is from my experience.

Cheers !

[holymannn]

Pick up a thai girl (or guy if that is ur preference) and u can pick up thai too !
Preferably someone who cannot speak English at all !
You'll learn faster cuz u'll be less inclined to use English (or any other common language).
This is from my experience.

Cheers !

yes, fully agree... get a walking dictionary, you can learn thai faster. but the thai you learn from puying may not suitable for you to use it at work. And they will know you learn it from puying. keke.....

[mike1304k]

It is true, the best and fastest way is to get a walking dictionary and preferably a sweet young one. However as mentioned, Thai has 2 forms, the male form and the female form... So you will have to make the effort to remember the proper form you want to use. Further to this, most Thais also have a way of speaking in respect to those older and or of higher authority by putting "pi" at the end of the sentence. So you would be best off if you could find someone who can speak a reasonable amount of English too... to help explain any confusions. There are some who have had long time Bf's from Sg and so on and can speak English really well. Those who hail from Patpong also have mostly good English ability.

Just my 2 cents worth.

[Charmaine]

There are some who have had long time Bf's from Sg and so on and can speak English really well. Those who hail from Patpong also have mostly good English ability.

I would concur. My current girlfriend's ex is a Singaporean, together for 6 years and as a result pretty much nailed the language, or just about as competently as a local would handle English on a daily basis. She knows big words ("contradiction", or "ingenious", for instance) and always strives to improve her English. She actually finds it an embarrassment that she pronounces certain words with that typical Thai accent and constantly tries to correct herself when speaking. Part of the reason may be her desire to settle into Singapore in the near future.

Not a surprise, though, that she has refused to teach me Thai and insist that I speak to her in perfect English every time.

[ProfessorOokami]

yes, fully agree... get a walking dictionary, you can learn thai faster. but the thai you learn from puying may not suitable for you to use it at work. And they will know you learn it from puying. keke.....

Those "puying" dictionaries are also known as: "Sleeping Dictionaries":D Why not try this website:

thai-language.com - Dictionary (http://www.thai-language.com/dict/)

You can practise the Thai pronunciation via an audio file for most of the words that you searched for, and the on-line service is FOC.

[diver5007]

Another suggestion, search for Pimsleur Thai 30 Lessons.
you can find it in torrentreactor, download this torrent , or use yahoo.
All these 30 lessons are in mp3 format , Eng-Thai eveyday conversations.

cheers

[saxromeo]

I hear some sg guys speaking thai in wrong tones all the time.
Most guys learn it from their teraks who do not correct them on the tones , 5 in all. Usually, puying jus agar agar guess what their puchay wanna say with the broken thai and do not correct them.

Wherelse in a thai language lesson , the teacher will correct you if you make such mistakes cos they're paid to do so.
The bad thing about enrolling for a lesson is , you dun get to learn lingo,crude words and they teach formal thai which is sumtimes not applicable.

Personally , i learnt from English-Thai books with audio CDs then enrolled in class and make some thai friends and keep watching lakorns.
Gotta practice constantly if not will lose it.

[Si Geena]

Should always learn the formal manner of speech first. Thai society is very old-fashion.

How does one learn the language? With lots of passion and self-motivation. Learning Thai is highly accessible. Over the internet, one can find all sorts of resources to assist his endeavour.

[sex crusader]

Yup...i also making a point to learn as i'm a regular of Hatyaii!However, no kaki to speak here.I learnt through some CD i bought sometimes back.:D

[Mister]

A wise man once told me "ni chi duo le ta men de kou sui, zi ran hui xue hui thai yu" (eat more of their saliva and proficiency in the language will be a natural result) :D

And it's true! Been eating for a few months liao, my vocab has improved jing jing :)

If you want office Thai, enrol in a language class
If you want bedroom Thai, get a faen ;)

Meanwhile, explore those thai-language books in kino or borders. They should tide you through for a awhile, while you look for a class or a faen.

[suteerak1099]

Anybody has recommendation on how to pick up Thai language?

Tone seems like a critical part of this language and if not pronounced correct could mean a different word/meaning altogether - could be embarrassing.

Rosatta Stone is highly recommended and is used extensively by the CIA and other agencies in US. But I'm not sure how good is it for learning Thai.

Thanks. many yrs back, when i 1st discovered my interest in thai culture n travels, i relied heavily in referencing w thai peers, as well as the very trustworthy Lonely Planet Thai Phrasebook (http://shop.lonelyplanet.com/media/LP001/ProductImageAssets/Phrasebooks/thai-phrasebook-6LG_v1_m56577569830516954.jpg)... its very handy for phonetic reference to get pronunciation in proper order. n if sharp enough, it's pretty easy to catch the concept of grammar structure. asian languages by far apply similar grammatical rules for sentence structure.

some time later, as i grow out of the infancy language level, i referred to the Thai/English English/Thai Dictionary (http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Y9N03GE9L._SL500_AA240_.jpg) to better my vocab (though the phonetics arent spelt the same as the lonely planet version)

yrs later, as i progressed from basics (becoming less alien to reading/writing thai) i now refer to varied sources of thai-english dictionaries for more vocab that comes in very handy for day to day usage in the pragmatic realms of livelihood in the land of smiles. i dun mean to boast, but i've been often mistaken to be a local.

(all of which not sparing the aid of thai peers correcting the nitty gritty mistakes for fine tuning)

bottomline, fruits will bear when effort is invested.

[Ah_Hia]

In the end, it all boils down to what u need this new language for ?

To migrate and live there or just for usage during a few days trip once a year.

Cheers !

[suteerak1099]

A wise man once told me "ni chi duo le ta men de kou sui, zi ran hui xue hui thai yu" (eat more of their saliva and proficiency in the language will be a natural result) :D

And it's true! Been eating for a few months liao, my vocab has improved jing jing :)

If you want office Thai, enrol in a language class
If you want bedroom Thai, get a faen ;)

Meanwhile, explore those thai-language books in kino or borders. They should tide you through for a awhile, while you look for a class or a faen. lol, saliva to lubricate the tongue... but i do concur it works wonders in the language advancements. many i'm sure can attest to it too.

meanwhile, i really must add that learning through reading/writing thai can hasten the process by leaps n bounds too. for there'd never be a perfect phonetic transliteration to the sounds & intonation, none except gaining insights in its original form.

thai music appreciation is also another form of leisure learning process that helps in comprehending, though the lyrical form of the language is often more poetic... n may not always be practical in day to day conversations.

bedroom language aka body language, i believe is international.... hehehe

[singman80]

many yrs back, when i 1st discovered my interest in thai culture n travels, i relied heavily in referencing w thai peers, as well as the very trustworthy Lonely Planet Thai Phrasebook (http://shop.lonelyplanet.com/media/LP001/ProductImageAssets/Phrasebooks/thai-phrasebook-6LG_v1_m56577569830516954.jpg)... its very handy for phonetic reference to get pronunciation in proper order. n if sharp enough, it's pretty easy to catch the concept of grammar structure. asian languages by far apply similar grammatical rules for sentence structure.

some time later, as i grow out of the infancy language level, i referred to the Thai/English English/Thai Dictionary (http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Y9N03GE9L._SL500_AA240_.jpg) to better my vocab (though the phonetics arent spelt the same as the lonely planet version)

yrs later, as i progressed from basics (becoming less alien to reading/writing thai) i now refer to varied sources of thai-english dictionaries for more vocab that comes in very handy for day to day usage in the pragmatic realms of livelihood in the land of smiles. i dun mean to boast, but i've been often mistaken to be a local.

(all of which not sparing the aid of thai peers correcting the nitty gritty mistakes for fine tuning)

bottomline, fruits will bear when effort is invested.

Thanks for your comments. I agree with you that effort has to be invested and it's so much easier to have someone to practice with. Language is a funny thing.. if you don't use it.. you may tend to forget.

[suteerak1099]

Thanks for your comments. I agree with you that effort has to be invested and it's so much easier to have someone to practice with. Language is a funny thing.. if you don't use it.. you may tend to forget. we're not native speakers, so we'd probably never master the jargons n fad phrases given our limitations to practice in certain parts of the world. but nonetheless, being conversant in the language does improve the chances of being picked up for longer lasting relationships, regardless; friendship, tirak-ship, gig-ship, fb-ship.......etc.