Although
most Thais in tourist areas will speak English, it will be greatly
appreciated if you try to master a few words of their language, and will
often be received with peels of laughter in a friendly way. Being able to
understand some basic numbers, plus asking how much the price is may also
help your skills in the markets. Thai is a tonal language and according to
the tone, a word can have up to five meanings, The tones are low, middle,
high, falling and rising. The Thai script can also be a little difficult to
understand, it has 44 consonants representing 21 consonant sounds, 32 vowels
with 48 vowel sounds Different signs in Thai script depict which tone your
should be speaking in. Below you will find a few useful words and phrases
for you to try. To be polite, it is usual for a man to finish with the word
KRAB, and the female KA. For example, hello in Thai; for
female Sawasdee Ka, and for the male Sawasdee Krab. You may
also find many different spellings of words throughout different guide
books. This is usual as the Thai language has no direct English
form. Following are some phonetically written words to help you when you
speak Thai.
|
"The official language is Thai, which has a
very different alphabet to ours, however some English is spoken,
particularly in tourist areas." |
|
KRAB and KA You
should end your sentences with krab if you are a man and ka if
you are a woman: this is the polite way of addressing people in
Thailand. Both word are also used to say "yes" |
|
| hello |
Sawasdee |
| Yes |
Chai |
| No |
Mai |
| How are you? |
Sabai dee rue |
| I am fine |
Sabai dee |
| Mr, Mrs, Miss |
Khun |
| Good luck |
Chok dee |
| Very good |
Dee mak |
| Excuse me |
Ko Tod |
| Thank you |
Khob Khun |
| Neer mind |
Mai pen rai |
| How much |
Ra-kha tao rai |
| Please wrap |
Hor hai duai |
| Too much |
Maak pai |
| Too expensive |
Paeng Mak |
| Not expensive |
Mai paeng |
If you would like to know some other Thai word, pls feel
free to e-mail
me and I will reply you as soon as possible.

Other link for learn Thai
LearningThai.com
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