th thai language lessons

PEACE CORPS/ THAILAND 11/2/2005

Thai Basic Lessons, Peace Corps/Thailand of 24

Basic Introduction to Thai Language The text accompanies the following thirteen (13) audio tracks:

� TH_Thai_Lesson_1.mp3 (Time: 4:16) (File Size: 3.91 MB) � TH_Thai_Lesson_2.mp3 (Time: 4:51) (File Size: 4.45 MB) � TH_Thai_Lesson_3.mp3 (Time: 2:24) (File Size: 2.20 MB) � TH_Thai_Lesson_4.mp3 (Time: 4:27) (File Size: 4.08 MB) � TH_Thai_Lesson_5.mp3 (Time: 2.22) (File Size: 2.17 MB) � TH_Thai_Lesson_6.mp3 (Time: 4:13) (File Size: 3.86 MB) � TH_Thai_Lesson_7.mp3 (Time: 2:41) (File Size: 2.46 MB) � TH_Thai_Lesson_8.mp3 (Time: 2:47) (File Size: 2.54 MB) � TH_Thai_Lesson_9.mp3 (Time: 3:04) (File Size: 2.80 MB) � TH_Thai_Lesson_10.mp3 (Time: 4:45) (File Size: 4.35 MB) � TH_Thai_Lesson_11.mp3 (Time: 4:34) (File Size: 4.18 MB) � TH_Thai_Lesson_12.mp3 (Time: 2:25) (File Size: 2.21 MB) � TH_Thai_Lesson_13.mp3 (Time: 2:50) (File Size: 2.60 MB)

Lesson 1 Standard Thai, also known as Central Thai or Bangkok Thai, is the official, national language of Thailand. It is spoken by around eighty percent of the sixty million residents of the country. It is taught in all schools and is used for most television broadcasts. There are also three other major dialects: southern, northern and northeastern (also referred to as “isaan”). Since Standard Thai is widely understood in all regions, the language taught in Pre-Service Training (PST) will be Standard Thai. Most Thai words are monosyllabic. More complex words are generally formed by combining two monosyllabic words. There are, however, some polysyllabic words. These words are usually borrowed from Pali, Sanskrit, English, and other languages that cannot be broken down into monosyllabic components. Characteristics of the Thai Language are:

1. There are no articles (a, an, the). 2. No modification or conjugation for tenses, plural, gender, or subject-verb

agreement. 3. Most of the time, question words come at the end of a sentence. 4. It is a tonal language, which means that the same word can convey different

meanings depending on the tone with which it is pronounced. These tones are mid, low, falling, high and rising:



Tone Mid Low Falling High Rising

Thai Tone Markers None � � � � Phonetic Alphabet None ` ˆ ´ �

5. Thai is devoid of inflection (such as the rising voice an English speaker might

make to show that he is asking a question). Instead, mood, questions, negation, and other parts of speech are constructed by adding certain words to sentences.

6. The expression of numbers is shown with separate numerals, quantifiers, and when counting, classifiers.

7. The uses of particles, which are untranslatable words added to the end of a sentence to indicate politeness, respect, a request, encouragement or other moods

There are 44 letters in the Thai alphabet, which is broken down into 21 initial consonants and 8 final consonants. Since some consonants can be represented by more than one letter, phonetic alphabets are introduced in these lessons to serve as a guide for pronunciation. The written letters are also provided in each lesson so that you can become familiar with them. You will also have a chance to learn how to read and write Thai during your PST.



Lesson 2 Phonetic Alphabet (In this part each consonant will be pronounced with its equivalent in English.) Initial Consonant Final Consonant

Thai Alphabet Phonetic Alphabet

English Equivalent Thai Alphabet Phonetic

Alphabet English

Equivalent

1 � k sky 1 � � n tan

2 � � kh key � �

3 � c jet 2 � �* king

4 � �* singing 3 � m dam

5 � � � ch cheese 4 � y toy

6 � � � � s song 5 � w cow

7 � y you 6 � � � k** back

8 � � d day 7 � � � � �

9 � � t stand � � � ! " t** flat

10 ! # $ " % & th tea

# $ & � �

11 ' b boy 8 ' ( p** top

12 ( p spy

13 ) * + ph pie * English has this sound only in the final consonant

14 , - f fun

15 . / h how ** Please note that final consonants

16 � � n now k , t and p are pronounced

17 � m me without released sound.

18 r run (a slightly trilled “r”)

.



19 � � l long

20 � w way

21 0 � silent (glottal stop)

Vowels (Thai vowels come in two forms, monothongs and dipthongs. Both of these forms are then subdivided into short and long. From no. 1 – 12 you will hear how short and long vowels are pronounced and the equivalent vowel sounds in English. There are some vowels which are n/a or have no equivalent in English. No. 13 – 15 are vowels with final sounds.)

Short Vowels Long Vowels Thai

Alphabet Phonetic Alphabet

English Equivalent

Thai Alphabet

Phonetic Alphabet

English Equivalent

1 -1 a -2 aa far

2 - 3 i - 4 ii me

3 - 5 � - 6 �� n/a

4 - 7 u - 8 uu moon

5 9-1 e 9- ee day

6 :-1 � :- �� fare

7 ;-1 o ;- oo so

8 9-21 � -0 �� law

9 9-01 � 9-0 �� close to

murder drop “r” sound

10 - <�1 ua� - <� ua sure

11 9- 4�1 ia� 9- 4� ia fear

12 9- 601 �a� 9- 60 �a n/a



Vowels + Ending Thai

AlphabetPhonetic Alphabet

English Equivalent

13 -= a + m = am mum

14 >- / ?- a + y = ay high

15 9-2 a + w = aw doubt



Greetings Lesson 3

Vocabulary: 1. �� sa-wàt-dii hello 2. �� ph�m I (male) 3. �� di-chán I (female) 4. � � khun you 5. �� kháw he/ she/ they 6. �� ch�� name 7. �� ch��-lên nickname 8. �� naam-sa-kun last name 9. �� a-ray what 10. �� khráp polite ending (male) 11. �� khâ polite ending (female) 12. �� khá polite ending (female) –

question 13. �� sa-baay-dii-maí how are you? 14. �� sa-baay-dii fine 15. �� mây-sa-baay not fine

Lesson 4

Sentences: 1. �� sa-wàt-dii khâ Hello (female) 2. �� sa-wàt-dii khráp Hello (male)



3. �� di-chán ch�� sù-ní-s�a khâ My name is Sunisa 4. �� ph�m ch�� wí-chay khráp My name is Wichai 5. �� kháw ch�� na-rêet khâ His name is Narate 6. �� di-chán naam-sa-kun bun-chuu-châat khâ My last name is Boonchoochart 7. �� ph�m naam-sa-kun wí-sùt-thaa khráp My last name is Wisoottha 8. �� kháw naam-sa-kun can-s��n khâ His last name is Jansorn 9. �� di-chán ch��-lên nít khâ My nickname is Nit 10. �� ph�m ch��-lên m�u khráp My nickname is Moo 11. �� kháw ch��-lên t��m k�a His nickname is Tom



12. ��

ph�m ch�� wí-chay, naam-sa-kun wí-sùt-thaa, ch��-lên m�u khráp

My name is Wichai , last name is Wisoottha, nickname is Moo 13. ��

di-chán ch�� sù-ní-s�a, naam-sa-kun bun-chuu-châat, ch��-lên nít khâ

My name is Sunisa , last name is Boonchoochart, nickname is Nit 14. ��

kháw ch�� na-rêet, naam-sa-kun can-s��n, ch��-lên t��m khráp His name is Narate , last name is Jansorn, nickname is Tom 15. � �� khun ch�� a-ray khá What is your name? 16. �� kháw ch�� a-ray khráp What is his/her name? 17. � �� khun naam-sa-kun �a-ray khá What is your last name? 18. � �� khun ch��-lên �a-ray khráp What is your nickname?



Dialogue: A: �� sa-wàt-dii khráp Hello. B: �� sa-wàt-dii khâ Hello. A: � �� khun sa-baay-dii máy khráp How are you? B: �� sa-baay-dii khâ kh� ��p khun, khun la khá Fine, thank you. And you? A: �� ph�m sa-baay-dii khráp kh�� p khun I am fine, thank you � �� khun ch�� a-ray khráp What is your name? B: �� di-chán ch�� sù-ní-s�a khâ My name is Sunisa. � �� khun ch�� a-ray khá What is your name? A: ��

ph�m ch�� wí-chay khráp My name is Wichai

Language/culture note: 1. In formal conversation you can also end the conversation with [yin-dii-

thîi-dây-rúu-càk khâ/khráp] (Nice to meet you). The different between the ending [khâ] and [khráp] depends on whether or not you are male or female.



Numbers / Asking about Prices Lesson 5

Vocabulary: 1. �� nù� 1 2. �� s�� 2 3. �� s�am 3 4. �� sìi 4 5. �!� hâa 5 6. �� hòk 6 7. �"#� cèt 7 8. $%� p��t 8 9. ��!� kâaw 9 10. �� sìp 10 11. ��#� sìp-�èt 11 12. �� yêe-sìp 20 13. �� !�� nù�-r� ��y 100 14. �� &�� nù�-phan 1000 15. ��' bàat baht (Thai currency) 16. ��' / �'�� kìi-bàat / thâw-rày how much

Lesson 6

Counting System: 1. 12 13 15 18 sìp-s�� sìp-s�am sìp-hâa sìp- p��t 2. 30 40 60 70 s�am-sìp sìi-sìp hòk-sìp cèt-sìp 3. 20 22 24 27 yîi-sìp yîi-sìp-s�� yîi-sìp-sìi yîi-sìp-cèt



4. 21 31 81 91 yîi-sìp-�èt s�am -sìp-�èt p�t-sìp-�èt kâaw-sìp-�èt 5. 33 48 57 85 s�am-sìp-s�am sìi-sìp-p��t hâa-sìp-cèt p��t-sìp-hâa 6. 200 600 700 900 s�� -r��y hòk-r� ��y cèt-r� ��y kâaw-r��y 7. 382 541 s�am-r��y- p��t-sìp-s�� hâa-r� ��y-sìi-sìp-�èt 8. 5000 6000 8000 9000 hâa-phan hòk-phan p��t-phan kâaw-phan 9. 2427 4871 s�� -phan-sìi-r��y-yîi-sìp-cèt sìi-phan-p��t- r��y-cèt-sìp-�èt

Dialogue: A: ��'�� nîi kìi bàat khráp How much is this? B: 352 ��'�� s�am-r��y-hâa-sìp-s�� bàat khâ Three hundred and fifty two baht.

Language/culture note: 1. Each increment will change step-by-step from: 10 sìp 100 nù� -r� ��y 1000 nù�-phan 10000 nù�-m��n 100000 nù�-s��n 1000000 nù�-láan



Food & Drink Lesson 7

Vocabulary: 1. �!�� khâaw rice 2. %�� plaa fish 3. � ! kû� shrimp / prawn 4. ��( m�u pork 5. �� kày chicken 6. �� khày egg 7. �)��*�+�� ku �ay-taw noodle 8. �� phàk vegetable 9. �� phàt fried 10. '�� th��t deep fried 11. �� yâa� grilled 12. �,-� náam water 13. ��$.�!��/ ��#� kaa-f�� r��n/ yen hot/ iced coffee 14. ��!��/ ��#� chaa r��n/ yen hot/ iced tea 15. �� kàp and / with 16. "�� caan plate 17. �� chaam bowl 18. $�!� k� ��w glass 19. /!�� thûay cup 20. �� khùat bottle 21. �� kh�� Can I have … 22. (��) 0�� (mây) sày with(out) [lit. (do not)

put in]



Lesson 8

Some Thai Dishes: 1. �!��( / ��/ � ! khâaw phàt m�u / kài / kû� Fried rice with pork / chicken / shrimp 2. �)��*�+��,-�/ $�! kuáy taw náam / h� �� Noodles with/ without soup 3. ��,-�/$�! ba-mèe náam / h�� Egg noodles with/ without soup 4. (�)��*�+��)��'� (kuáy taw) phàt thay Fried noodles Thai style 5. (�)��*�+��)��1��2��(/ �� (kuáy taw) phàt sii �íw m�u/ kày Fried noodles with sweet soy sauce (with pork/ chicken) 6. �!�� khâaw man kày Rice with boiled chicken 7. ��*��!�� phàt phàk ruam-mít râat khâaw Fried mixed vegetables on top of rice 8. ��&�� (/ �� / � ! ��!�� phàt kra-phraw m�u/ kày/ kû� râat khâaw Spicy fried pork/ chicken/ shrimp with basil leaves on top of rice 9. ��"�� khày ciaw Omelet Thai style 10. �� khày daaw Fried egg (Sunny side up)



Lesson 9

Sentences: 1. ��

�aw �a-ray khá What do you want? / What would you like?

2. ��,-��( 1 �� kh�� bamìi náam m�u n�� chaam khâ Can I have 1 bowl of egg noodle soup with pork? 3. (��)��*��!��0�� 1 "��

(ph�m) kh�� phàt phàk ruam-mít râat khâaw mây sày kày n�� cann khráp May I have 1 plate of fried mixed vegetable without chicken on top of rice?

4. (��)��$.��#� 1 $�!��,-� 1 �� (di-chán) kh�� kaaf�� yen n�� k� ��w kàp náam n�� khùat khâ May I have 1 glass of iced coffee and 1 bottle of water? 5. �� 2 �,� �!��%�� 1 "�� 3�!� 1 ��

kh�� kày yâa� s�� chin khâaw plàaw n�� can kàp Coke n�� khùat khráp May I have 2 pieces of grilled chicken, 1 plate of rice and 1 bottle of Coke?

6. '�, ��'��

thá� mòt thâw-rày khá How much is all of this?



Dialogue: A: �� sa-wàt-dee khráp Hello. B: �� sa-wàt-dee khâ �aw �a-ray khá Hello. What do you want? A: ��!�� ! 1 "�� kh�� khâaw-phàt-kû� n�� caan khráp Can I have 1 plate of fried rice with shrimp? B: ��,-�� aw náam �a-ray khá What kind of drink do you want? A: ��,-��#� 1 �� kh�� náam yen n�� khùat khráp Can I have 1 bottle of cold water? '�, ��'�� thá� mòt thâw-rày khráp How much is all of this? B: '�, �� 35 ��'�� thá� mòt sáam-sìp-hâa bàat khâ All of this is 35 baht.

Language/culture note: 1. If you would like to order vegetarian food, you can use the word [cee]

instead of [m�u] [kày] or [kû�], for example [kh�� khâaw-phàt-cee n�� can khráp] if you are male, or if you are female [kh�� khâaw-phàt-cee n�� can khâ].

2. Iced coffee/ tea will normally have milk in it. 3. Thais do not change noun forms when talking about plural or using

the plural form. In telling an amount Thais will use a number follow by a classifier. The pattern is: Noun + number + classifier – [náam + n�� + khùat] or 1 bottle of water.



Expressions about Food Lesson 10

Vocabulary: 1. �� nîi this 2. �� nân that 3. �� aa-h�an food 4. ��'�� aa-h�an tha-lee seafood 5. �� kin to eat 6. �� d��m to drink 7. �� ch��p to like 8. ��#� phèt spicy 9. �� w�an sweet 10. �%��,�� prîaw sour 11. ��#� khem salty 12. ��! da �ay can 13. �� mây (a helping word used to

indicate negative) 14. $&! ph� allergy / allergic 15. �� a-r��y delicious 16. �� mâak a lot / very 17. �� nít-n��y a little 18. �� ìik more 19. �� máy yes/no question



Sentences: 1. ��/ �� nîi/ nân �a-ray khráp What is this/ that? 2. �� ( �� di-chán mây kin m�u khá I don’t eat pork . 3. � � �� %�� khun ch��p kin plaa máy khá Do you like to eat fish? 4. �� %�� ph�m mây ch��p kin plaa khráp I do not like to eat fish . 5. � ��#��!�� khun kin �aa-h�an phèt dâay máy khá Can you eat spicy food ? 6. ��#��!�� di-chán kin �aa-h�an phèt máy dâay khâ I cannot eat spicy food. 7. ��#��!�� ph�m kin �aa-h�an phèt dâay nít-n��y khráp I can eat spicy food a little bit. 8. ��$&!��'�� di-chán ph� �aa-h�an tha-lee khâ I am allergic to seafood . 9. �� a-r��y mâak khráp Very delicious. 10. ��$�!�� ìm l�w khâ I am full. 11. &�$�!�� ph�� l�w khâ

It’s enough.



Dialogue: A: �� nîi �a-ray khráp What is this? B: �� ! �� ! �� nîi kû� khâ khun ch��p kin kû� máy khá This is shrimp. Do you like to eat shrimp? A: �� ! ��!�� $&!��'�� ph�m kin kû� mây dây khráp ph�m ph� �aa-h�an ta-lee I cannot eat shrimp. I am allergic to seafood. B: � �� khun ch��p kin �a-ray khá What do you like to eat? A: ��'�� '�� ph�m ch��p kin kày t��t khráp kày t��t �a-r��y mâak I like to eat deep fried chicken. Deep fried chicken is very delicious. B: ��'�� aw kày t��t �ìik máy khâ Do you want some more deep fried chicken? A: &�$�!�� $�!�� ph�� l�w khráp ph�m �ìm l�w khráp It’s enough. I am full.

Language/culture note: 1. [kin khâaw] refers not only to “eating rice” but also means “to eat” in

general.



Family Lesson 11

Vocabulary: 1. �� khr��p-khrua family 2. &�� ph�� father 3. $�� m� �� mother 4. �(�� lûuk-s�aw daughter 5. �(�� lûuk-chaay son 6. &��!� phîi-n� �� siblings 7. �!� �� n� ��-s�aw younger sister 8. �!� �� n� ��-chaay younger brother 9. &�� phîi-s�aw elder sister 10. &�� phîi-chaay elder brother 11. �� kh�� (the possessive adj.) 12. �� mii to have 13. �� aa-yú age 14. �� ki �i how many 15. �'�� thâw-rày how much/ many



Sentences: 1. �� 5 �� khr��p-khrua kh�� ph�m mee hâa khon khráp There are 5 persons in my family. 2. &��

ph�� kh�� di-chán ch�� wí-nay naam-sa-kun sa-wàa�-wan khâ My father’s name is Winai, last name is Sawangwan. 3. �!� �� !�� n� ��-s�aw kh�� ph�m ch�� n� ��y khráp My sister’s name is Noy. 4. ��&�� 2 �� di-chán mii phîi-chaay s�� khon khâ I have 2 elder brothers. 5. � ��&��!� �� khun mii phîi-n� �� kìi khon khá How many siblings do you have? 6. ��&��!� 6 �� ph�m mii phîi-n� �� hòk khon khráp I have 6 siblings. 7. $�� '�� m� �� kh�� khun �aa-yú thâw-rày khráp How old is your mother? 8. $�� 58 %4�� m� �� kh�� di-chán �aa-yu hâa-sìp-p��t pii khâ My mother is 58 .



Dialogue: A: �� khr��p-khrua kh�� khun mee kìi khon khá How many persons are there in your family? B: �� 7 �� khr��p-khrua kh�� ph�m mee cèt khon khráp There are 7 persons in my family. A: � �&�� $��(�� )� �� khun ph�� khun m� �� kh�� khun ch�� a-ray khá what is your father’s and mother’s name? B: � �&�� 5��6 � �$�� 0"��

khun ph�� kh�� ph�m ch�� s�m-sàk khun m�� kh�� ph�m ch�� s�ay-cay khráp

My father’s name is Somsak, my mother’s name is Sayjai. A: � ��&��!� ��

khun mii phîi-n� �� kìi khon khá How many siblings do you have?

B: ��&��!� 5 �� &�� 1 �� &�� 2 �� !� �� 1 �� ph�m mii phîi-n� �� hâa khon khráp phîi-s�aw n�� khon phìi-chaay s�� khon kàp n��-s�aw n�� khon

I have 5 siblings, 1 elder sister, 2 elder brothers and 1 younger sister. A: �!� �� '��

n� ��-s�aw kh�� khun �aa-yú thâw-rày kha How old is your younger sister?

B: �!� �� 17 %4�� n� ��-s�aw kh�� ph�m �aa-yú sìp-cèt pii khráp My younger sister is 17.

Language/culture note: 1. The question word [kìi] is always followed by a classifier. 2. When you ask a Thai person how many siblings they have, they also

add themselves in the answer. 3. In the formal Thai setting, Thais sometimes add [khun] in front of

[ph��] and [m� ��]



Expressing your wishes Lesson 12

Vocabulary: 1. ��"� yàak-ca to want to 2. ��,-� �àap-náam to take a bath/ shower 3. �� n��n to lay down 4. �% pay to go 5. �� d��n-lên to take a walk 6. �!� �,-� h��-náam restroom/ toilet 7. 3� �� roo�-rian school 8. 3� &�� roo�-pa-yaa-baan hospital 9. �� wát temple 10. �!�� bâan home/ house 11. *�� ta-làat market 12. ��!�� dây-máy Can/ May I…….?

Sentences: 1. ��"� ��,-� �� ph�m yàak-ca �àap-náam khráp I want to take a bath. 2. ��"��% �� di-chán yàak-ca pay d��n-lên khâ I want to go for a walk. 3. ��% *�� !�� ph�m pay ta-làat dây-máy khráp

Can/ May I go to the market?

Language/culture note: 1. Thais will say [pay n��n] which means to go to bed. 2. [pay] can be followed by both places or verbs



Useful Expressions Lesson 13

1. �� / �� kh��p-khun khâ /khráp Thank you. 2. ��3'7��/ �� kh��-tho�ot khâ /khráp I am sorry / Excuse me. 3. ��%8��/ �� mây pen ray khâ /khráp You’re welcome. / It’s okay. / Never mind. 4. �� / ��!�0"��/ ��

dichán /ph�m mây khâw-cay khâ /khráp I don’t understand. 5. � �&(�9�7�� :7��!��/ ��

khun phûut phaa-s�a �a�-krìt dâay máy khá /khráp Can you speak English? 6. &(��'��/ �� phûut �ìik thii si khá /khráp Please repeat. 7. &(��!� ; ��/ ��

phûut cháa cháa n� �y khâ /khráp Speak slowly please. 8. &(�� ; ��/ ��

phûut da� da� n� �y khâ /khráp Speak louder please.



9. �� / ��$�!��/ �� dichán /ph�m �ìm l�w khâ /khráp I am full. 10. 0�! �� / ��/ �� hây dichán /ph�m ch�ay máy khá /khráp Can/ May I help? 11. ��!�� ch�ay d�ay Help ! 12. �.��! fay mây Fire! 13. *-��" tam-rùat Police! 14. &�� / ��% 3� &�� / ��

phaa dichán /ph�m pay roo�-pa-ya-baan n��y khâ /khráp Take me to the hospital,please.

th thai language lessons

Documents

ar

ln nt kh

eat spicy food

deep fried chicken

khun mii phi

khw ch na

kh khrp

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