Monday 2nd February 2004
Thai Language Lesson 1

Phonetics guide

Five different tones are used in Thai. For the purpose of these pages words are broken up into syllables and each syllable has it's own tone. To indicate the appropriate tone one of the following letters is used in front of each syllable. The mid tone is indicated by the absence of a letter and is pronounced without any inflection in the middle of the vocal range.

(h) high
(l) low
(r) rising
(f) falling
(!) an exclamation mark used after a syllable indicates the syllable is pronounced quickly

Some consonants in Thai do not have an exact English equivalent but are somewhere in between two English letters. Where this occurs I have used both of the English letters to indicate this. Examples are:

bp where the sound is neither b or p but somewhere in between and pronounced quite explosively, such as bpii for year/s.

dt where the sound is neither d or t but somewhere in between, such as (h)dto! for table.

Replying to the question of how you are

Sabai di mai?

Pen - the Thai verb 'to be'

Some alternatives to 'Sabai di' or 'Mai sabai'

Phom pen hwat (wide mouth) - I have a cold

Phom bpuat hua - I have a headache

Phom bpuat fan - I have a toothache

Phom bpuat hlung - I have a backache

Phom bpuat ..... followed by which ever part of the body is hurting

ear - (r)hoo (purse lips)
hand - meu (contorted face)
finger - (h)nue! or (h)niew!
eye - dtah (bug-eyed)
nose - ja-(l)mook
face - (f)nah (long sound)
arm - (r)kaan
mouth - (l)bpahk
shoulder - (l)lai
lung - (l)pawt
leg - (r)khaa
elbow - (r)khaw (l)sawgh
ankle - (f)khaw (h)thao

Telling the time

Early hours of the morning - 01:00 to 05:00

01:00 - dtee (l)neung
02:00 - dtee (r)sawng
03:00 - dtee (r)saam
04:00 - dtee (l)sii
05:00 - dtee (f)haa

Morning - 06:00 to 09:00

06:00 - (l)hohk! mohng (h)chao
07:00 - (l)jet! mohng (h)chao
08:00 - (l)bpaat mohng (h)chao
09:00 - (f)gow mohng (h)chao

Late morning to midday - 10:00 to 12:00

10:00 - (l)sip! mohng
11:00 - (l)sip! eht! mohng
12:00 - (f)thiang

Afternoon - 13:00 to 16:00

13:00 - (l)bai mohng
14:00 - (l)bai (r)sawng mohng
15:00 - (l)bai (r)saam mohng
16:00 - (l)bai (l)sii mohng

Late afternoon - 17:00 to 18:00

17:00 - (f)haa mohng yen!
18:00 - (l)hohk! mohng yen!

Evening - 19:00 - 24:00

19:00 - (l)neung (f)thum!
20:00 - (r)sawng (f)thum!
21:00 - (r)saam (f)thum!
22:00 - (l)sii (f)thum!
23:00 - (f)haa (f)thum!
24:00 - (f)thiang keun

16:20 - (l)bai (l)sii mohng (f)yee (l)sip! nah-tee 16:30 - (l)bai (l)sii mohng (f)kreung!

(f)kreung! = half (speak through clenched teeth)

Weather

ah-(l)gaht = weather
ah-(l)gaht (h)rawn = hot weather
(h)chao (h)nii ah-(l)gaht (h)rawn = This morning it is hot
(h)chao wan!-(h)nii ah-(l)gaht (h)rawn = This morning it was hot

today = wan!-(h)nii
yesterday = (f)meu-uh wahn or (f)meu-uh wahn (h)nii

(h)chao (h)nii = this morning
(f)thiang (h)nii = midday today
(l)bai (h)nii = this afternoon
yen! (h)nii = this evening

ah-(l)gaht (r)now = the weather is cold
lohm! raang = it's windy
(r)fon! (l)dtohk! = to rain

lah (l)gawn = goodbye
(h)pohp! gun mai = see you later
jeu gun mai = see you later
(f)prung!-(h)nii (h)pohp! gun = see you tomorrow
(f)prung!-(h)nii jeu gun = see you tomorrow
jeu gun / (h)pohp! gun wan! (h)phut! = see you on Wednesday
(h)pohp! gun deu-un (f)nah = see you next month

deu-un (f)nah = next month
deu-un (h)nii = this month
deu-un (h)la-ew = last month
(l)hohk! deu-un (h)ti! (h)la-ew = 6 months ago

second = (h)wih!-nah-tii
minute = nah-tii
hour = (f)chu-ah mohng
day = wahn
week = ah-(h)thit!
month = deu-un
year = bpii

(r)phom bpai rong-rean
I go to school

(r)phom ja bpai rong-rean
I will go to school

(r)phom ja bpai rong-rean (f)prung!-(h)nii
I am going to school tomorrow

(r)phom bpai rong-rean (f)meu-uh wan (h)nii [The (h)nii at the end is optional]
I went to school yesterday

(r)phom bpai rong-rean deu-un (h)ti! (h)la-ew
I went to school last month

(r)phom bpai krung!-(f)thep (f)meu-uh wan (h)nii
I went to Bangkok yesterday

(r)phom bpai New York (r)sawng bpii (h)ti! (h)la-ew
I went to New York two years ago

(r)phom ja bpai Chiang Mai ah-(h)thit! (f)nah
I am going to Chiang Mai next week

(r)phom ja bpai Chiang Mai (r)sawng ah-(h)thit!
I am going to Chiang Mai for the next two weeks

(r)phom ja bpai Chiang Mai (r)sawng ah-(h)thit! tud pai

(r)phom (l)yu (h)ti! Had Yai (r)sawng bpii
I have lived in Hat Yai for two years

(r)phom ja bpai Chiang Mai (l)eek (r)sawng ah-(h)thit! tud pai
I will go to Chiang Mai in two weeks (time)

(r)phom ja bpai Chiang Mai (l)eek (r)sawng ah-(h)thit! laa! ja (l)yu (h)ti! Chiang Mai (r)saam deu-un
In two weeks time I will go to Chiang Mai and I will stay there for three months

(r)phom (l)yu (h)ti! bpra-(f)tet Thai (l)sii bpii [(h)ti! optional]
I have lived in Thailand for four years

(r)phom khoey (clenched teeth) (l)yu (h)ti! bpra-(f)tet Thai (l)sii bpii
I lived in Thailand for four years