Friday 6th February 2004
Thai Language Lesson 3

Tones and Phonetics

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.

Meeting people after an absence

(l)sa-baai dii (r)mai = How are you?

(l)sa-baai dii (h)khrap = fine, thanks

(r)laew khun lah! = And you?

yin!-dee (r)tii jeu gun [(h)pohp! gun] (l)eek (h)khrang! = I'm glad to see you again

yin!-dee hmeung gun [pause] (r)tii (h)pohp! gun (l)eek = I'm glad to see you again too!

dii jai can also be used for 'glad' instead of yin!-dee

I haven't seen you for years
(r)phom (h)mai (h)dai (h)pohp! gun (r)lai bpii

(h)mai (h)dai = 'haven't' or 'cannot' or 'do not'
(h)pohp! = see
khun! = you (can be used instead of gun) (r)lai = many (in a time context)
bpii = years

usually = (l)muk (pronounced muck)

I usually go to school by bus
(r)phom (l)muk bpai rohng ree-un doi (h)roht! meh

rohng ree-un = school
doi = by

(h)roht! meh = bus
(h)roht! (h)too = van
(h)roht! yohn = car
(h)roht! moh-tuh-sai = motorcycle
(h)roht! jahk-a-yahn = bicycle
(h)roht! fai = train
(f)kreu-ung bin! = airplane

I = (r)phom! [male polite]; (r)chahn! [female polite]; (l)rao [informal version for both sexes]
my = (r)kawng (r)phom!
his = (r)kawng (r)kow!
her = (r)kawng (l)hlon!
he = (r)kow!
she = (l)hlon!
our = (r)kawng (f)phuak rao
we = rao
your = (r)kawng khun!
their = (r)kawng (f)phuak (r)kow!
they = (f)phuak (r)kow!

many foreigners = (l)fa-(l)rahng! (h)yuh! (h)yuh! [wide mouth and spoken through clenched teeth] or (l)fa-(l)rahng! (f)mahk (f)mahk

How is your family?
(f)krawp kru-uh (r)kawng khun! bpen! (l)yaang! rai (h)baang

How is your father?
(f)por (r)kawng khun! bpen! (l)yaang! rai (h)baang

Relatives

father = (f)por
mother = (f)maa
older brother = (f)pii chai
younger brother = (h)nawng chai
older sister = (f)pii (r)sow
younger sister = (h)nawng (r)sow
older brother-in-law = (f)pii (r)kuh-ee
younger brother-in-law = (h)nawng (r)kuh-ee
older sister-in-law = (f)pii sa-(h)pai!
younger sister-in-law = (h)nawng sa-(h)pai!
daughter = (f)look (r)sow
son = (f)look chai
aunt (elder sister of parent) = (f)bpah
aunt (younger sister of parent) = (h)nah
husband of younger aunt = (h)nah keu-(r)ay
husband of elder aunt = loong! keu-(r)ay
cousin = (r)hlaan

How old are you?
khun ah-(h)yu! (r)thao rai

ah-(h)yu! = age
(r)thao rai = how many?

Asking the age of another person

khun 'name of person' ah-(h)yu! (r)thao rai

If you don't know the age of the person

(r)kow ah-(h)yu! (r)thao rai

(r)kow = his / her

khun ja pai nai = Where are you going?

Answering how someone in your family is

Don't use (r)kao (he/she) for older relatives, use (h)tan! as it is more polite

(h)tan! (l)sa-baai dii = he/she is fine

(h)took! kohn! (l)sa-baai dii = Everyone is fine

giin! (f)khao (r)mai! = Would you like to eat rice?

giin! ah!-rai! doy gun (r)mai! = Would you like to eat with me?

(l)kawp khun! (to accept the invitation)

khun! ja (h)rahp! ah!-rai! dii (h)khrap! = What would you like to eat?

(h)rahp! = to get [giin! or tahn (the verbs to eat) can be used instead of (h)rahp!]
(h)rahp! can only be used in questions, not answers

(r)phom (l)yaak giin! (or tahn) pizza = I like to eat pizza
(r)phom (l)yaak dai pizza = I like pizza

Asking about work

Are you still working in Bangkok?
khun! yahng!-khong tahm! ngaan (r)tii krung!-(f)thep (r)mai!

bor-ri-(l)sat! = company (as in firm, or organisation)

What are you doing now?
thawn (h)nii khun! tham ah!-rai!

now = thawn (h)nii or (r)dee-oh (h)nii

Engineer at .......... company
(h)wit!-sa-wa-gawn (r)tii bor-ri-(l)sat! ..........

Do you still play tennis every day?
khun! yahng!-khong (f)len! tennis (h)tuuk! wan (r)mai!

(f)len! = to play (both sport and music)
gee-lah = sport
(f)len! dohn!-dtree = play music

Where are you going?

bpai (r)nai - this is the question that everyone asks you in Thailand

(r)phom doen doo (r)khong bpai reuy! reuy! = I'm walking around looking for things to buy

doo (r)khong = looking for things to buy

(r)phom doen (f)tiew bpai reuy! reuy! = I'm walking around for pleasure

bpai (f)tiew = travelling for pleasure