Thursday, March 11, 2010

Welcome






Make the most of your stay in Thailand.
Talk, travel, work…

I offer Private tuition in Thai language in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Learn to communicate freely in Thai with Ms Kanchana.

If you’d like to learn Thai with fun, just contact me. I am looking forward to hearing from you.

Please feel free to browse the archive to find out more about my Thai courses and the Thai language in general.

Yours,
Kanchana Wanathaisong

Email: kanchana_wana@hotmail.com

Monday, January 11, 2010

Course Overview


You will be learning Thai through various media and engaging activities including ordering food and shopping.


THAI SPEAKING COURSE -
BEGINNER LEVEL

Survival Thai language conversation with basic vocabulary, sentence structure, pronunciation and intonation.
Duration: 6 hours
Material: This package includes
Handouts and worksheets.
Course fee: 1,100 Baht


THAI SPEAKING COURSE II -
BEGINNER TO INTERMEDIATE LEVEL
A practical conversation course with an emphasis on everyday
conversation.
Duration: 20 hours
Material: This package includes handouts, worksheets and the textbook “Thai for Beginners”.

Course fee: 3,500 Baht

THAI READING AND WRITING -
INTERMEDIATE TO ADVANCED LEVEL

Objective: A course for advanced students with basic understanding of the Thai language structure who want to learn basic reading and writing.
Duration: 20 hours
Material: This package includes handouts, worksheets and the grammar textbook “Thai Reading and Writing”.

Course fee: 4,500 Baht


HOUR BY HOUR
(pay as you go)
Thai speaking: 200 Baht per hour
Thai reading &writing: 250 Baht per hour

Friday, September 11, 2009

Useful expressions of time

► “Today”, “Tomorrow”, “Yesterday”

wanníi                        today                                    วันนี้
wan phrûng níi            tomorrow                             วันพรุ่งนี้
mûea waan níi            yesterday                              เมื่อวานนี้
má ruen (níi)               the day after tomorrow         มะรืน (นี้)
waan suen (níi)           the day before yesterday       เมื่อวานซืน (นี้)
       
cháo níi                      this morning                          เช้านี้
bàai  níi                      this afternoon                       บ่ายนี้
yen níi                        this evening                          เย็นนี้
khuen níi                    tonight                                  คืนนี้
       
cháo mûea waan         yesterday morning              เช้า (เมื่อ) วาน
bàai mûea waan          yesterday afternoon            บ่าย (เมื่อ) วาน
yen mûea waan           yesterday evening               เย็น (เมื่อ) วาน
khuen níi                     yesterday night                   คืนนี้
       
phrûng níi cháo          tomorrow morning               พรุ่งนี้เช้า
phrûng níi bàai           tomorrow afternoon            พรุ่งนี้บ่าย
phrûng níi yen            tomorrow evening               พรุ่งนี้เย็น
khuen phrûng níi        tomorrow night                   คืนพรุ่งนี้



► “This”, “Next”, “Last”
The word nii (this), naa (next) and thii laew (last) can occur after any unit of time. (muea)… may optionally be used with thii laew in last week / month/ year.”

aa-thît níi          this week             อาทิตย์นี้
duean nâa         next month           เดือหน้า
pii thîi láew       last year               ปีที่แล้ว


aa-thît níi jà pai yîam khun yaai     (อาทิตย์ นี้จะไปเยี่ยมคุณยาย)
I am going to visit my grandmother this week.

Friday, September 4, 2009

Time

1.    Days (วัน)
Days of the week normally prefaced by the word wan (day); no preposition, corresponding to English “on” is used.

wan aathît                             Sunday                      (วันอาทิตย์)
wan jan                                 Monday                     (วันจันทร์)
wan angkhaan                       Tuesday                     (วันอังคาร)
wan phút                              Wednesday                (วันพุธ)
wan phá-rúe-hàt                    Thursday                   (วันพฤหัสฯ)
wan sùk                                Friday                        (วันศุกร์)
wan sǎo                                Saturday                    (วันเสาร์)


Note: The alternative, very formal pronunciation
is wan pha-rue-hat-sa-boo-dii   วันพฤหัสบดี

raw jà glàp bâan wan sùk  (เราจะกลับบ้านวันศุกร์)
-    We shall return home on Friday.

wanníi wan à-rai  (วันนี้วันอะไร)
-    What day is today?


2.    Parts of the day
Words like cháo (morning) and bàai (afternoon) may optionally be prefixed with the word toɔn (a period of time) to express the idea “in the morning” “in the afternoon”, ect.

toɔn cháo                          morning                   (ตอน) เช้า
toɔn thîang                        noon                        (ตอน) เที่ยง
toɔn bàai                          afternoon                  (ตอน) บ่าย
toɔn yen                           (early) evening          (ตอน) เย็น
toɔn glaang khuen             night time                  (ตอน) กลางคืน
toɔn glaang wan                daytime                    (ตอน) กลางวัน


toɔn bàai chán mâi wâang   (ตอนบ่ายฉันไม่ว่าง)
-    I am not free in the afternoon.

phǒm tùen toɔn cháo thúk wan   (ผมตื่นตอนเช้าทุกวัน)
    -     I wake up in the morning every day.


3. Months (เดือน)
One of the easy things about learning the months of the year in Thai is that the endings are very logical. You may start with “duean”

Note: Months ending with “yon” have 30 days. Months ending with “khom” have 31 days.

(duean) má-gà-raa-khon                                January                   (เดือน) มกราคม

(duean) gum-phaa-phan                                 February                 (เดือน) กุมภาพันธ์
   
(duean) mii-naa-khom                                    March                    (เดือน) มีนาคม
   
(duean) me-sǎa-yon                                       April                       (เดือน) เมษายน
   
(duean) phrúet-sà-phaa-khom                        May                       (เดือน) พฤษภาคม
   
(duean) mí-thù-naa-yon                                  June                       (เดือน) มิถุนายน
   
(duean) gà-rá-gà-daa-khom                           July                        (เดือน) กรกฎาคม
   
(duean) sǐng-hǎa-khom                                  August                    (เดือน) สิงหาคม
   
(duean) gan-yaa-yon                                     September              (เดือน) กันยายน
   
(duean) tù-laa-khom                                     October                  (เดือน) ตุลาคม

(duean) phrúet-sà-ji-gaa-yon                         November              (เดือน) พฤศจิกายน
   
(duean) than-waa-khom                               December               (เดือน) ธันวาคม
   

khǎo pai duean gan-yaa          (เขาไปเดือนกันยา)
-    He is going in September.

chǎn goet duean than-waa          (ฉันเกิดเดือนธันวา)
-    I was born in December.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Asking questions



The most common way is simply to add the word mái (ไหม) at the end of a sentence, which can be thought of as the equivalent of a question mark.

mái (ไหม) = word which is added to the end of a statement to create a question for expecting yes/no answers. Note: rising tone

► Structure: … mái?

Examples:
khun chôɔp mái (คุณชอบไหม)
Do you like it?

chôɔp khráp / khà (ชอบ ครับ/ค่ะ)
- Yes, I like.

mâi chôɔp khráp / khà (ไม่ชอบ ครับ/ค่ะ)
- No, I don’t like.


Note: The equally useful "mâi” (ไม่) (falling tone!) is used to put statement in the negative, and can be translated depending on the context as "no", "not", "don’t".



dâi mái (ได้ไหม) questions are asking whether or not someone "can" do something
Can I? Can you? Can he? May I?

To express that you can do something in Thai, you use the word "dâi "(ได้) which means, "can". If you would like to express that you can't do something, simply negate the verb dâi with "mâi "(ไม่).

▶ Structure: … dâi mái?

Examples:
sǒɔn phaasăa thai phǒm dâi mái (สอนภาษาไทยผมได้ไหม)
Can you teach me Thai?

dâi khráp / khà. (ได้ ครับ/ค่ะ)
- Yes, I can.

mâi dâi khráp / khà.(ไม่ได้ ครับ/ค่ะ)
- No, I can’t.



mii mái (มีไหม) This are a very important words used all the time in daily life. Coupled with mii it becomes even more useful. However the lesson here is that armed with mii (any noun) mái? You can ask for absolutely anything in any situation such as a shop, restaurant, home or workplace.

The verb mii (มี) "to have" has the multiple meanings of "have", "has", "there is", "there are", "there was", and "there were".

▶ Structure: … mii + noun + mái?

mii hôɔng wâang mái (มีห้องว่างไหม)
Is there a vacant room?

mii khráp / khà. (มี ครับ / ค่ะ)
- Yes, there is.

mâi mii khráp / khà. (ไม่มี ครับ / ค่ะ)
- No, there isn’t



Wh- questions

In English the Wh- question words (Who? What? where? Why? When? Which, how) normally occur at the beginning of the question. In Thai the position of some question words varies according to their grammatical function in the sentence, while others have a fixed position.

■ Who? khrai (ใคร) = Verb + khrai
If the question pattern is Verb + khrai, then the answer will be Verb + person

Khun pai gàp khrai (คุณไปกับใคร)
Who are you going with?

pai gàp phûean (ไปกับเพื่อน)
- With a friend.


■ Whose? - (khǒɔng) khrai (ของใคร) = Noun + khǒɔng khrai

bâan khǒɔng khrai (บ้านของใคร)
Whose house?

bâan khǒɔng raw (บ้านของเรา)
- Our house. / Ours.

nîi khǒɔng khrai (นี่ของใคร)
Whose is this?

khǒɔng phǒm (ของผม)
- It’s mine.


■ What? a-rai (อะไร) = Verb (phrase) + a-ria

khăo chûe a-rai (เขาชื่ออะไร)
What is his name?

Khăo chûe Tom (เขาชื่อทอม)
- His name is Tom.

Khun tham a-rai (คุณทำอะไร)
What are you doing?

duu TV (ดูทีวี)
- Watching TV.

■ Which? - năi (ไหน) = Verb +( noun) + classifier + năi

khun khui gàp phûu yǐng khon năi (คุณคุยกับผู้หญิงคนไหน)
Which girl did you chat with?

(khui gàp) khon yîi pùn (คุยกับ) คนญี่ปุ่น)
- (I chat with) the Japanese one.

ao năngsǔe lêm năi (เอาหนังสือเล่มไหน)
Which book do you want?

ao lêm nán ( เอาเล่มนั้น)
- I want that one.

■ Where? thîi năi (ที่ไหน) = Verb (phrase) + thîi năi

thîi năi (ที่ไหน) always occurs the end of a sentence. Answers follow the pattern (verb (phrase) + thîi + location.

khun phák yùu thîi năi (คุณพักอยู่ที่ไหน)
Where are you staying?

(phák yùu) thîi rong raem Amarin (พักอยู่) ที่โรงแรมอมาริน)
-(I am staying) at the Amarin Hotel.

khun maa jàak năi (คุณมาจากไหน)
Where are you from?

(phǒm) maa jàak pràthét Germany (ผม) มาจากประเทศเยอรมนี)
- I come from Germany.


■ When? muearai (เมื่อไหร่) = verb (phrase) + muearai

Answers follow the pattern Verb (phrase) + expression of time. muearai normally occurs at the end of a sentence, but may occur at the beginning for emphatic effect.

khun jà glàp mûearài (คุณจะกลับเมื่อไหร่)
When are you returning?

(glàp) aa- thîi náa (กลับ) อาทิตย์หน้า)
- (I'm returning) next week.

khun jà bòɔk khǎo mûearài (คุณจะบอกเธอเมื่อไหร่)
When are you going to tell her?

mûearài khun jà bòɔk khăo (เมื่อไหร่คุณจะบอกเขา)
When are you going to tell her?

■ Why?tham mai (ทำไม) = thammai + subject + verb (phrase)
tham mai can occur at the end of the sentence, usually in an informal context.

thammai khun mâi chôɔp khăo (ทำไมคุณไม่ชอบเขา)
Why don't you like him?

phróɔ khăo mâi sùphâap (เพราะเขาไม่สุภาพ)
- Because, he is rude.

bòɔk thammai (บอกเธอทำไม)
Why did you tell her?

■ How much? thâo rài (เท่าไหร่) = Verb (Phrase) + thâo rài
thâo rài always occurs at the end of the question.

khun súe thâo rài (คุณซื้อเท่าไหร่)
How much did you buy it for?

nîi thâo rài (นี่เท่าไหร่)
How much it this?


■ How many? gìi (กี่) = Verb + noun + gìi + classifier
The answer normally consists of number + classifier

khun mii lûuk gìi khon (คุณมีลูกกี่คน)
How many children do you have?

săam khon (สามคน)
- Three.

khun pai gìi wan (คุณไปกี่วัน)
How many days are you going for?

hâa wan (ห้าวัน)
- Five days.

■ How? yàangrai: manner (อย่างไร) = Verb (Phrase) + yàang rai
yàang rai is sometimes used when English uses “What?”

khǐan yàangrai (เขียนอย่างไร)
How do you write it?

gin yàangrai (กินอย่างไร)
How do you eat it?

khun khît yàangrai (คุณคิดอย่างไร)
What do you think?

khun jà tham yàangrai(คุณจะทำอย่างไร)
What will you do?

Wh-question + dii (ดี) = Verb (Phrase) + Wh-question + dii is used for asking advice.

súe a-rai dii (ซื้ออะไรดี)
What shall I / we buy?   
   
pai mûearài dii (ไปเมื่อไหร่ดี)
When shall I / we go?   
   
than yàang rai dii (ทำอย่างไรดี)
What shall I / we do?

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Thai Language Principles

Thai Grammar ไวยากรณ์ไทย
Generally speaking, spoken grammar is simple. The basic structure of Thai
sentences is subject – verb - object with adjectives following nouns.
It is similar to English.

■ Sentence Structure = subject + verb + object

Example
khǎo chôɔp aa-hǎan Thai (เขาชอบอาหารไทย)
He likes Thai food.

rao rian phaa sǎa Thai (เราเรียนภาษาไทย)
We study Thai.

mûeakhuen nii chǎn noɔn mâi làp (เมื่อคืนนี้ ฉันนอนไม่หลับ)
I did not sleep last night.

phǒm maa pràthet Thai aa-thît thîi láew (ผมมาประเทศไทยอาทิตย์ที่แล้ว)
I came to Thailand last week.

Thai Pronouns
There are a lot of pronouns in Thai Language.

phǒm ( ผม)
I / me (use by male)

chǎn, di- chǎn (ดิฉัน)
I / me (use by female)

thân (ท่าน)
You: to seniors people.

khun (คุณ)
You

khǎo (เขา)
He

thoe (เธอ)
She

phûak khǎo (พวกเขา)
They / Them

man (มัน)
It: to animals and everything.


Possessive Pronouns

khǒɔng phǒm (ของผม)
My / Mine (use by male)

khǒɔng di- chǎn / chǎn (ของฉัน)
My / mine (use by female)

khǒɔng than (ของท่าน)
Your

khǒɔng khun (ของคุณ)
Your

khǒɔng khǎo (ของเขา)
His / Him

khǒɔng thoe (ของเธอ)
Her

khǒɔng phûak raw (ของพวกเรา)
Ours

khǒɔng phûak khǎo (ของพวกเขา)
Theirs

khǒɔng man (ของมัน)
Its


Useful Thai Phrases

If you are coming to Thailand on holiday and you don't have much time to learn many phrases then this is the right page for you. Most Useful Phrases for your holiday in Thailand. To make a request or greeting sound more polite, male people should add "khráp" to the end of a sentence and female "khà" as follow.


sà-wàt dii (สวัสดี)
Hello and goodbye

sà-baai dii mái (สบายดีไหม)
How are you?

khòɔp khun (ขอบคุณ)
Thank you.

khǒɔ thoot (ขอโทษ)
Sorry, Excuse me

mâi pen rai (ไม่เป็นไร)
You're welcome.

thâorài (เท่าไหร่)
How much?

khit ngoen dûai (คิดเงินด้วย)
Check bill , please.

phǒm / di-chăn khǒɔ… (ผม/ดิฉันขอ...)
I’d like…

yùu thîi năi (อยู้ที่ไหน)
Where is/are?

gìi moɔng (กี่โมง)
What time is it?

pai…(place)… thâo rài (ไป...เท่าไหร่)
How much to go to…?

lót nòi dâi mái (ลดหน่อยได้ไหม)
Can you lower the price?

phaeng pai (แพงไป)
That is a little expensive.

chûai dâi mái (ช่วยได้ไหม)
Can you help me?

mâi ao (ไม่เอา)
I don't want any.

pai năi (ไปไหน)
Where are you going?

mâi chûea (ไม่เชื่อ)
I don't believe you.

khâo jai mái (เข้าใจไหม)
Do you understand?

pai thaang năi (ไปทางไหน)
Which way?

hôɔng nám yùu thîi năi (ห้องน้ำ้อยู่ที่ไหน)
Where is the toilet?


Note: Always use "khráp" (for men) and "khà" (for women) when you want to be polite. Add these words to the end of all the sentences.