is an especially interesting feature of the Thai language, one that gives it a pleasant “singing” sound. The tones are essential, as mentioned above, and not an optional extra. Every Thai word can be said to have a tone, that is, has to be pronounced on a particular pitch. Changing the tone may, in some cases, produce a different word—sometimes with amusing or embarrassing results.
There are five tones in Thai. We call them:
• mid
• high
• falling
• low, and
• rising.
We have marks to indicate these. Each one has its typical contour.
The majority of words are mid tone, so no mark is used for them. When pronouncing a mid tone, we have to be careful to hold the note steadily, not let it drop or rise.
The high tone starts higher than mid, and rises to a little “hook” at the end.
The falling tone starts high, and then drops.
The low tone sounds like an English emphatic tone: “No!”
The rising tone starts low and then goes up.
Native speakers of Thai have very sharp ears for these differences, and so in natural speech the distinctions are sometimes minimal, and may be slurred over when words are in combination. But the learner is well advised to produce the tones exactly, and even to exaggerate them, in order to hit the right note. You can practice by “conducting” with your hand in the air.
In some of the example words already given, some tone marks can already be seen; a complete set looks like this:
| Bpaa | ปา | throw | (mid tone) | ¯ |
| Bpàa | ป่า | forest | (low tone) | ` |
| Bpâa | ป้า | aunt | (falling tone) | ˆ |
| Bpáa | ป๊า | father (Chinese) | (high tone) | ´ |
| Bpǎa | ป๋า | father (Papa) | (rising tone) | ˇ |
Please note that when a vowel sound is written with two letters, the mark is placed over the first, but this of course applies to both.
PART 1 Words 1–10
Getting to know you
People traveling in Thailand will obviously want to become better informed about everything they see about them and will seek social contact with Thais. The best way to make contact is to exchange a few words in Thai. Your Thai friends will be pleased, and will help you with the pronunciation.
| 1 | DII ดี Good! Right! Okay! |
Sawatdii. สวัสดี Hello!
This is an all-purpose word of greeting. It can be used with anybody, and at any time of day. Informally, people just say Wàtdii! หวัดดี. You can use it to say “hello” on the phone, and also to say goodbye. (It isn’t actually derived from dii ดี at all, but is useful to include here.)
Sabai dii mái? สบายดีไหม Are you well?
To answer a question like this, just repeat the main word (without the question word):
Sabai dii. สบายดี Yes, I am.
Dii mái? ดีไหม Is that okay? Do you agree?
Chohk dii. โชคดี Good luck.
Yin dii. ยินดี It’s my pleasure.
Dii jai. ดีใจ Happy (to see you, know you; literally “good in my heart”).
Grammatical notes
1. Thai sentence is simply formed by ‘subject-verb-object’ order like English. No word is modified or conjugated for tense, person, possession, singular or plural, gender, or subject-verb agreement.
2. The question word mái ไหม is placed at the end of a sentence. It can be interpreted as both a general question and an invitation or suggestion. To answer “yes” repeat the verb or adjective. For saying “no”, put mâi ไม่ before the verb or adjective.
Question: subject + verb/adjective + mái
Yes: subject + verb/adjective
No: subject + mâi (no) + verb/adjective
3. In Thai sentence, subject omission is acceptable when it is clear who the subject is.
Cultural note
Thais do not shake hands, nor do they say “please to meet you” when they “meet and greet” someone. Thais use a gesture of wâai ไหว้. They make a slight bow with the palms pressed together, as a way of greeting and respecting one another. There is a certain “protocol” for making the wâai ไหว้, bearing in mind its function, namely to express respect. So we wâai ไหว้ “up,” to someone we want to show respect to, including a new acquaintance. If someone makes a wâai ไหว้ to you, you must return it (if you’re carrying something, then one hand will do, or even just a little bow). Consequently, you do not make a wâai ไหว้ to a younger or junior person first (but you do return it), and of course you never make one to a child.
When it is intended as a form of greeting or farewell, people would say sà-wàt-dii สวัสดี while performing the wâi.
| 2 | KHÁ/KHÂ/KHRÁP คะ/ค่ะ/ครับ Polite particles |
These three words should be introduced at an early stage, because they are very common. They are used to end a sentence in order to make an utterance sound very polite and respectful.
• ค่ะ khâ (for women) is used for making statements, commands, and also used alone as a polite way to answer “yes”.
• คะ khá (for women) is used at the end of a question.
• ครับ khráp is a neutral ending for men to use in any situation.
| 3 | CHÊU ชื่อ name |
Khun chêu à-rai. คุณชื่ออะไร
What
