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Survival
thai
Survival
thai
How to communicate without
fuss or fear INSTANTLY!
by THOMAS LAMOSSE
& JINTANA RATTANAKHEMAKORN
TUTTLE Publishing
Tokyo | Rutland, Vermont | Singapore
CONTENTS
Introduction
Thai: Think Simple Sentences
Sound system and pronunciation guide
How a Thai sentence works
PART 1 Getting Started
Common Expressions and Phrases
Common Actions and Movements
Essential Questions Words
Useful Phrases
PART 2 Everyday Conversations
Introductions
Getting Around
At the Hotel
In the Taxi
At the Restaurant
Shopping
At the Workplace
PART 3 Situations, Making Plans, Sightseeing
On the Phone
Emergencies
Counting
Money and ATMs
Telling Time
Days of the Week
Months of the Year
Common Objects
Air Travel
Modes of Transport in Towns and Cities
Traveling by Bus and Train
The Weather
PART 4 Exploring Thailand
Public Holidays and Festivals
Popular Tourist Destinations
INTRODUCTION
Thai: Think Simple Sentences
Thai is unlike English in many ways. You may be afraid of Thai at first because of the tones and many odd sounds we do not have in the English language but Thai sentences are very easy.
Most Thai people do not expect a foreigner to be able to speak Thai language. However, they are always surprised if you can say a few sentences. With a fair amount of survival phrases, you will find it a lot easier to get discount at the markets, to order food and to travel around Thailand.
Note: Please read through the rest of this Introduction to help you understand that Thai is a tonal language and if you say a word correctly but with the wrong tone you will not be understood. You need this essential background on tones and odd character sounds in order to communicate.
Sound system and pronunciation guide
In this introductory section, you will find guidelines for the correct pronunciation of each Thai vowel and consonant. Throughout the book, each time a Thai word or phrase is used, romanized pronunciation is presented in parenthesis (….), and also a hyphen mark “–” is included for a syllable break within a multi-syllable word.
THAI CONSONANTS
There are 44 consonant characters in Thai representing 20 consonant sounds.
THAI VOWELS
There are 18 single vowels in Thai. Thai vowels have two “sounds”; short and long.
1. Short vowels
There are nine “short” vowels:
2. Long vowels
Each of the short vowels above has its long counterpart:
Note: The letter “อ” in Thai can be pronounced a, e, i, o, or u, depending on where it appears. For example:
| อ่าน àan | /a/ as in at |
| เอ็ด èt | /e/ as in egg |
| อิ่ม ìm | /i/ as in it |
| อ้วน oûan | /o/ as in on |
| อุ่น ùn | /u/ as in up |
ENDING
When these consonants appear at the end of a word, they are not voiced aloud.
TONES
Thai has only five distinctive tones; mid, low, falling, high, and rising. They all carry tone marks except for mid-level tones. The pitch of a particular word changes its meaning.
How a Thai sentence works
Thai grammar is very simple when compared with English or other European languages. Basic Thai word order is regular with every sentence structured by “subject-verb-object” order like English. But most Thai words are not modified or conjugated for tense, person, possession, singular or plural, gender, or subject-verb agreement. Also, determiners such as a, an,
