Tuesday Thai Tutorial

Today, we are breaking from our standard layout a bit, and going with a single category of the Thai language: Colors.

สีแก่seé gaaĕA dark color

สีอ่อนseé ăawnA pale color, a light color

สีดำseé dahmThe color black

สีขาวseé khaaóThe color white

สีเทาseé thaoThe color gray

สีหมอกseé maăwkThe color gray

สีแดงseé daaengThe color red

สีส้มseé sòhmThe color orange

สีเหลืองseé leuuángThe color yellow

สีเขียวseé khiaaóThe color green

สีน้ำเงินseé nâhm ngernThe color navy blue

สีกาลseé gaanThe color dark blue

สีฟ้าseé faâThe color light / sky blue

สีน้ำตาลseé nâhm đaanThe color brown

สีน้ำตาลอ่อนseé nâhm đaan aăwnThe color tan; light brown

สีกากีseé khakiKhaki, light yellowish brown

สีเงินseé ngernThe color silver

สีทองseé thaawngGolden-colored; color gold

สีชมพูseé chohm phuuThe color pink

สีม่วงseé muaàngThe color purple

The word "seé" is obviously the word for "color". The rules for putting it in or leaving it out are a little arbitrary, and for beginning Thai speakers, you should always put it in.

The words for dark (gaaĕ) and light (ăawn) can stand by themselves, or be put after the name of a color to make it light or dark ("seé thao ăawn" for light gray, "seé thao gaaĕ" for dark gray).

The contents of this lesson, along with many additional colors, can be found here, at Thai-Language.com, the best Thai language web site on the internet.

Tuesday Thai Tutorial

I've discovered that the translation for "พัทยา" (Pattaya) is "southwest wind"; however, it can also mean "tax, or tithe". The translation for "Chonburi" (Pattaya's province) is fun: It is "ชล" (chohn... stupid, foolish) and "บุรี " (boo-ree... city) .

Therefore: I have decided that "Pattaya, Chohnburi" is Thai for "The city where stupid people come to tithe their earnings."

Here is the translation of other cities in the area:

Naklua is "นา" (naa... rice paddy) and "เกลือ " (gleuua... salt).

Jomtien is "จอม" (jaawm... leader, head person), and "เทียน" (thiian... candle). I have no idea what that is about. It's probably wrong.

Sattahip seems to be "สัต" (sat... living) and "หีบ" (heep... box). Also odd.

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UPDATE:

I sat down with Pui and we went over each of the words in question... and yes: "Salt paddy", "Leader candle", and "Living box" are all correct... tones and all.

Tuesday Thai Tutorial #6

Daily Verb"To be able"ได้daì

 "To do"ทำthahm

 "To come"มาmaa

 "To play"เล่นlèhn

Daily Noun"Work"งานngaan

 "Vacation"เที่ยวthiaàò

 "Business"ธุระthoô râ

Daily Adjective"Much, many"มากmaàk

 "A little"นิดหน่อยnît hnaăwy

 "Hot"ร้อนraâwn

 "Cold"เย็นyen

 "Feel cold"หนาวhnaáó

Daily Other Word"Is not"ไม่ใช่maì chaì

 "True"จริง jing

 "From"จากjaăk

Question Word"Why?"ทำไมthahm mai

Daily Tinglish"Office"ออฟฟิศaăwf fît

 "Bar"บาร์baa[r]

The letters for today are ผ, which is a "high PH", as in a P that lets a little more air through the lips than a regular P. The next letter is ย, which is the letter "Y".

The vowel for today is one that you have seen a lot of: ไ, which is AI. It is written before the consonant that it follows.

The tone marker for today is seen in the word ได้. It's that mark on top. It looks quite a bit like the -ั "A" that we learned about last week to the untrained eye, but it's not. When you see this tone, it is usually making a high tone into a falling tone. (Kind of like the ' from lesson #1.)

The verbs for this week are very important and very common in the daily language: ได้, daì (to be able) is used in just about every instance where you would use it in English, including "may", or "can" as well. "daì maí" means "May I?" and "maì daì" means "No you can't" or "I cannot."

The verb ทำ, thahm (to do/make) is also used in conversation. People ask you "thahm ă rai" which means "What are you doing?" You can answer "thahm aa haán" (I make food) or "thahm ngaan" (I'm working).

The verb มา, maa (to come) is heard a lot in conjunction with "neè" to make "maa neè", or "to come here", as well as the word "jaăk" to make "maa jaăk" or "to come from".

Another word that is very popular is เล่น, lèhn (to play). Thai people use this word a lot more than normal: They put it after any other word, it means to do it in an enjoyable not-too-serious fashion. So you could say, "thahm ngaan lèhn" would mean to work... but not too seriously. When you say "phuùt lèhn" (to talk, to play) it means to tell a joke, or to kid somebody.

The noun เที่ยว, thiaàò (vacation) is another word you hear a lot. Basically any time you go out for fun, you "þai thiaàò" (go on vacation). If you aren't "þai thiaàò", your only other option is "þai thoô râ" (go on business).

Another common word in Thai is มาก, maàk (much, many). It is the official superlative of the language, as in "phuùt maàk" (you talk too much), or "thahm ngaan maàk" (I'm working a lot). If you are talking about a real lot... just say "maàk maàk". Yup: Say it twice, and it means twice as much. The opposite of maàk is นิดหน่อย, nît hnaăwy (a little).

The two words ร้อน, raâwn (hot) and เย็น, yen (cold) are obvious, but be careful to use the word หนาว, hnaáó (to feel cold) when saying how you personally feel... otherwise you are describing your own body temperature, not how you feel.

The word จริง , jing (true) is used just as you would expect. However, if you say the word twice ("jing jing") it doesn't mean doubly true... it means "Really!" As in, "jing jing, maì phuùt lèhn" (Really. I'm not joking.)

Another important word to know is ไม่ใช่, maì chaì (is not). This is the negative of þen (to be). You don't say "maì þen"... you say "maì chaì".

The question word for the day is ทำไม, thahm mai (why?). You put this at the end of a sentence to ask for an explanation. "thahm thahm mai" means "Why do you do this?"

The tinglish words for the day are ออฟฟิศ, aăwf fît (office), and บาร์, baa[r] (bar).

Tuesday Thai Tutorial #5

Daily Verb"To feel pleased"ยินyin

 "To know (of)"รู้จักruû-jăk

Daily Noun"I (male)"ผมphóhm

 "I (female)"ฉันchán

 "You"คุณkhoon

 "He, She, They"
เขาkháo

 "We"เราrao

 "Thing"ของkhaáwng

 "Luck"โชคchòhk

Daily Adjective"Well, Good"ดีdee

 "Well, Happy"สบายsă baay

 "Tired"ง่วงnguàang

 "Hungry"หิวhiú

 "Full (food)"อิ่มĭm

Daily Other Word"Hello"สวัสดีsăwăt dee

 "Thank you"ขอบคุณkhaăwp khoon

Daily Thainglish"Bye Bye"บ๊ายบายbaây baay

The letters for today are a little tough, so sorry in advance. Let's look at the first word for hello, which actually means blessing: "Sawat": (สวัส). Notice that the first and last letters are the same? That's because this letter ส at the beginning of a word is an "S", and when it is at the end of a word, it is a "T". I know that seems absolutely crazy but think about these two words: "GHost" and "rouGH". Fair enough?

The next letter is the W in "Sawat", ว

Now for the really fun consonant: "AW", อ, which has shown up in the number two (สอง, saáwng). However, notice the following odd words that you have already learned where there seems to be no "AW": อยาก, yaăk, "to want to"; อยู่, yuŭ, "to stay"; อะไร, ă-rai, "what?", and today's word, อิ่ม, ĭm, "full". The reason there is an AW in these words is because in the Thai language, you can't have a syllable without a consonant in it, and/or you can't have a word start with a vowel. Therefore, the letter อ is chosen as the letter that is kind of a "space filler" for the Thai language. Well, English is full of enough silent letters that we can't complain.

The vowel for today is also from "sawat", and is the letter -ั (a short "A"). There are a bunch of short A's, and this is only the first one you'll learn.

Today's first verb is ยิน, "yin" or, "to feel pleased". This is a verb that is used in conjunction with two other words for today: รู้จัก, "ruû-jăk", "to know", and ดี, "dee" or, "good". Put them together another word you already know: ที่, "theè", which means "at" or "in", and you can almost create a great sentence: "ยิน ดี ที่ ได้ รู้จัก" ("yin dee theè daì ruû-jăk", or "Happy to be knowing [you]").

Next up is all of the Thai pronouns you need to know for now. However, be aware that there are just dozens of pronouns for when you are speaking to different people. Monks have their own word for "I", government officials have their own word for "you", and you don't call your wife the same "you" as you call your best friend.

That said, for the time being, the word for "I" if you are a male is phóhm, which is consequently, the same word as "hair". (This is because way back in the olden days, people would show respect by saying to others, "the hair of my head speaks to the bottom of your feet"... which was eventually just shortened to "phóhm".) If you are a female, then you don't say "phóhm", you say "chán" instead.

When you are referring to another person ("you"), you say "khoon" for you (in all instances: As a foreigner speaking Thai, don't worry... you'll be excused for now). When you are referring to "we", you use "rao", and for all third person pronouns, you use "kháo". The nice thing is that all direct objects are the same as the pronouns... thus him is the same as he; her is the same as she; them is the same as they; and, us is the same as we. (To creat the possessive (his, her, their, our, my, your), just put the word "thing" in front of it ("rôt khaáwng phóhm" = my car).

The word "dee" is the word for "good", but only in the upbeat, feeling way. You can't say "the food is good" or "you dance good". Those are other words for another lesson.

The words să baay ("well"), nguàang ("tired"), hiú ("hungry"), and ĭm ("full") are adjectives, but the "to be" that would come before them in English is understood and omitted in Thai. Therefore, in order to say "I'm tired", you would say, "phóhm nguàang". If you wanted to say "Are you hungry?", you would say, "khoon hiú maí".

The word "săwăt" means blessing, and if you add "dee" to it, you get "săwăt dee", which means "hello". (Remember to always add "khrâp" or "khà" after your sentences.) The word "khaăwp khoon" is "thank you". As above, add "khrâp" or "khà".

There are a lot of ways to say good bye in Thai, but you can just stick with the simple "baây baay" for now, or just say "chòhk dee" ("good luck"), and as always, add "khrâp" or "khà".