Introduction

Basic Thai Grammar - the boring things!

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             Thailand is a fascinating country with a feast for the sense and tonic for the spirit. Thailand's richness and depth is spiritual and popular culture, its natural beauty, and the heritage of its long, varied history can be discovered, experienced and savored in visit after visit. The Thai charm and hospitality is no hype and, as part of all the sightseeing and fun, many tourists and expatriates make a lasting connection with Thai people. 
    Of course, a tourist's most important "job" is to relax and to enjoy all that Thailand has to offer. But beyond the well-trodden tourist path, there is the everyday enchantment of Thai life that is often inaccessible without a degree of Thai language and the polite manners that your good  parents no doubt taught you.
    Communication is more than language, thought. Behavior in given situations, body language, eye contact, smiles, laughter, tears are part of human interaction and need little verbal expression. There is something of the spirit of human being that connects in an interaction, even in a service oriented one, like at shops, hotels, and restaurants. By honoring Thai customs, reaching out with a smile and Thai language, I know you will be enriched by Thailand, and I hope that my page can be a bridge between you and the Thai friends you can make.

                                            Origins of Thai Language.
           Mostly Western researchers have long theorized that the Thai language belongs to what is known as the Sino-Thai family of languages. The theory was based on similarities between Chinese and Thai, such as tones, monosyllabic words and short duration vowels. But recent Chinese research, and independent Vietnamese research, concludes that Thai language is separate from Chinese.
    The Chinese research was on the people along the Yang Tze River in South China who speak Thai. Thai is also spoken by people of the Long Son (Austro-Thai) cultures of Northern Thailand, Laos, Burma , and Vietnam. The Long Son people date back to pre-history in southern China, then spread out over Southeast Asia. Evidence suggests these people were driven South to escape Chinese domination. It is believed that Bahamas Malay (Malaysia/Indonesia) was influenced by the Thai language.
    A Vietnamese linguistic scholar, Nguyen Chi Thong, says there is evidence that language as far away as Papua New Guinea are connected to the Thai language. He also said that there are communities in central Vietnam who actually speak Thai rather than Vietnamese.
    Thailand has many dialects, and there are four major ones. The national language is Central Thai. Northern Thai people speak North language or Lanna. Closely is Isan spoken in the Northeast, which is the same language as spoken in Laos, so many might say they speak Lao language. In the South, the south language is the dominant dialect, containing many Malay terms.
                                     Communicating in "THAI-nglish"
          Before leaping into Thai language, let's talk about English, which is, to varying degrees, widely spoken in Thailand, especially in areas serving tourists. Major department stores even have designated English speakers who will be summoned for the shopper, Though the Thai study English in school, individuals have different language abilities, but given time and encouragement, will use it. It may not be grammatically correct, but it is most often enough to communicate.
    "Thai-nglish" is an enchanting language, which uses English words and Thai syntax. It is marvelously concise at times, and terrifically confusing at others. "At house I have cat two animal" is an example of Thai-nglish. If you think a moment, you'll understand it. After a day or so, you may well find yourself speaking Thai-nglish and doing something wonderful, communicating.
                                                                  The Boring Things.
      One of the worst things you can be in Thailand is boring. At the risk being boring, I will start with the boring things- explanations of "junky" grammar rules. You'll not need to memorize any of this, but I think it is kind of useful to have this general knowledge. Someday you may need it and will at least know where to find it, right?  So, pardon me if I make you a little bored.
 


 
                                    Personal Pronouns
 
 

 
                                         Sentence  Structure
 
          Basic  word order in a Thai sentence is the same as in English :
                               Subject   +  Verb  +  Object.
        example:           Chan( Pom )      chop         Koon
                                   I                       like            you
    (use the dictionary to pick up the words  that you like)
 
                                                  Numbers
 
 

 
Example:    15  =  sip + ha

Remember :
 

                                                                   Big numbers
 
 
 

                                                                         Days
 
 
 

                                                                             Months  
 

 
      The Past & Future
    Thai verbs do not change tenses, as in English, but Thai grammar has ways to express when something happened or was done.

       Past "Tense"
1. Time words and phrases are used to express the past, such as yesterday, last year or one hour ago....Usually, time words and phrases are stated first

Example:  Meua Wan   ...........   Ma.
                     Yesterday     (name)   came.
 
There are two auxiliary, or helping, verbs which show that something in the past happened:
    1. Leo = already. Usually at the end of sentences, Leo shows completed action.
    2. Dai + verb = past tense, as in: Dai Pai = went.

       Future "Tense"
    Thai has one auxiliary verb which shows that something in the future will happen:
    Ja + verb = will , as in : Ja Pai = will go, am/is/re going to...

      Present Continuous "Tense"
    To indicate that something is happening currently and continuously, an auxiliary verb, which is other contexts means "energy or power", is used:

Kam Lang + verb
Example:    ........    Kam Lang     kin      Kanom
                  (name)       is            eating     cake

When speaking of a near future act, the auxiliary (helping) verb "ja" (will) follows Kam Lang.
Example: ...........  Kam Lang     ja    Tam        Kanom
                       (name)       is      going        to make    a cake.
Yoo is a verb that usually means " to be at" a place, "to be located at". It can also mean "to be alive". Like Kam Lang (above), Yoo can indicate continuous action. It usually is the last word in the sentence or phrase.
Example: ........... Kin Kao Yoo
               (name)   is   eating
              ............ Kin kao Leo
               (name)  have eaten already

                                                             Auxiliary Verbs
    Thai also uses certain words as auxiliary, or "helping" verbs in ways that are similar to English. However, some of these verbs have different meanings depending on whether they come before or after the main verb
 
 
 

Miscellaneous
Jang before  adjectives or adverbs expresses two ideas, which can be though of as "in a way {that is}" or "in the way  {that is}":

1. the idea of " in a certain way"
Example: Kao Tam Ngan Kong Kao Jang Di =  He/she  does  his work  well

2. the idea of " to a certain extent"
Example: Yang Took Ti Soot Tao Rai? = At the cheapest, how much is it?

                                                     Dai / Mai Dai
The meaning of Dai/Mai dai depends on whether it is used alone or used before or after verb
Dai is a verb meaning" get, obtain, acquire" when it is used alone or with a helping verb
Example:
Chan/Pom           yak           Dai          Pa Chet Tua
        I            would like     to get        a towel
  When Day comes before a verb, it means "did" or "have"
Example:
Pom/Chan           Dai       Doo     Nang
     I               have      seen    a movie

  When dai follows a verb, it means CAN
Example: Pom/ Chan put pasa Thai dai =  I   can speak Thai

However, Dai has an assumption of ability or knowledge and in some cases its use can result an implication that this ability was not there before.
Example:
 Koon Put Thai Dai Chat Jane
  You can speak Thai clear and easy to understand
That sentence could mean that before this, the person did not speak clearly. If this isn't meant, one would better replace Dai with Jang - "in the way that is"

The meaning of mai Dai also depends on whether it is used before or after a verb.
Example:
Meua Wan Chan/Pom Mai Dai Pai
Yesterday          I          did not go
Meua Wan Chan/Pom Pai Mai Dai
Yesterday            I        could not go

                                           When to use Mai or Reu
     When one anticipates an answer, or knows the answer, Reu is used. Think of it as an "Isn't that right?" question. Otherwise, when one ask a question, use Mai. Notice the pattern used throughout the phrase section.
    For example, after a wonderful, tiring day of sightseeing with your Thai friend and you suddenly have a desire for a cheeseburger (it happens to the best of us!). You properly ask your friend " Koon Chop Cheeseburger Mai?" because you don't know.
    Your friend consumes the cheeseburger with gusto (obviously you have corrupted your friend with another American vice). Now, because you pretty much know the answer, you can ask your friend:"Koon Chop Cheeseburger Reu?"
    Now that I have made you stuggle with proper pronunciation of the "eu" in Reu, I'll tell you that the colloquial pronunciation of it is Ruh. It is often said as Luh, because of the deterioration of the "r" sound to an "l" sound. Although Ruh is easier to say, you'll more educated (and will impress the Thai) if you pronounce it properly. It isn't recommended that Foreigners say it as "Luh." Incidentally, many Thai would say "Cheet-bur-gur". ( Do you hate me yet?)
 

 Ask any Thai and she or he will tell you that ' the Thai Language isn't difficult'. Well, yes, Thai grammar is easy... but if you've tried to learn any language, you've heard that one before : "never mind" and "try and see".
    For many foreigners, Thai is so different it feels difficult. There are , after all, very different sounds made by these good people. They speak their words with FIVE tones, and have syllables with TWO duration, and they even have consonant and vowel sounds our foreign tongues trip over!
    In practice, one can communicate very quickly in Thai, by simply using its basic sentence structure (SUBJECT, VERB, OBJECT, and the end particle, krap for a man and ka for a women). Perhaps it is the Thai language's simplicity that is most baffling!!
     You are in good company if you are intimidated by the language: Try to be very "Thai" about learning Thai- simply accept it, without analyzing it, and just let yourself have fun. Allow yourself to make mistakes (and laugh with the Thai). The Thai appreciate any attempt to speak their language, and no matter how bad are you i.e., many will tell you that you speak skillfully, just to be encouraging. The Thai will have great fun helping you, and  you should, too. So, even if you have "language anxiety" you don't have to worry about the Thai treating you as if you were stupid.
    Learn what is meanful and at your own pace. Have fun with it!
                                       Language Expresses Culture
    Why do Americans, and other English-speaking nationalities, now use "Ms" in front of women's names? Because we are expressing our cultural goal of eliminating sexism. At first meeting, why is it that it is less appropriate to use a British person's first name that an American's? Why is it that a Thai always ends nearly every sentence with the particle "krap", if male, or "ka", if female?
    "Krap" is a polite word used by Thai males after nearly every statement when addressing superiors, strangers, acquaintances, or other non intimates. Females use "ka". These polite particles at the end of sentences really can't be translated. Think of it as a gender less equivalent to "sir" or "madam".
    Learning culture and language are simultaneous. As you learn Thai culture, the "logic" of Thai language use will perhaps become more apparent, and vice versa. Thailand is a status society, with certain degrees of stratified language. As with English , there are many ways to say the same thing, depending upon to whom you speak. One says the most polite things, using special words   those of strangers and ever more polite things using even more deferential words to those of higher rank.
    Because learning language and culture are parallel, I will try to explain important and interesting aspects of Thai culture along the way. In doing so, I realize that some readers might feel overwhelmed or uneasy. The Thai are remarkably tolerant people and judge people by their character. Of course, you'll made mistakes and do the wrong thing. Relax. The Thai will see that your heart is open to them.
    By attempting to speak Thai, Thailand can open up to you in ways it won't for most tourists. The Thai people will indeed be touched by your respect for them by trying to communicate in their language, and learning the language will give you both something to talk about!

                                                           People.

There are in fact two theories about the origin Thai People. According to Thailand in the 80s:
    One theory holds that the Thai originated in China and moved southward...In 651 AD they united their tribes and lived together in the independent kingdom of Nanchao province in the southernmost Chinese province of Yunnan. Mainly an agrarian kingdom, Nanchao's relationship with China lurched from crisis to crisis, from extreme amity to equally extreme enmity.
    Cherishing personal independence and seeking to escape the Chinese yoke, compact groups of Thai had migrated southward and settled in northern Thailand centuries before Kublai Khan's 1253 conquest of Nanchao.
    The counter theory holds that the Thai originated in Thailand and were driven northward by numerically superior  Khmer and Mons ( who had arrived in the region in the first century BC.

,probably from southern China ).In Yannan, the Thai developed their own distinctive culture. Later, under pressure from China's 11th and 12th century Mongolian conquerors, the Thai moved steady southward again. Half of them traveled across southern China to settle on Hainan island. The rest slowly moved directly southward to fill the vacuum left by the Khmer and Mon empires' decline.
The Thai are playful, fun loving people. They have an enviable capacity to enjoy the moment and savor the pleasures of life that came their way. FUN is a word you will often hear. Fun is embedded in Thai social philosophy and lifestyle. The Thai penchant for pleasure is not at odds with piety; Thai Buddhism doesn't equate pleasure with sinfulness. Though Buddhism holds that moral existence brings suffering, the Thai know that if one doesn't make most of moments of pleasure, one is simply missing out.
    The Thai love to joke- and their chatter is often full of double entendres, plays on words, and gentle teasing. They are a social people, not prone to remaining in their homes. Thai life is full of festivals, religious and national holidays, when the Thai in droves visit their families upcountry or a seaside resort town.
     Many enjoy eating and drinking with others until the wee early morning hours. They are passionate sports fans, and soccer matches at the National Stadium are a time to raise one's voice in excited cheering. The Thai enjoy social experiences more than solitary ones- dining, movies, concerts, dancing, singing, all with friends and their friends.
    The value extends to all aspects of life. Unlike same Westerners, particularly Americans, who work to have fun, the Thai naturally seek the fun in work and fun in play. Most Thai wisely believe that being too serious is negative characteristic. If a job is not fun, it is not worth doing- and often even financial compensation won't be incentive enough. Many Thai have an amazing capacity to endure drudgeries, routine work in a work  environment that is, and with co-workers who are, fun. 
    It is difficult to imagine anyone being bored anywhere in Thailand. Perhaps  you can even take this happy spirit home with you!


                                                                 The Thai Smile 

    Thailand is known as "The Land Of Smile". It's an ad man's dream copy.
The catch phrase wasn't written by advertising people, it was invented by travelers. A smile is infections, and you'll be doing a lot of this yourself.
The fame of smile doesn't mean that the Thai are always happy. Take a look at passengers on a sweltering bus waiting for the traffic to move. The waitress nearing the end of her twelve-hour shift might not be so motivated to smile either. Inpractice, there are many social meanings for  the Thai  smile.
    When greeting a tourist, fundamental Thai values of hospitality are behind that big grin. Though the oft-present tourist cynic insists that behind the Thai smile is greed, this is  true of few Thai. The kind people the tourist meets along the way; including staff at the hotel, restaurant, bar and shop; are genuinely happy to meet the foreigner. Most Thai have other motive that the sincere desire that foreigners enjoy themselves in Thailand.
    The smile is a means of ensuring smooth social interaction. It can get the Thai out of almost any bad situation. Westerners often feel compelled to make verbal explanations and comments when committing a social faux pas, but Thai do not. They use the Thai Smile. The smile us also appropriate in ways that might not be considered so in the West. For instance, in a conflict, it is used to defuse the situation and ask for pardon. For a  grave social error or conflict, he may also say Excuse me/I'm sorry with  the hands-togheter.
    The Thai smile and laugh relieves anxiety. Should the tourist trip on the pot holed sidewalks, or fall off his bar chair, or drop his box containing the expensive Celadon vase- the Thai may laugh. It  isn't that they lack sympathy; the laughter relieves their tension. But the social message is clear: Don't take anything too seriously. When confronted with a situation the foreigner doesn't feel warrants smiles (or even Laughter) from Thai around him, he needn't (and shouldn't) get mad. He should take a deep breath and smile back!


 

  Songkran 

Songkran is the old Thai New Year, still celebrated, thought 1 January is the official New Year. Songkran Day is 13 April, but the celebrations can span from 13-15 April, plus a day or few. It is a family holiday, when Bangkok nearly empties out. Traditionally, the Thai clean house, make offerings to departed relatives, make merit at the local temples, and perform 'water pouring' blessing ceremonies for the elderly. The most famous part of the festivities is a very wet and joyful - everyone can expect to be doused with buckets of water. Although greefully celebrated nationwide, especially because April is a very hot month 

 
                              Temple and Community Life
    The Thai Buddhist temple is a temple of worship and monastery. In rural communities, the  center of life. Formerly they functioned as schools for boys; some still do. Today some temples are known for teaching meditation, traditional medicine, ancient Thai massage, astrology and the arts. They were also the community health center, providing herbal and traditional treatments; some still do. They are still a refuge for homeless, elderly, and orphans. Many rural temples still function as a community center for village meetings. Temples are also home for unwanted pets and stray animals, cared for by temple's  boys.

    When Thai society was more conservative, Buddhist holidays at temples were the only chance for young men and women to meet potential spouses. Two major Buddhist holidays are Visakha Bucha - observing the Buddha's birth, enlightenment, and death, and Maka Bucha , the observance of the spontaneous gathering of 1,225 disciples to hear the Buddha preach his first sermon. Temple fairs to raise money for temple expenses usually feature open-air  movies, live music performances, and carnival rides and games.  Even today the temples remains an important part of both secular and religious Thai Life.
                                                                Amulets
    Most Thai  wear some sort of amulet, usually around their necks. As a result of Thailand's  dynamic economic growth, many  now wear those on a gold chain and encased in gold lockets.  Most amulets are votive  tables  made of clay, which  bear a Buddha image or the  likeness of venerated  monk. They are thought to bring the weather good luck and to protect against harm. Some  rare tables, found at ancient  monasteries , fetch multi-million Baht prices. A necklace of sacred beads, made of bone, wood, or ivory.  They blessed by their makers to impart protective powers. Less dignified, believe many modern Thai, are the small phallic sculptures, or lingams, usually worn by males around the waist. The lingams are thought to bring good luck, virility, and to ward off evil spirits. When a rural boy-child is ill, his parents may have him wear the phalluses around his waist, accepting that this will help cure him. Upcountry, ever today, large wooden  phalluses are raised in front of homes during times of mysterious illness or when evil spirits are thought to be in the village. The phallic is a metal cylinder ( sometimes silver or gold) inscribed with sacred verses and emblems, also worn around the waist. It is thought to have great protective powers.

  You'll often see Thai ( and some foreigners) with a string, or many, tied around their wrists. The strings, which earlier have been blessed by a monk, are tied in an age-old ceremony. During the ceremony, the strings are removed from a symbolic bush. Usually an elder ties the arm with the string, but often many people in a village tie the string on a visiting dignitary( which may be a foreigner). Sometimes most of the arm has been tied. During the tying, blessings are said to invoke the protection, of the Triple Gems (Buddha, Dhamma, Order of Monks). One is to wear the string until it wears off, thus bringing good luck and prosperity. Despite the reference to the Triple Gems, the ceremony is not Buddhist
                                    Juices & Fruit
    Thailand has been blessed with such a rich variety of exotic fruit that it would be a shame to visit without trying something new. Many restaurants' idea of fruit plate is, unfortunately, pineapple, watermelon, and papaya, which are fine, but Thailand always has something interesting to samle in season. Try a roadside vendor (bargaining, of course), though it is recommended you wash and peel it yourself. Or visit a supermarket produce section (a little more expensive, and there's no bargaining). Apples, grapes and strawberries are now in Thailand, a part of one of His Majesty's Rural Development Programs.
                                                          Rice
       Rice in Thailand's staple and the Kingdom has been with a fertile central plain, making it one of the world's major rice suppliers. Some people think the nation's history of abundant rice in part  accounts for the Thai's easygoing ways and their generous character.
    Rice was once regarded as sacred, with a goddess overseeing all aspects of cultivation and to whom respect is paid in handling and eating rice. Known as Pra Me Po Sohp, she is still an important influence among rural people, though rituals in her honor are either losing their meaning of fading. During all aspects of farming, rice farmers conducted a series of rituals for the Rice Goddess to ensure an abundant harvest.
    Dropping rice from the spoon while eating or stepping on rice would be an insult to Mother Posop. Even today young children are taught to acknowledge the blessings of Me Posop  after a meal, much like many Western children observing grace before eating.
    So important is rice that the Thai say,"Are you hungry for rice"(Hiu Koa Mai?); to cook is "make with rice" (Tam Kap Kao); and  "to eat food" is said literally as "eat rice" (Kin Kao). The dishes eaten at any meal are called "with rice"-Kap Kao-literally, "with rice". Many Thai believe that a meal without rice is not a proper meal. Unconsumed rice at a meal traditionally was never thrown away, but added to the top of the next meal's cooking rice. This is common today.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
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