Thai Language – Knowing Sai from Kwa (Left from Right)

We have less than a week left here in Thailand, and we have learned so much Thai over the past two weeks. We started on the first day with greetings/introductions and continued to build our Thai vocabulary along the way with other categories of words, like body features, questions/phrases necessary while shopping in the markets, colors, numbers, food, etc.

With Pi Poad at our side, our Thai language curiosity is quenched with a quick answer followed by lots of practice trying to remember our newly-acquired words. Pi Poad is amazing at testing our vocabulary; he is a great teacher and loves to help us learn and memorize new words.  We are so thankful for Pi Poad because without him we would not have so many fun experiences with the Thai language!

When speaking Thai, it is important to use polite words and phrases.  There are two “politeness” words in Thai, “ka” for girls and “krup” for boys, and these words are said at the end of every sentence.  Furthermore, it is nice to greet someone with “Sawatdee ton chao” (Good morning), “Sawatdee ton bai” (Good afternoon) and “Sawatdee ton yen” (Good evening).  At least once a day, someone says “kor tod krup” (Excuse me) when they get in the way or bump into a stranger.  Lastly, always remember to say “khop kun krup!” (Thank you!) as much as possible!

Of course, being in Thailand, we have had many opportunities to use the many words and phrases that we have learned in our Thai language lessons.  At Patara Elephant Farm, us students often help the staff by translating for tourists.  We give explanations on the various commands and facts about elephants and translate the tourists’ questions to the Mahouts, such as “Chang ar yuu tao rai krup/ka?” (How old is the elephant?) and “Chang chue arai krup/ka?” (How old is the elephant?). 

One of the best places to practice speaking Thai is at a market.  There are several markets in Chiang Mai, including the Night Bazar and the Sunday Walking Street, and there are many languages that we hear being spoken by tourists from all over the world.  John has even met some French-speaking tourists and was able to give them directions in French; however, the REAL challenge is meeting Thai people and attempting to converse with them in the native language.  Asking a vendor “Tao rai krup/ka?” (How much?) and translating the price, attempting to get a discount with “Paeng mak leuy!” (So expensive!), and ordering my favorite drink “cha nom yen” (Thai tea) are some of the common phrases we use.  The markets are always bustling with people and very loud, so I sometimes ask a person “Arai na krup/ka? (What did you say?) or “Puud eeg tee si krup/ka?” (Say it again, please.)  In the end, many of us resort to “khun puud paa-saa ang-grit dai mai krup/ka?” (Can you speak English?), but even that sentence is a challenge!

Khop kun krup/ka!

Catherine and John