There's no "NO" in thai language

[Houten Kop]

I read many time, that thai doesn't have word for "NO".

 

So what does mean these two words?

 

ไมไข (mai chai)

ไมอูะ (mai au)

 

I'm just guessing how to write it. Read it aloud, you will understand.

My feeling is that “chai” (ใช่) is a word that is used to intensify or emphasize.

It can be compared to “toch” in Dutch or “doch” in German, but has no real equivalent in English.

On its own it can mean a confirmation, but together with a negation it can strengthen that negation.

BTW you confuse the 2nd (ข) and the 10th (ช) consonant and the two ai-vowels (ใ and ไ): “khai” (ไข่) means egg.

[Houten Kop]

"Baw" is Lao (or Isaan) not Thai. Isaan is a dialect of the Lao language not Thai.

 

Same with Farang or Falang. Falang is Lao, Farang is Thai. Lao does not have a "R" as Thai does hence all the Issan girls (who grew up speaking Isaan) change a lot of the R's to L's when speaking Thai.

Many Thai pronounce “falang” instead of “farang” because (as many Asians) they cannot properly pronounce the “r”; they also pronounce “alloy” instead of “arroy”.

Native speakers of Khmer always pronounce the “r” very well; a “farang” they call a “prrrang”.

[slick67]

How to answer yes or no in Thai depends on how the question is asked.

 

The most common way to ask a question is to add "mai" ไหม at the end, the most common way to answer that type of question is to repeat the main verb for yes, and "mai" ไม่ +main verb for no.

 

Q: chop mai? - you like it?

A: chop - yes / mai chop - no

 

Q: mee mai? - do you have it?

A: mee - yes / mai mee - no

 

Q: suai mai? - is she beautiful?

A: suai - yes / mai suai - no

 

Other ways to say no, like: mai, mai chai, plao, yang, etc. are much more limited in use, you can't use them all the time.

 

Btw, I thought the Isaan word for farang was baksidaa?

[OleKingCole]

"Baw" is Lao (or Isaan) not Thai. Isaan is a dialect of the Lao language not Thai.

 

Same with Farang or Falang. Falang is Lao, Farang is Thai. Lao does not have a "R" as Thai does hence all the Issan girls (who grew up speaking Isaan) change a lot of the R's to L's when speaking Thai.

If the question is one seeking confirmation "Did he come or not?" The or not bit is reu plaw. If answering no your would say plaw, the "l" sound is often omitted in speech - just as a Thai man will often seem to say kap for krap. So the blaw will sometimes be pronounced baw (rhymes with cow) 

[Jumpin Jack Flash]

Thais do not have a problem pronouncing Rs, they just choose not to, most of the time.

 

An L is an easier, lazier pronunciation.

[bdw]

ไม่