How i'm learning thai

[seaworld]

I want to share how I'm learning thai and the system I use.  i'm not spamming but i do endorse Pimsleur's program because I think it's genius.  I spend a lot of time listening and when I do, the phrases keep on keeping on inside my head. That makes me want to tell you about how I'm doing it so that if you're frustrated or think because you might be old, you can't learn thai.  I'm old, i'm 65,  and i think I'm learning at a pretty good clip. So if I can, you can.  I'm not saying there aren't better programs out there.  Maybe so, but I love this and am starting to believe in it and so, here is my spiel.

 

I spent time listening.  I don't speak much.  I'm busy concentrating and I find that speaking wears me out.  So mostly I listen.  And I sometimes keep a notebook with new vocabulary if there is a lesson I'm not getting fast enough.  Other than that, i just turn the damn thing on and listen.  The other think I've run across that I loved is Pete Bowen's Essential Thailand Retirement Guide.  I loved this.  Bowen did say that Thai is too hard to learn because it's tonal but I can hear the tones within the phrases I'm learning and so it's a little like learning a melody. Every phrase has it's melody and if you listen enough times, it becomes available to you.  

 

So i wanted to share this.  I've gotten so much out of this forum so I thought I'd bring this up.  Thanks

[bdw]

That's good. Next step is to learn to read it.

[FROST MEDIC999]

Best way I have learnt is to speak with locals and practice practice practice.

 

Saying the words and getting corrected on high and low clips and having words said you would not normally hear aids me I guess and good on you for choosing to do more than most people as I find the Thais and girls embrace us knowing a bit and being able to hold court with them

 

Ghosty

[Scumbag]

I spent time listening.  I don't speak much.  I'm busy concentrating and I find that speaking wears me out.  So mostly I listen. 

Have you tried your Thai out with a Thai person yet? I suspect that if all you are doing is listening you will have a very difficult time getting a Thai person to understand you. This is because your pronunciation and tones will almost certainly be off.

[tony113]

Don't know about the rest of you bm's but when someone say's I'm not spamming, I think I do not belive,

[seaworld]

Well I have tried a word or two in cafes and restaurants  and I agree I'm off tonally.  But i'm in an early phase, i'm in san diego and I'm just building vocabulary now and a sense of the structure.  I don't have anyone to practice with at this point  but this is all part of my preparation to get to Thailand and live there (with you all) and participate culturally.  I'm a retired language teacher, I've written books on learning Spanish but my work isn't close to being as good as what I'm using now to learn Thai.  So, to encourage anyone who thinks it's too late or too hard, it's not.  Just listen and listen and listen and then speak. Thanks for your responses...

[Scuba+]

One way to practice your Thai is get yourself in ThaiFriendly, find a girl you can chat to,she will want to learn English and Skype or just talk. Its free

[Yes77_8]

Agree, need to practice with Thai local.

[JustChillin]

I leant by opening a lonely planet book and finding the town that it stated "had little of interest to tourists and few go there". I stayed there, and learnt the basics because if I did not I would be stuck in crap hotels, eating food I did not like and getting too much of what I wanted. When I got home I would frequent Thai restaurants, make many mistakes and be laughed at many times (it is not meant to snark as it would be in the western world, Thais love that someone is taking the time to learning their language unless they are the wrong kind of Thais that you do not want to meet).

 

From there I made friends with some bar girls (one is still my best friend in the world) and would eat with her after she finished work, speaking in Thai and English (she wanted to learn more than the normal bar vocabulary).

 

It is easier if you are younger to do this, as you get older money talks with everything unless you can find that one in a million girl.

 

From there I started going to Thai discos and made friends as well with a girl through a Thai friend that worked at a Karaoke joint, and listening to Thai music (Luk Toong is the best as it tends to be slower so easier to understand). If you want to learn Thai this way you need to find someone with a lot of time to help you.. busy people that have normal jobs will not be able to give you the time you need to pick it up such as any language.

 

I am now learning the Khaen in a series of small trips and a lot of practice when I get home, learning Isaan as I learn because my teacher refuses to speak Thai to teach me.. life is full of challenges but Pimsluer is also where I started. Best of luck.

[bownepark]

San Diego has many Thai restaurants, mostly with Thai speaking smployees. Visit these and you're sure to find people willing to practice Thai with you.

[coodhi]

The best way is to start speaking with someone who knows the Thai language, practice makes perfect. 

[louse1953]

Have you tried your Thai out with a Thai person yet? I suspect that if all you are doing is listening you will have a very difficult time getting a Thai person to understand you. This is because your pronunciation and tones will almost certainly be off.

You need a Thai to review and correct you,a couple of times a week before bad habbits set in.

[Jumpin Jack Flash]

Pimsleur has many great reviews and I'd like to try it, but is very expensive. Anyone seen it available on a torrent site?

[GorGuy RIP]

The Pimsleur's program is a structured program built around how many times you need to repeat words or sentences to get them into your head.

It builds from many times to start with, and then less times as you get familiar with the language and structure.

 

What is does not do, is pick you up on your mistakes.

 

My friend did this course, and he would try it out when we went out... Often the service staff did not understand him, and asked him to speak English!

 

What is needed is a Thai speaker to correct your pronunciation.

[Davie Duke]

Pimsleur has many great reviews and I'd like to try it, but is very expensive. Anyone seen it available on a torrent site?

Google this:  B1CD6B8FAC6482F9EB08BF7C93DB7DC19BABBC3F

[Jumpin Jack Flash]

Google this:  B1CD6B8FAC6482F9EB08BF7C93DB7DC19BABBC3F

Perfect. Thanks buddy :-)

[Davie Duke]

Perfect. Thanks buddy :-)

:GoldenSmile1:

[B-Man]

I have heard good things about Pimsleur. personally i have had good results with High Speed Thai and Learn Thai Podcast

[junkbot]

When I click to download the torrent its wanting me to download an exe file rather than wanting to open the torrent in vuze?

[Davie Duke]

When I click to download the torrent its wanting me to download an exe file rather than wanting to open the torrent in vuze?

Use the magnet.

[enterprise]

Thai is difficult for foreigners because of the tonal nature, sometimes you think you are saying the right words, but if you have got the tone slightly wrong it comes out as something different. 

 

Best of luck to the op, well worth being able to speak a bit, helps you with the farm fresh girls before they are converted to Pattaya hardened girls.

 

I tip my hat to all who have put in the time and effort and can speak Thai well