How advantageous is it learn thai

[GorGuy RIP]

Thanks! All good advice... looks like a simple phrase book should do the trick

 

I went for holidays for 20 years without speaking Thai, and it was all ok.

Only when I lived there did I learn a bit.

 

The most handy things are numbers (for bartering on the price of purchases, and confirming taxi prices) and directions for the taxi (turn left, turn right etc.).

 

There is normally someone close by who can speak a bit of English.

[ekku]

I can only imagine how little there would be to talk about with some of these girls if English was the only language of communication. It's so much more fun when there's no language barrier. Well it would be. I wish I could understand everything that's whispered in my ear in the middle of the action...

[B-Man]

It never hurts to learn a bit of the local language. Get yourself a Thai phrase book and take it with you to the beer bars. Buy a few lady drinks and have the girls teach you how to say it properly and listen to how they speak. Can be good fun as well as educational.

[TheGreatDamo]

Pom chop gin hoy is a great one.

 

I was my first time on walking st and my cousin told me go over to that random girl walking beside us and say pom chop gin hoy.

 

At first i was reluctant to say it to her cos i thought he was taking the piss out of me making me say something stupid. But he assured me that i should trust him.

 

I went over and said to the girl

Pom chop gin hoi.

 

She grabbed my arm and pulled me away and said ok we go your loom now.

 

It means

I like to eat pussy

 

 

Sent from my SM-G900I using Tapatalk

[gopherbroke]

My closest Thai friends are pretty much all well educated and fluent English speakers. Nevertheless, if you are going to spend any length of time, here I'd advise studying Thai at least to the "survival level". That means enough for social greetings, simple conversations, going shopping, ordering meals, booking train or bus tickets etc. It makes a big difference once you get outside of the tourist areas and definitely makes life easier. If you are just going to stick to the bars, don't bother. (Be careful of what you learn from the BGs. It tends to be either impolite or actually Issan Lao, not Thai!)

 

Basic Thai isn't hard (unless you are tone deaf), but once you get past that it is. Thai has different levels of speech, depending on who is speaking, the situation etc. You can save yourself a lot of grief if you have some idea of what those levels are. Thai society is very stratified, and you had better speak much more politely say to an Immigration officer than you do to a bar girl or a woman vendor in the market. If you can't, stick to English with them.

[slowguy]

hmmm... go to Si Racha and all you need to speak is Japanese! That's what the girls study and that's what they want to practice too. It's ok if you're fluent in Thai but their English communication skills are minimal.

 

Hey - first I heard about this!  And it's close to Pattaya too.  I enjoyed sexytime with a half-Japanese, half-Thai girl on Soi 6 a couple years back - so nice to be able to have a proper conversation with a Thai girl.  She got a kick out of speaking Japanese with a white guy.  So tell us more - why is Sri Racha such a Japan-centric place?  Where do you go to pick them up?

 

Another question, are there any decent Thai language schools in Pattaya? I speak a good number of languages already (including Asian ones), but my Thai is painfully basic, so I'd be interested in setting aside a couple hours per day to study Thai.  Hmm, maybe one can hire a private tutor for a modest amount, have her (or him I guess) trudge along as I have breakfast, massages, and other activities - tutoring me along the way.  That would introduce some much-needed intellectual pursuits.  Can't amount to more than a couple hundred per hour, plus partaking in food etc.

 

Before I get the counterargument - "just find a reasonably educated TG, and keep her LT" - but then I'd be stuck with her, and I don't want a multi-day GF.

[Douchebag]

Another question, are there any decent Thai language schools in Pattaya? 

There are a number of language schools, and I have tried none of them (yet). Bangkok has better reputation of hosting good language school, but a decent school is better than nothing if you want to learn. You can visit and try a school before you commit to a program. A program can be anything from 10 hours up to 180 hours, perhaps more too. Private lessons gives more flexible schedule, but are more expensive than group classes. In addition to the language schools, there is a free language café every Wednesday. http://anchorcoworking.com/en/events/polyglot-club.html

 

 

A.U.A Pattaya

Location : 4th floor, Central Festival Pattaya Beach, M9, Banglamung, Chonburi 20260 

Contact : Tel: 0 3804 3621, 08 4362 4669;

Website: http://aua.buu.ac.th

 

 

ABS Intl. Language and Computer School

Rungland Villa, 193/186-187 South Pattaya Rd., Chonburi; Tel: 038-428-980, 081-929-8959; Fax: 038-426-570

 

 

BEC Language and Thai Culture School

Location : 571/1 Moo 5, Phatthaya-Naklua Rd., Pattaya City, Chonburi 20150

Contact : Tel: 0 3842 1919, 0 3837 0176 to 8

 

 

CTA-Certified Translation Pattaya

Location : 202/88 Moo 9, Paniadchang Soi 10, Nongprue, Banglamung, Chonburi 20150

Contact : Tel: 0 3841 5446; Website: www.ctapattaya.de

http://www.sprachschulepattaya.de

 

 

CLC Crystal Language Center

75/220 Soi 7, Jomtien Beach Rd., Nongprue, Banglamung, Chonburi 20260; Tel: 038-757-315, 089-605-2052

http://www.pattayalanguageschool.com

 

 

CTLS Language School

Location : 202/236 Moo 9, Central Pattaya Rd., Nongprue, Banglamung, Chonburi 20260

Contact : Tel: 0 3841 6891, 0 3841 6892; Website: www.tlslanguageschool.com

http://www.tlslanguageschool.com

 

 

Easy ABC Language School

Location Jomtien : 575/1-2 Moo 5, Naklua Rd., 

Location Naklua: 391/127 Moo 10, Thappraya Soi 11, Thappraya Rd., Tel: 038-251-952, 089-881-9873 Contact : Tel: 0 3822 6119, 08 9881 9873; 

http://www.easy-abc-th.com

 

 

EasiLearn on Soi Buakow

 

 

Langue de vous

Pattaya Center Condo - 1st Fl., 3/7 Moo 10, South Pattaya Rd., Nongprue, Banglamung, Chonburi 20150; Tel: 038-415-522,

081-429-0542; Fax: 038-723-850

 

 

Jomtien Language School

http://www.pattaya-language.com/

 

 

J & P Language Center

193/160 Moo 10, South Pattaya Rd., Nongprue, Banglamung, Chonburi 20260; Tel: 038-420-096, 086-111-4483; Fax: 038-420-096

 

 

LC International Languages and Computer School

Location : 382/16-17 Soi 6/1, Pattaya 2nd Rd., (opposite Bangkok Bank), Pattaya City Chonburi 20260

Contact : Tel: 0 3836 1948 to 9, 08 1781 3387

 

 

Pattaya Education and Computer School (P.E.C. School)

279/228 Jomtien Beach Rd., Pattaya City, Chonburi 20150; Tel/Fax: 038-236-187;

Website: www.pecschool.com

 

 

Pattaya School of Languages and Computers (PLC)

Location : 194/10-11 Moo 9, Central Pattaya Rd., Nongprue, Banglamung, Chonburi 20260

Contact : Tel: 0 3842 1819, 08 1863 0415, 08 6367 0757

http://www.plcpattaya.com

 

 

Pattaya tutor school (3P Academy)

171/5 Sukhumvit Rd., South Pattaya, Nongprue, Banglamung, Chonburi 20260; Tel: 038-421-404, 089-621-8220;

Fax: 038-421-404;

Website: www.3p-academy.com

 

 

Progress Language School

Location : 209/86-87 Moo 6, North Pattaya Rd., Naklua, Banglamung, Chonburi 20150

Contact : Tel: 038-370-263;

Website: www.progresslanguage.com

 

 

Pro Language School

Location : 116/33 Moo 9, Central Pattaya Rd., Nongprue, Banglamung, Chonburi 20150

Contact : Tel: 0 3848 9225;

Website: www.prolanguage.co.th

 

 

Siam Sunrise

http://www.siam-sunrise.net

 

 

Thankful Knowledge Learning Center :

Soi LK Pavilion, South Pattaya Rd., Chonguri; Tel: 038-724-239, 038-723-324, 087-141-2783;

Website: thankful-knowledge.com

 

 

Walen School

Location : 194/74-75 Soi Paniad Chang, Moo 9, Central Pattaya Rd., Nongprue, Banglamung, Chonburi 20260

Contact : Tel: 0 3841 0526;

Website: www.thaiwalen.com

[ekku]

Hey - first I heard about this!  And it's close to Pattaya too.  I enjoyed sexytime with a half-Japanese, half-Thai girl on Soi 6 a couple years back - so nice to be able to have a proper conversation with a Thai girl.  She got a kick out of speaking Japanese with a white guy.  So tell us more - why is Sri Racha such a Japan-centric place?  Where do you go to pick them up?

 

Why? It's the "supply meets demand" thing. Thousands of Japanese people live and work here. You can pick them up all around the city between 7pm and midnight. After midnight it gets quiet but a few weeks ago I drove around the city and saw that one of the sois across the street from Phaya Thai hospital had bars open at around 3am. She had trouble speaking Thai to me. She called herself "watashi" too.

[slowguy]

Why? It's the "supply meets demand" thing. Thousands of Japanese people live and work here. You can pick them up all around the city between 7pm and midnight. After midnight it gets quiet but a few weeks ago I drove around the city and saw that one of the sois across the street from Phaya Thai hospital had bars open at around 3am. She had trouble speaking Thai to me. She called herself "watashi" too.

 

Seriously, I had no idea.  Bangkok, Pattaya, and Ban Pho (Toyota auto plant - work visit) are the only places I've been to.

 

So, the pickup scene is like Patts, but many girls speak Japanese?  Cool, get an LT from there, take her to Patts.

 

TG that can speak good Japanese - that's perfect.  I could keep that girl for quite some time,  As long as she doesn't squeal in bed.

 

Was she good?  Any contact info to share - FB?

 

She should say "atashi" - that's cuter.

[ekku]

Seriously, I had no idea.  Bangkok, Pattaya, and Ban Pho (Toyota auto plant - work visit) are the only places I've been to.

 

So, the pickup scene is like Patts, but many girls speak Japanese?  Cool, get an LT from there, take her to Patts.

 

TG that can speak good Japanese - that's perfect.  I could keep that girl for quite some time,  As long as she doesn't squeal in bed.

 

Was she good?  Any contact info to share - FB?

 

She should say "atashi" - that's cuter.

Sure but I have to admit I'm not too familiar with the pickup scene in Pattaya. The attitude of these ladies is like "come in have a drink" or "where should we go?" if you don't feel like drinking.  I also don't know about "good Japanese". Just by looking at the "Japanese" signs and names of the clubs you can see how hard they try but it is kind of "broken Japanese". I've met a few who can speak Japanese very fluently but no I don't have any contact info as I prefer to keep the short times short.  

[LovinAsians2015]

I have heard that if you speak just a little Thai that you won't be seen as a sucker that a girl can try to cash in on. (If I am totally wrong on this please express it) Basically, even if in Pattaya for the first time say you have been there many times. If you have the basics down even if you can't speak it like a champ the girl might not turn around and ask for some outrageous LT price. Rosetta stone has the best IMO learning tools but again you have to be dedicated and unless planning on a long stint its not worth the cash if you can't download it, Youtube has some good stuff and there is also some vids with slang, this again might show a girl you have been there a couple of times and know the game. Learning well enough to listen and not let them know you speak Thai is the pinnacle of success and makes you a dangerous man. haha Then you know the real game that are being played right in front of you.

 

Good luck either way

 

My two Baht worth

[The Sly Fox]

If on a holiday to the tourist hubs no need at all to learn anything in Thai. Whatever you learn in such a short time will be very basic and probably pronounced incorrectly, and totally useless as Thais around you will speak English way better that your mangled Thai. As for knowing numbers giving you an edge when battering, what battering are you going to do? Want a bunch of bananas, a bottle water, a few cans beer, a tube toothpaste, a shirt, some flipflops....go to Lotus/Big C and pay the fixed price.

 

For those who plan to settle down in Thailand then it's worth studying the language, going to school. There again there are some old timers who will tell you - if you want to survive in Thailand DO NOT learn Thai. 

[deathlay]

Learning the numbers helps greatly for taxis,markets,etc

[Tommy204]

How advantageous is it?

 

Well that depends, in the bar scene:

*If you like farm fresh girls, with very little experience as a prostitute, it will certainly help. Those girls really appreciate being able to

speak a little Thai with you. Going with a customer with whom they can't communicate is quite scary for them. They prefer a Thai speaking

farang most of the time. 

*If you like pornstar prostitutes with a lot of 'mileage', you probably shouldn't be using any Thai. Most of those girls don't appreciate customers that

have 'been around'. 

 

I personally start speaking Thai right away, because I appreciate the farm fresh girls the most. The hardcore bar girls will usually back off (Him know tooo much).

Leaves me with the sweet and caring girls, but don't expect enthusiastic sex. You might stumble into a (very) hairy pussy as well

 

The big advantage is in the restaurants, 7-eleven, shopping malls and hotels. 

You can talk with the normal girls, and some of them appreciate it if a farang takes them to dinner. It won't be a sure fuck, but is great fun to be with

a normal Thai girl. These girls are less interested in your money, and appreciate stories from the far West. Exchanging experiences and culture is

great fun, and there will be a chance you end up in the sack (hairy pussy ahead!). ;) ;) Because you don't know if you are getting 'some', these evenings can be

just as much fun. Some of the girls, that eventually spend the night with you, will be insulted if you give them money. Gifts however are always appreciated. 

 

My 2 cents

[cornholio]

I have heard that if you speak just a little Thai that you won't be seen as a sucker that a girl can try to cash in on. (If I am totally wrong on this please express it) Basically, even if in Pattaya for the first time say you have been there many times. If you have the basics down even if you can't speak it like a champ the girl might not turn around and ask for some outrageous LT price.

 

My (limited) experience has been spot on with this.  Once they realize you know a couple phrases, they assume you know what's going on and won't try to pull the crazier tricks on you.  Personally, I also feel it shows them that you respect their culture and want to learn about it, and I think that leads to more openness.  This is especially true with non-P4P girls that you're trying to hit on, if you're into that.

[Douchebag]

Personally, I also feel it shows them that you respect their culture and want to learn about it, and I think that leads to more openness.  This is especially true with non-P4P girls that you're trying to hit on, if you're into that.

"Respect their culture" by being able to speak a few tourists phrases... Well I've read that before on the board. In my experience, some girls likes when I speak my very limited thai and act as if they are very impressed, especially if they don't speak any English. Other girls don't, and asks me to speak English and don't want me to speak any Thai. I think that is a tiny bit annoying, because I actually don't like to speak English (my oral English sucks), and it's not my language either. They perhaps think English is every farang's language. They don't give me a chance to practice Thai, and they implicit say to me "your Thai sucks, just give it up".

[The Sly Fox]

"Respect their culture" by being able to speak a few tourists phrases... Well I've read that before on the board. In my experience, some girls likes when I speak my very limited thai and act as if they are very impressed, especially if they don't speak any English. Other girls don't, and asks me to speak English and don't want me to speak any Thai. I think that is a tiny bit annoying, because I actually don't like to speak English (my oral English sucks), and it's not my language either. They perhaps think English is every farang's language. They don't give me a chance to practice Thai, and they implicit say to me "your Thai sucks, just give it up".

Can remember when speaking Thai in Bangkok bars was the kiss of death, gals would turn away and ignore you. I guess a Thai speaking farang meant the guy had been around for a while and knew a few of the tricks, plus he probably already had a TGF waiting at home. Those gals wanted fresh meat.

[andy666]

Can remember when speaking Thai in Bangkok bars was the kiss of death, gals would turn away and ignore you. I guess a Thai speaking farang meant the guy had been around for a while and knew a few of the tricks, plus he probably already had a TGF waiting at home. Those gals wanted fresh meat.

I've heard that 100 times but i never saw it happening. Of course they prefer a newbie who overpays or fall in love with potential sponsorship or marriage in the future but tell a few jokes in Thai and half the bar is hanging on your lips.

 

At least in beerbars and small places, i don't have much experience with high end gogo's and chique disco's.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[bonzo11]

I have done 4+ months at Chula in Bangkok and then probably a similar amount of studying on my own - call it a year total. I can speak, read, and write at an intermediate level now. I also speak several other Asian languages (English is my native tongue - I'm a whitey). Here's my take on various aspects:

 

- I agree that in general it's probably not advantageous in the bar scene to learn Thai. It can be fun but it also hardens you a lot when you hear what those things that used to sound cute really mean. Also the girls mostly don't like farang who can speak Thai - so you end up faking that you can't speak a lot. Of course the other side is sometimes it can be fun to joke around with them in Thai and sometimes you find some fresh of the farm ones that you would otherwise have a harder time with, but honestly I got them well before I could speak Thai so I'm not sure it really helps with that. I think it's mostly just useful for daily life, and even then not so much - just get more local treatment I suppose.

- learning any Asian language is really, really hard for Westerners. It will take years of persistent effort and commitment. If you aren't going to do that then set your goals accordingly.

 

- that said, learning 10, 25, or 50 sentences isn't hard at all. I knew about 25-50 different things (words and short sentences) from trips here before I started studying. It's a fun way to joke around a little and loosen up people. Warning: can also be dangerous so careful what you learn! Also note that 25-50 sentences is probably all people who live in Bangkok or Pattaya will ever really need; especially if you are just a tourist but I suspect that most farang that live here don't know much more than that (for many, less).

 

- If you are serious about learning Thai then here's a few various pieces of advice:

 

   * Get a regular study routine going (often formal school)

   * speak and listen to Thai everyday at least 1 hour (better if much more).

   * contrary to popular advice, I suggest NOT bothering to learn how to read initially. It was a huge waste of time and very frustrating I thought - since you won't know many words or grammar you'll just end up literate and not being able to speak (which is what happened to me initially). Speak first then learn to read - it'll be way easier then.

   * check out glossika online - that's the single best tool I can suggest. If you do that 1 hour per day for 3-6 months you'll be speaking and your accent should be decent too (Thais often think my Thai is way better than it really is because my accent is very good).

   * As for Chula, I'd say the first level was worth it - the second if you want to learn to read. After that it is absolutely NOT the way to learn Thai. But the first two courses were very good. AUA would be a better program, I think - or do Chula Thai 1 and AUA at the same time - that would be ideal I think.

 

 

G-luck

[thawit77]

Excellent advice bonzo11!  I would add that for those of you in Thailand, make sure have a daily routine that forces you to practice and learn new words, ie going to the local market or other places where the locals don't speak English

[slick67]

Agreed with bonzo11's advice: Even if you're serious about learning Thai then I would still wait a while with learning how to read until you at least know some vocab and can make some basic sentences. Otherwise it can become a really abstract and off-putting exercise.

But don't wait too long, the longer you wait the more words you will have to learn again!

 

I would hold off on Glossika too by the way. The first version is full of mistakes and they're now working on a new and improved version. I think right now they don't even sell their Thai package anymore on their website. It would be a shame to waste your time drilling mistakes in your head Their repetition method seems good though, so let's hope they come up with something good

[bonzo11]

Agree re: Glossika's news, although I'd say that despite the errors in the old one (maybe around 2-5% max, to be fair) it's still be invaluable for my speaking. It's a lot of work but hugely pays off in the mid-to-long term -- way more than my formal studies did. But yeah all things being equal of course having the new one would be better, but I wouldn't wait too long for it if I had the option and for sure I would always combine it with other forms of study. Btw I also got the books which are useful but not necessary.

Ps - Pimsleur would be a very good option for a casual learned. I did that whole course also, as a warm up. You'll learn 50+ things easily and pretty quickly that way.

 

[deathlay]

Learning Thai is great, it means you can speak the same language as them. In all honesty though It would probably take you a couple of years of part time learning to get any good at it so it all depends on how long you plan on spending there? If it's just for holidays then I'd only bother learning if it's something you enjoy for it's own sake.

Would you suggest learning to read and write first?

[The Sly Fox]

For anyone living in LOS who plans to stay here long term and wants to learn Thai than I definitely recommend learning to read. It's actually quite easy to get basic reading skills. Took me a couple of weeks to get a grip on the Thai alphabet, I can read signs, street signs, menus, simple notes...but things like newspapers are too difficult because I don't have all that vocabulary. The best way to learn to read Thai is do it the same way Thais do, get the kiddies books. Writing is much harder because you have to remember spelling. Years ago I used to write letters to Thai friends but it took me hours to write a letter because I had to open the dictionary all the time to check spelling. 

 

But basic reading really is very easy.

[Dr.Winston]

Would you suggest learning to read and write first?

The course that I first learned from back in the 80's (No longer available) had  I think 40 lessons in phonetics and Thai script. The recommendation was to attempt the first 10 lessons using the phonetics system and them make a decision as to whether or not learn the script.

 

There's no doubt that if you're serious learning the script is the way to go, the basic letters can be learned very quickly although the tonal rules are complicated it doesn't take that much effort to learn them.

 

The thing is that once you've learned the script you can then get Thai people to write down any new words in Thai script which will take away any later guess work as to how they should be pronounced. It really does depend upon how much time you intend to spend there but If you're serious then you will only benefit from learning Thai script. Take a few Thai lessons and then make a decision is my advice.