I'm jealous

[herds]

Anyone else found that the more they learn the less they think they know? sounds a little counter intuitive but I can't be alone. I've been in thai 1 year and people say that I speak very good but then they are comparing me to falangs that don't purposely learn the langauge just pick bits up here and there. I heard a falang the other day that was fluent, he was in his late forties so he could have been speaking thai as long as i've been alive but I still get jealous I felt like asking him if he wanted a free beer if he could speak to me in thai. So yeah, dr when you are in patts next week wear a sign or something and i'll buy you a beer and bj while you teach me.

 

I'm always thinking "god, I wish I just knew the word for 'x'" like earlier I was trying to say song jai (impress/ed) but didn't know it.

 

Fluent would be nice but I would just love to be able to have conversations with thai people that aren't about things that you just learn in the book like food, travel and the weather

 

At the moment I'm trying to use this subforum a lot more, listen to the tapes I currently have and learn 10 words at least a day, so far I have...

 

len pai - gambling

jer - meeting

nat - appointment

mai glaa - brave

ror - wait

roi koi - waiting (?)

naa dtang - window

bpra dtoo - door

 

sorry no script, laziness.

Edited September 2, 2008 by herds

[Ajay75]

Anyone else found that the more they learn the less they think they know? sounds a little counter intuitive but I can't be alone. I've been in thai 1 year and people say that I speak very good but then they are comparing me to falangs that don't purposely learn the langauge just pick bits up here and there. I heard a falang the other day that was fluent, he was in his late forties so he could have been speaking thai as long as i've been alive but I still get jealous I felt like asking him if he wanted a free beer if he could speak to me in thai. So yeah, dr when you are in patts next week wear a sign or something and i'll buy you a beer and bj while you teach me.

 

I'm always thinking "god, I wish I just knew the word for 'x'" like earlier I was trying to say song jai (impress/ed) but didn't know it.

 

Fluent would be nice but I would just love to be able to have conversations with thai people that aren't about things that you just learn in the book like food, travel and the weather

 

At the moment I'm trying to use this subforum a lot more, listen to the tapes I currently have and learn 10 words at least a day, so far I have...

 

len pai - gambling

jer - meeting

nat - appointment

mai glaa - brave

ror - wait

roi koi - waiting (?)

naa dtang - window

bpra dtoo - door

 

sorry no script, laziness.

 

I am just taking it one step at a time and although know the basics pretty well and can have a conversation I know I have a long way to go. Just trying to learn all the different rules for tenses and classifiers is enough but it seems imossible to start with but the more you practice and revise it all just seems to slip into place and make sense.

 

Some more ways to say some of the existing words you know:

 

 

jer, jer gan, pop - meeting, meet

 

nat - appointment ( usually used with the word 'gan' which hasnt got to direct translation but is used to indicate an action to eachother)

 

e.g. Kao nat gan tee lobby rom ream - They have an appointment with eachother in the hotel lobby.

 

laew, laew gor, gap - and

Edited September 23, 2008 by Ajay75

[coolman]

khun bai nai crap- means where are u going.I speak nick noy thai.

[Millard]

I also envy westerners who can speak Thai well. Not only is it practical to learn the native tongue of whatever country you're visiting, but also opens up an understanding of the people and their culture. Same with eating local food. You can understand Thailand much more if you immerse yourself in its cuisine.

[Femme Fatale]

I completely agree!

 

I'm DYING to learn more of the language and the friends I have that I see jabbering away in Thai like it's English just blows my mind. I've always picked up languages quite easily and quickly but Thai still eludes me except for the odd word or phrase.

 

20 more years and I'll be fluent, dammit!

[caltexman]

I just can never get the damn tones right..................lol.

[Rob Jones]

Dont get too excited when Thais say you speak good Thai, usually thats just one of the few English phrases they know.

[herds]

Dont get too excited when Thais say you speak good Thai, usually thats just one of the few English phrases they know.

 

Very true, they were saying it to me after 1 month of being here when I could almost count to 10.