Please, thank you, and overall politeness.

[JamesFerris]

As a rule, I endeavor to always be polite and formal, the better to grease the social wheels.

 

When speaking in Thai or making requests, is there a corollary to the word "please" that I am missing ?

 

Is it enough to use the "krap" ending to increase politeness, along with your standard "kawp kun krap" to thank somebody?  

 

E.g. without saying please, many requests (to my western ears) sound like demands..

 

"Pom kaw bieah neung khawt.. uhh.. cha-ang!"

 

I want a bottle of beer.. uhh.. Chang I guess (I feel like having a headache all day tomorrow).

 

 

 

Is it sufficient to appropriately use "krap" and thank you (kawp kun krap) to maintain the HIGHEST level of politeness?

[Harry Brown]

sometimes at the end of a sentence the word "na" is used this softens the sentence or request and makes it more polite. Maybe not the 'please word " you were looking for as in a direct translation but does the same job.

[mixxer]

use the prefix pee  , nong , nou khrap as appropriate  

 

jf your are right on both counts , good manners cost nothing and chang will give you a hangover tomorrow 

[Lloydies]

use the prefix pee  , nong , nou khrap as appropriate  

 

jf your are right on both counts , good manners cost nothing and chang will give you a hangover tomorrow 

 

I love Chang

[mixxer]

I love Chang

 

555 knew that was coming 

[Lloydies]

555 knew that was coming 

 

Dont say you know me too

[mixxer]

didn't know you would be first bro but as soon as i hit enter i was counting down 

[peter1950]

they only take the piss with there friends

when u cannot speak good thai speak English

they will under stand u better

[JamesFerris]

they only take the piss with there friends

when u cannot speak good thai speak English

they will under stand u better

 

Who says I can't speak Thai well?  I'm asking a question with respect to usage, and any board member here should be able to manage a properly pronounced "kawp kun krup" or even a "kawp kun mak na-krub."  The language and the tones really aren't as hard as people make them seem.  

 

If I'm going to THEIR country, it seems the ABSOLUTE LEAST I can do is learn how to be polite and to ask for help in THEIR language.

[ekku]

As a rule, I endeavor to always be polite and formal, the better to grease the social wheels.

 

When speaking in Thai or making requests, is there a corollary to the word "please" that I am missing ?

 

Is it enough to use the "krap" ending to increase politeness, along with your standard "kawp kun krap" to thank somebody?  

 

E.g. without saying please, many requests (to my western ears) sound like demands..

 

"Pom kaw bieah neung khawt.. uhh.. cha-ang!"

 

I want a bottle of beer.. uhh.. Chang I guess (I feel like having a headache all day tomorrow).

 

 

 

Is it sufficient to appropriately use "krap" and thank you (kawp kun krap) to maintain the HIGHEST level of politeness?

I would say yes, that's sufficient, but you're not actually trying to maintain the highest level of politeness with a bartender. You need to think of who you're talking with. Are you older than them? Or are you in a superior position somehow? Being overly polite with a bartender may sound patronizing but then again, none of this really applies to you. Foreigners are excused because they're foreigners. 

 

Please... there are a few words for that but which one to use depends on the context. I don't think you'd tell the bartender "please serve me a bottle of beer" although it would be a polite request.

 

As the locals say, don't think too much. ไม่ต้องคิดมากนะ

[geezerrb]

I have tried to learn Thai with little success but surely there is certain uses where the written does not translate to the oral, for instance kwap kun krap" is pronounced as kap kun kap and many situations where saying kap is sufficient?

[JamesFerris]

use the prefix pee  , nong , nou khrap as appropriate  

 

jf your are right on both counts , good manners cost nothing and chang will give you a hangover tomorrow 

 

Could you perhaps shed some light in the appropriate usage of these terms?  I'd heard that 'nong' was something of an affectionate term, perhaps reserved for your teelak - but I've not heard of the other ones.

 

 

I would say yes, that's sufficient, but you're not actually trying to maintain the highest level of politeness with a bartender. You need to think of who you're talking with. Are you older than them? Or are you in a superior position somehow? Being overly polite with a bartender may sound patronizing but then again, none of this really applies to you. Foreigners are excused because they're foreigners. 

 

Please... there are a few words for that but which one to use depends on the context. I don't think you'd tell the bartender "please serve me a bottle of beer" although it would be a polite request.

 

As the locals say, don't think too much. ไม่ต้องคิดมากนะ

 

Well tell me, this is an honest question, are you supposed to be less formal / talk 'down' to a 'subordinate' person i.e. somebody who is performing you a service (bartender, bargirl, street vendor, etc)?  I don't wish to patronize anyone - but at the same time I'm cautious.  In America, the good people address everyone politely, no matter if they're shining your shoes, filling your beer, etc - and only the worst people speak "down" to others or don't use words like please and thank you.  

 

Just what is the situation?  What is appropriate ?  

[furryman]

If you actually wanted to try to speak Thai to order something what you would say is "Kor (item you want) noi kap" for example "Kor leo noi kap"​ to ask for a leo.

 

Kor is essentially equivalent to" may I have" and noi used in this context is equivalent to "please". Kap is a word tacked onto the end of sentences to convey politeness. Females use ka instead of kap.

 

However, since most of us falangs have a hard time getting the tones right, lots of Thais wont understand anyway, so mostly ordering in English is a better idea.

 

Good on you for wanting to give it a try though.

[furryman]

As far as pi and nong, you can say pi-nong if you are not sure, its sort of a catchall phrase.

 

For example, "Pi-nong kap, kor kep taang noi kap" which means, "Pi-nong, may I have the check bin please."

[earicome]

If you stay on the Chang get used to saying 'paracetamol na'

[ekku]

Could you perhaps shed some light in the appropriate usage of these terms?  I'd heard that 'nong' was something of an affectionate term, perhaps reserved for your teelak - but I've not heard of the other ones.

 

 

 

Well tell me, this is an honest question, are you supposed to be less formal / talk 'down' to a 'subordinate' person i.e. somebody who is performing you a service (bartender, bargirl, street vendor, etc)?  I don't wish to patronize anyone - but at the same time I'm cautious.  In America, the good people address everyone politely, no matter if they're shining your shoes, filling your beer, etc - and only the worst people speak "down" to others or don't use words like please and thank you.  

 

Just what is the situation?  What is appropriate ?  

 

I use the "title" nong when I walk in a massage shop and asked if a certain lady is there today. Let's say we call her Pie. Then I ask "Nong Pie waang may krab" 

I also use it about babies. "To a friend who's pregnant: Are you having a baby?" จะมีน้องหรอ And of course you can use that word about infants too. I would never use that about a girlfriend because that would sound degrading somehow. It's a word you use at the restaurant when you call the waiter or waitress who is younger than you. 

 

If you say Pee-nong you're calling pretty much everyone who could be the same age as your siblings. You see it on facebook when someone needs help from all their friends, excluding older relatives, teachers, doctors, etc.

 

 

Yes, you're definitely supposed to be less polite with people who should show some respect to you just because you're older or in a superior position. I've used some phrases from my study book in the past, like ยินดีรับใช้ครับ for "you're welcome" but the response was confusing. "No no no no no! You shouldn't say that to me!! Just say ยินดีครับ na" She's just a few years younger than me and I was not in a superior position but my language was still too polite for the situation. 

 

There's a way to talk to the king too and you should not use that register with others.

 

One thing is the same in Thailand:  you can be polite to anyone. The key is choosing the appropriate level of politeness. If you want to be very polite and formal to your children, you also make yourself more distant. Use more polite language with your wife and you'll become less intimate with her. 

 

 

 

furryman: Make yourself sound more natural by adding one short syllable to your example. "Kor leo noi na krap"

[furryman]

555 I sound anything but natural when I speak Thai! I'm also terrible about remembering to stick kap at the end. Maybe I'm just rude at heart.

 

As I understand it, both pi and nong mean sibling, only one is for those older and one is for those younger, so whether you use pi, nong, or pi-nong, you are sort of saying  brother/sister. The Thai equivalent of 'Hey, bro' perhaps?

 

I'll try to ask about this in class next week, to double check.

[Jumpin Jack Flash]

As I understand it, Nong and Pee equates to junior and senior and is just the polite way of addressing someone you know (doesn't have to be family, it can be or a friend or just any acquaintance). If you know the person, you'd call them Nong (followed by their name) or Pee (name), but when you don't know the person (as would be the case with waiters, staff, etc), you can just use Nong or Pee on its own. So Nong is what you call the young waiter/waitress, while Pee is an older waiter/waitress.

[furryman]

I asked my thai teacher about this and what I had been told about using pii and nong together is wrong. One should use one or the other, not both.

 

She also said that while a waitress is probably younger than you, it is better in that context to use pii, because if you use nong it sounds like you are trying to assert authority or be bossy, not express politeness.

[just hanging]

Who says I can't speak Thai well? I'm asking a question with respect to usage, and any board member here should be able to manage a properly pronounced "kawp kun krup" or even a "kawp kun mak na-krub." The language and the tones really aren't as hard as people make them seem.

 

If I'm going to THEIR country, it seems the ABSOLUTE LEAST I can do is learn how to be polite and to ask for help in THEIR language.

You missed one important part, yes it is very good to learn the language and very polite to use it, and thais are happy when you do this. But the best part is you can get all the newbies when two-week millionaires cannot, because you can speak Thai to them and they are comfortable with that. My speaking to them in their language has got me many cuties that would not go otherwise. I am always using my language with the locals, and it makes them happy, but getting the girls like it makes it all the better to learn

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[ekku]

555 I sound anything but natural when I speak Thai! I'm also terrible about remembering to stick kap at the end. Maybe I'm just rude at heart.

 

As I understand it, both pi and nong mean sibling, only one is for those older and one is for those younger, so whether you use pi, nong, or pi-nong, you are sort of saying  brother/sister. The Thai equivalent of 'Hey, bro' perhaps?

 

I'll try to ask about this in class next week, to double check.

Pee and nong are titles for anyone of the same age as your siblings even if you don't have any.

 

I asked my thai teacher about this and what I had been told about using pii and nong together is wrong. One should use one or the other, not both.

 

She also said that while a waitress is probably younger than you, it is better in that context to use pii, because if you use nong it sounds like you are trying to assert authority or be bossy, not express politeness.

 

It's not wrong to say Pee-noong but you have to know the meaning. You don't use that about one person. It's like calling your older mates and your younger mates. Hey, all of you, I've got something to say. Pee-noong! Or make the plural even clearer: พี่ๆน้องๆ

 

If the waitress is less than half my age, I'm going to call her Nong. I also do have the authority in that context, not only as a paying customer but as an "older gentleman" (or whatever...)

[just hanging]

Pee and nong are titles for anyone of the same age as your siblings even if you don't have any.

 

 

It's not wrong to say Pee-noong but you have to know the meaning. You don't use that about one person. It's like calling your older mates and your younger mates. Hey, all of you, I've got something to say. Pee-noong! Or make the plural even clearer: พี่ๆน้องๆ

 

If the waitress is less than half my age, I'm going to call her Nong. I also do have the authority in that context, not only as a paying customer but as an "older gentleman" (or whatever...)

 

I used to have trouble with this, until talking with many Thais, including m teacher, I now say    Khun Krup........that is polite, easy to say and covers everyone

[ekku]

As a rule, I endeavor to always be polite and formal, the better to grease the social wheels.

 

When speaking in Thai or making requests, is there a corollary to the word "please" that I am missing ?

 

Is it enough to use the "krap" ending to increase politeness, along with your standard "kawp kun krap" to thank somebody?  

 

E.g. without saying please, many requests (to my western ears) sound like demands..

 

"Pom kaw bieah neung khawt.. uhh.. cha-ang!"

 

I want a bottle of beer.. uhh.. Chang I guess (I feel like having a headache all day tomorrow).

 

 

 

Is it sufficient to appropriately use "krap" and thank you (kawp kun krap) to maintain the HIGHEST level of politeness?

 

I just got some email with some higher level of politeness. They write  กระผมขอขอบพระคุณ... (no khrab at the end) now that's something you would never say to anyone in a bar setting. But I'd like to know when any of us reading this forum will get a chance to use this phrase. Well I might, in response to the email, but I don't think I'm expected to respond in any way.

 

I used to have trouble with this, until talking with many Thais, including m teacher, I now say    Khun Krup........that is polite, easy to say and covers everyone

 

It obviously doesn't cover everyone but you probably won't ever meet those who it doesn't cover, right?