Thai ways of saying things....

[Ajay75]

Anyone else struggle with the weird and wonderful way Thais seem to structure things sometimes in their sentences. Its doing my head in a little to be honest but I suppose practice and time will let it come more naturally.

 

My teacher is helping me loads but some lessons I feel like a total beginner even though I've been learning a year.

 

Just need to get used to the way they say things but its a little overwhelming sometimes.

 

The latest weird one was:

 

You have bread with butter, also?

 

ka nom bpang taa nee_y, duay^

 

But actually translates word wise into: Bread paint with butter also.

 

Bunch of weirdos

[herds]

I always used 'thaa' in the context of makeup, applying makeup. So it's like apply/put butter on the bread.

 

heh, i have confusion like this a lot, just now i asked what was 'buy one get one free' and the answer was 'sur neung gab neung' which i translated to 'buy one with one' which directly translated doesn't quite seem as clear that the 2nd item is free.

 

I know what you mean about feeling like a beginner sometimes. I'll sit there, use long words talk confidently, receive 'ohh wee, geng, poot thai chat mak jing' then one simple question or word that i don't know gets said and i'm completely stumped :/ haha.

 

The last one i remember was i was talking about chiang mai and someone asked me about the mountain.. 'dtai kow mai' - did you climb the mountain.. and i was frozen as i only knew the word 'gaan kern' when refering to climbing.

[whitespider - RIP]

Its the tones that still get me - every time I try to order fish cakes or kung cakes I order farts and they think its hilarious

[Ajay75]

I always used 'thaa' in the context of makeup, applying makeup. So it's like apply/put butter on the bread.

 

heh, i have confusion like this a lot, just now i asked what was 'buy one get one free' and the answer was 'sur neung gab neung' which i translated to 'buy one with one' which directly translated doesn't quite seem as clear that the 2nd item is free.

 

I know what you mean about feeling like a beginner sometimes. I'll sit there, use long words talk confidently, receive 'ohh wee, geng, poot thai chat mak jing' then one simple question or word that i don't know gets said and i'm completely stumped :/ haha.

 

The last one i remember was i was talking about chiang mai and someone asked me about the mountain.. 'dtai kow mai' - did you climb the mountain.. and i was frozen as i only knew the word 'gaan kern' when refering to climbing.

 

Christ I'm not even using that longer words and I get the same problem with trying to work out simple questions sometimes as well. There are days where I just cant think and get really frustrated and then theres other days where I can just rattle on. Usually when I'm tired or hungover I just give up trying to chat anything too long as my brain just doesnt want to play ball.

 

Its all part of the learning curve and I've got to try and chill out a bit and not expect to run before I can walk.

 

Yep "taa" is used as the equivilent to apply in english but my teacher said that thais see it as painting the bread lol.

 

I got accussed of speaking like a gangster the other week for saying "laew bpai" when there was a misunderstanding. I thought it meant "dont worry about it" when said but it has a hidden meaning of "its ok but if you do it again I'll kick your ass". Luckily my teacher saw the funny side.

 

I still class myself as a beginner really I think as my listening skills are crap and something I really want to develop this year (hence the teacher).

[herds]

laew bpai as in แล้ว ไป ? I have never used that but it sounds like 'gone already'.

 

longer words, well maybe not long as in complicated. I think that because i've lived here i've ran before I cold walk so as an upshot I know some more advanced words but also don't know some basic ones.

 

For the last week or so i've just been concentrating on tones, writing out the alphabet in relation to the tonal group and then testing myself with words with and without tone marks to determine the tone - a real mind f*%k to begin with being that i never formally learnt them.

 

ajay - when i go back to the uk in a few months i'll install skype to chat with some thai friends, be good to add you as well as we're probably around the same level of ability.

Edited January 15, 2009 by herds

[Ajay75]

It does sound like "gone already" literally but as we all know things have different meanings when used in different contexts in Thai rather than definitive translations. Its sort of used in a pissed off sort of way (which I didnt know at the time). Luckily I've not used it with anyone apart from my teacher.

 

@ Herds - Yeah no problem as I'm on Skype already although I think your far more advanced than myself. I dont rate my Thai ability at all to be honest. Want to improve alot this year but I've always been to hard on myself and expect too much.

[herds]

http://www.youtube.com/user/thaisolutions

 

check out some of the students on there, don't want to sound like a prick as i'm no where near a pro at thai, but it's really quite funny listening to some of the falang students speak as it got me thinking "my god, no wonder thai people never used to understand anything i said".

[Ajay75]

Haha that was quite hard to watch. Especially saying "mai rue" which is basically was kids in school use. Always makes me laugh when I hear people saying this.

 

But we've all been there (I probably still sound like it now)