I want to learn Thai, but where to start?

[Harry Brown]

I have used this program, just wished I had more time, I'm not sure how it compares to the rest of what is on offer out there .Maybe someone like Winston O boogie could rate it.

 

http://www.byki.com/fls/free-thai-software-download.html?l=thai

[Sam Hill]

Some good free sources ...

 

Pak Nam web

[alessandro_no]

I speak English and cannot speak any other languages other than a few phrases here and there.

 

One thing I've always struggled with, is the way in which sentences are formed such as:

 

"I am 25 years old" might be said as "25 years old I am" in other languages.

 

With Thai, I know there are tones to contend with and will take some getting used to.

 

Pronouncing words isn't too difficult for me and seems far less complicated than some other European languages, but a challenge non the less!

 

I am trying to look for logic, hoping to find a direct translation for words so that I may form my own sentences, but it doesn't appear to work like that?

 

A sentence containing the word "how" may have no link to another sentence containing the word "how"!

 

So my question is, apart from learning the obvious greetings and counting numbers etc, what is the best advice someone can give me when learning Thai (using the Internet as resource)?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Everyone acquire knowledge differently so all I can do is recommend what worked very well for me. I spent years in Thailand without learning a single word. Unlike with English, Thai wasn't a language I could just pick up through osmosis.

 

So I decided to make an active effort to learn the language. Now my first advice would be to learn eh alphabet. It's A LOT easier than you think.Karaoke Thai will get you no where and it is completely useless and most of the time plain WRONG.

 

Secondly start to write down Thai sentences from the Becker books or any other Thai guide for beginners.

 

Write in Thai script. Try to write down sentences that you would actually use in everyday life so that they will sink in.

 

Before you know it you will be able to converse with Thai's in specific settings such as shopping for vegetables at the market.

 

Now once you hit this stage what makes it even more difficult is that Thai's will respond in ways that you did not anticipate when you wrote this down in the comfort of your home. They will also never stop to laugh at the farang's mistakes. In my case I found this extremely discouraging and I would stop practicing for weeks every time this happened. What made me eventually break through this barrier was to literally drink up some Dutch courage and go practice your Thai in bars, or with women at home.

 

Later on I hired a private teacher to prune my sentence structure, started watching English movies with Thai subtitles and reading Thai newspapers. This is all done within a year if a serious effort is made.

[Freeze]

kharp - kharp - kharp

 

 

sa nook mai khrap Is it fun?

 

Reuu Really?

 

sa wat dee Hello; Goodbye; Good morning; Good evening

 

sa baai dee reuu ow are you?

 

yin dee thee dai ruu jak Pleased to meet you.

 

laaeo phohp gan mai See you later.

 

 

 

 

Phohm I; me [for male speakers]

 

chan I; me [for female speakers]

 

khoon you

 

khao he; she; they

 

rao we

 

 

 

 

khoon sa baai dee reuu (you) [are] feeling good [question]?

 

Phohm yin dee thee dai ruu jak khoon (I) [am] delighted to have met (you).

 

 

 

 

Hello (sa-wat dee) kharp

 

Thank you (khorb koon) kharp

 

How much? (gee baht) kharp etc......

 

Where is ...? (... yoo tee nai)

 

I don't want (mai ow)

 

Sorry (khor toat)

 

Can you make it cheaper? (lot noi dai mai)

 

Delicious (a-roi)

 

Never mind (mai ben rai)