Introduce yourself and some background on your Thai skills

[LaaMok]

I have been learning for about 2 years, my progress is slow but steady. I did know the alphabet and was getting into reading, but without much reading practice I am getting crap.

 

I have almost every learn thai resource, and i have spent more time, reading how to learn thai, rather than learning it.

 

Everyday I listen to audio lessons for practise, even if i cant pay full attention.

 

The best and most simple advice I have learnt, is that there is no easy way, you get back the effort you put it. Obvious I know, but i am guilty of looking for easy methods.

 

The best way to learn is the way children learn, straight from the bottom, starting with the alphabet, I have a massive advantage because i can get girls to spell things out over the phone, if i dont understand them.

 

I still speak pigeon thai, but i would say i am lower intermediate. It takes a long time to get there.

[Captain Murgatroyd]

On my first trip to Thailand, I had a small laminated card on which I had recorded a few phrases...

Hello = sawadi kup

Thank you = Kup kung kup

No thank you= my ao kup

never mind= mai pen lye

and a couple of others.... I never needed "How much", or "Really:go away now" (Bie!)

(and yes, phonetic spelling, not real Thai)

 

I didn't need the card for my second trip, but I'm still on the basic courtesy stuff.

I'm a lazy sod, but I'm looking forward to trying to learn more.

 

Thanks Bryan.

[Panudate]

I don't know where I stand really, been learning on and off for just over 5 years, can't read or write Thai script yet, I can get by in a conversation with Thai's though, did a good job on Saturday in Leicester Square!

[Scumbag]

Hello, my name is Scumbag and I'm a....ooops hit I forgot where I was...

 

I have blagged my way into this section really. I am not very good with languages and find them difficult to learn. Coupled with that I am also khee-giat mak mak. I'm hoping this section will motivate me to learn more as I think it would be good to know a reasonable amount of Thai.

 

I know a lot of people learn only by listening but I like to understand each little bit of a phrase. To do that I need to see it written phonetically. This also helps me to remember it.

[SirDougless]

I only know the courtesy stuff but I'm keen to become conversational. I get the GF to teach me words so the vocabulary is slowly growing. Slowly because we are only together for about 5 months of the year.

 

Thanks for providing this site guys!

[mills25]

HI All,

 

Ive been studying Thai off and on for about 2year now,

Like Byran studied from every learn Thai resource, even had private lessons once, but

my progress is also is a bit slow.

I know alot of the basic stuff but with lack of confidence and effort i not progressing how i think i should.

One good thing alot of Thais think i can speak Thai very good. But i guess thats not hard is it. LOl

[Esco]

Picked up the lingo in bars and some Thai chicks I know thought me some... Im not even

close to intermediate but I wanna learn it realy badly. Will take Thai courses next year

when I return from India

[Siege]

Hi Other than bar talk thats my limit. I did get a learn Thai cd it came with a book and you need the book (no good for me). I have looked for just a cd to learn thai but can't find one.

 

Thanks Siege.

[Treebeard]

I have been learning a little by listening to the Pimsleur lessons I down loaded from Bryan, thanks mate , but its slow going. I need to listen to it over and over to understand what they are saying.

As Scumbag says, seeing it written phonetically would help, but getting it right would be important, as I do not wish to re-learn the same words over and over A good example being Murgatroyd's post:

 

Hello = sawadi kup

Thank you = Kup kung kup

No thank you= my ao kup

 

Now I’m not saying the above is wrong, but what I hear on the Pimsleur lessons is:

 

"sawadee krap" "kop khun krap" - The "krap" sounding like "crap" as in "shit" Sorry to sound rude Also when in Pattaya, it's sounds like people are saying "cap" - as in "baseball cap" Although one of the Thai girls told me "krap" was correct, and that people were being lazy in the pronunciation when they say "cap"

 

It's all so bloody confusing

 

Another problem with audio is, you can get 3 different people to listen to the same song; ask them to sing the lyrics back to you and you will probably hear 3 different sets of lyrics It is still probably the best solution for myself, as I can listen to it in my car on the way to work.

 

Thanks for all the effort you have put in Bryan, and all the other posters.

 

 

p.s. upto lesson #19

[yamabthere]

I've been learning Thai on and off for 4 years now. I have the Linguaphone Thai course which is similiar to Pimsler but has text books to follow as well. Recently I have been lisening to all 30 of the Pimsler lessons one a day whilst I workout.

 

I would say I am lower Intermidiate. Still haven't learned reading or writing.

 

I find the biggest problem is these lessons teach very formal Thai but when you talk to a Thai it is a lot easyer because you drop a lot of words and just say what you mean.

 

Having a Thai wife doesn't help as we have developed our own mix of Thai and English, her English being very good.

[luvtomuff]

I am really just getting into the language. Learning the obvious phrases and smart enough to record the chicks conversations then go to the local Bar and get a chick to interpret line by line what they are saying. Just an acid test but works fairly well. Also, if you are home and use Skype there is a tool called Pamela that will allow you to record three-way calls and you then can send the tape to your local Pattaya addict friend who will get a local girl to interpret it. I just tell them I hear right down word and look up what it say take me long time but now I know what you say and please do not think I am stupid. LOL.

 

But really now just trying to learn more and take the lessons. I will start today.

[Gobby]

speak it not great but enough. but cant read it...

Edited November 28, 2007 by PE.GOB

[Dr.Winston]

I first studied Thai in 1988, I started off with the cassette/book version of the Linguaphone Course (still the best one I have seen IMO), I have also done the FSI (US Foreign Service Institute) course and one of the AUA courses.

 

I am going to stick my neck out here and call my spoken Thai fluent, that I can have a natural conversation with Thais without unnatural pauses. That does not mean that a Thai could not tell I am a foreigner (although I was mistaken for a Thai on the phone once). There are also some specific bits of the Thai Language that apply only to the scientific community or when dealing with royalty that would be over my head unless I studied them.

 

I can read Thai script at a pretty good level, say up to reading magazine articles. I can also write Thai script to the level of short notes and text messages (I could improve this a lot with a bit more study).

 

I feel that it is better to study Thai properly rather than just try to pick it up from people that you meet.

[paranoidandroid123]

Never knew this was part of the forum, great area to have though. Been to Thailand once last year, at present my Thai skills are limited. Have retained everything the TG i was with taught me and managed to learn upto Lesson 5 of Pimsleurs. Will start to give the course more effort once I have finished university for the year in May.

 

Panyaa using what method did you learn to read Thai? Is there anything out there on the Internet or a relevant course I can buy which would aid this?

[SirDougless]

These sites are good for starters:

 

ThaiLanguage.com

 

LearningThai.com

[ginseng]

I would say I'm a solid intermediate. I have been studying for 4 years. I can read and write Thai better than I can speak it but I can speak ok. I taught myself the basics with software and then enrolled at the local Wat and was able to get into intermediate when I began. Now I'm in the advanced class but what is considered advanced at the Thai temple is just intermediate in my opinion. I'll be coming to Thailand at the end of May and will study Thai full time. I'd like to be fluent.

[7-Eleven]

Does anyone have the thai alphabet on there computer? One that I can download and read, copy and learn from. I wanna learn so bad and am willing to put the effort in. I was well jealous when Bryan could chat more to my bird in 30 seconds than I did in four days!!!

 

I have pimsleurs but could really do with some more reading material. Will take lessons from the same guy that Bryan is using next time im in town.

[cock bang]

I've been going to Thailand and teaching myself Thai for about 6 or 7 years. 7 trips and my Thai is OK, i know enough to get around Thailand and deal with any 'mishaps' that I come across on my trips. I don't really spend too much time engulfing myself in the language because to me there are two purposes for learning the language. Either trading with Thailand, living in Thailand or travelling there because you will probably come in to a lot of contact with the Thai people and the English language is almost non-existent there. Other than that I don't see a large financial benefit so I choose to not spend too much time or effort to learn. Just for travel purposes

[Guest Q]

I have been learning for about 2 years, my progress is slow but steady. I did know the alphabet and was getting into reading, but without much reading practice I am getting crap.

 

I have almost every learn thai resource, and i have spent more time, reading how to learn thai, rather than learning it.

 

Everyday I listen to audio lessons for practise, even if i cant pay full attention.

 

The best and most simple advice I have learnt, is that there is no easy way, you get back the effort you put it. Obvious I know, but i am guilty of looking for easy methods.

 

The best way to learn is the way children learn, straight from the bottom, starting with the alphabet, I have a massive advantage because i can get girls to spell things out over the phone, if i dont understand them.

 

I still speak pigeon thai, but i would say i am lower intermediate. It takes a long time to get there.

 

Bryan my bird and little Dang (the Insomnia mamasan) said your Thai was of a good standard as they both understood everything you said in Thai.

 

I know zero but will learn as having a kid on the way and it will be brought up here i must learn.

[Dr.Winston]

Never knew this was part of the forum, great area to have though. Been to Thailand once last year, at present my Thai skills are limited. Have retained everything the TG i was with taught me and managed to learn upto Lesson 5 of Pimsleurs. Will start to give the course more effort once I have finished university for the year in May.

 

Panyaa using what method did you learn to read Thai? Is there anything out there on the Internet or a relevant course I can buy which would aid this?

 

The old cassettte version of the Linguaphone course gives you the option to learn to read and write Thai if you want to. I learned from that.

[eggbert]

These sites are good for starters:

 

ThaiLanguage.com

 

LearningThai.com

 

my thai is rubbish . is their a good free source of dowloadable common phrase..?

[LaaMok]

Bryan my bird and little Dang (the Insomnia mamasan) said your Thai was of a good standard as they both understood everything you said in Thai.

 

I know zero but will learn as having a kid on the way and it will be brought up here i must learn.

 

Thats cuz i was pissed lol

[Ajay75]

Been learning for around 6 months now and use the Pimsular Thai which is really useful and has a great method for allowing you to remember things. I like the way it breaks down words so you can then cobble together your own sentences once you know the rules. Have also learnt about 200 other phrases from thai-language.com.

 

I've got a couple of other CD, book sets for slang phrases which I've yet to start. I've found that repeating and testing myself is the easiest way I've got to learn things and am quite happy with my progress. I would say I'm still an upper beginner level though as I can have a conversation about simple things to get by in various situations.

 

The thing I find difficult is with not being based in Thailand as your not being exposed to the language everyday so its easier to not remain focused. I'm not going to bother reading and writing at the moment until I have a good grasp of speaking as dont want to run before I can walk.

[Dr.Winston]

Been learning for around 6 months now and use the Pimsular Thai which is really useful and has a great method for allowing you to remember things. I like the way it breaks down words so you can then cobble together your own sentences once you know the rules. Have also learnt about 200 other phrases from thai-language.com.

 

I've got a couple of other CD, book sets for slang phrases which I've yet to start. I've found that repeating and testing myself is the easiest way I've got to learn things and am quite happy with my progress. I would say I'm still an upper beginner level though as I can have a conversation about simple things to get by in various situations.

The thing I find difficult is with not being based in Thailand as your not being exposed to the language everyday so its easier to not remain focused. I'm not going to bother reading and writing at the moment until I have a good grasp of speaking as dont want to run before I can walk.

 

I can relate to that, I learned the foundations of my Thai from cassettes in England. It's kind of strange talking back to a machine because you don't get any acknowledgement that what you said has been understood, which doesn't do much for your confidence.

 

Overall I'm glad that I learned that way though because I had to learn to walk before I learned to run.

[Ajay75]

I can relate to that, I learned the foundations of my Thai from cassettes in England. It's kind of strange talking back to a machine because you don't get any acknowledgement that what you said has been understood, which doesn't do much for your confidence.

 

Overall I'm glad that I learned that way though because I had to learn to walk before I learned to run.

 

I know what you mean about the response thing. But on my next trip in July for a month I will be asking if they understand after each sentence I maybe not too sure about to make sure.

 

I was quite lucky after my last trip in Jan as I dont think I got any blank looks with the limited Thai I knew back then. Plus I used to goto a bar during the day with alot of older women who just taught me and gave me honest opinions about my pronounciation.

 

Learning without audio is not an option for me though as a book translation can be translated in a totally different way if the tones arent right.

 

I think to get to a fairly decent level in any language is going to take 2-3 years. Plus the whole tonal thing is something totally alien to the Western way of speaking which is another challenge.

 

I'm enjoying the sense of achievement in learning though which is good. Its not for anything particular other than me trying to better myself and appreciate the language. I'm not sure if I'll ever live out there but I know after 5 trips to various parts of Thailand that I love the place. I think you get out what you put in and you get a little more respect from the Thai's in showing the effort in learning the language aside from the normal limited phrases. It certainly makes you stand out.