Chan/Phom

[kopite]

I was hoping someone could clear this up for me.

 

When I see 'chan/phom' am I right in understanding that chan refers to a female talking and phom likewise is for a male talking? So if I saw

 

chan/phom-ma-jak-america/pa-thad-thai

 

Is that just implying that ma-jak-america is for the girl and pa-thad-thai is for a guy? You don't actually say chan/phom each time do you?

 

Sorry im trying to pick up a few phrases so was trying to get my head around chan/phom as it's everywhere.

 

Thanks

[El Cata]

Pom & Di-chan are the polite male / female words for 'I', respectively. They are often omitted or sometimes replaced by your name. For example:

 

Pom ben kroo = I be teacher (for a man)

 

Di-chan be kroo = I be teacher (for a woman)

 

Kopite ben kroo = Kopite be teacher.

 

Peace.

Edited August 12, 2010 by El Cata

[kopite]

Cooool! Thanks... I noticed you wrote it 'pom' so in terms of pronounciation I guess it's as it's written out? I saw some places have it as phom so I wasn't sure if the 'h' gives it a different pronunciation.

 

Thanks!!

[El Cata]

This is the problem with the myriad of transliteration systems. Pom is the way it is spelt in my Lonely Planet phrasebook & the way it sounds phonetically. Phom could easily be mispronounced as 'fom'. I suggest at this early stage that you learn Thai script, to avoid confusion. It's easier than you think & will accelerate your learning of Thai language. I've been using this site:

 

http://www.learningthai.com/index.html

 

The 'write' section is the shortest / best place to start, followed by the 'read' section. The 'speak' section is just full of conversational Thai.

 

Peace.

[Sam Hill]

Many easy Thai language sites write "chan" for I, since it can be used by both men and women. But you'll almost never hear a man say chan outside of songs or possibly movies. My wife once said to me, "I hate to hear a man say 'chan'."

 

Stick with pom". ("Pohm" would be an acceptable way to write it. I've never seen "phom".)

[herds]

do people really use these regularly when speaking?

[El Cata]

do people really use these regularly when speaking?

You're so right!

 

If someone asks you (in English) if you want to go to the pub, you don't respond 'No, I don't want to go to the pub'. Normal people just don't converse like that!

 

If I don't want something, I don't say 'pom mai ow', I say 'mai ow'; or my recent vendor favourite 'mee laaou', meaning 'have already' - I don't say 'I don't want' or 'I have already'.

 

'I' is implicit & so omitted; much like the 'ja' in 'ja bai nai?'. Only immersion in the language can teach you this, rather than reading the staid, 'correct' books!

 

Peace.

[el_jefe]

You're so right!

 

If someone asks you (in English) if you want to go to the pub, you don't respond 'No, I don't want to go to the pub'. Normal people just don't converse like that!

 

If I don't want something, I don't say 'pom mai ow', I say 'mai ow'; or my recent vendor favourite 'mee laaou', meaning 'have already' - I don't say 'I don't want' or 'I have already'.

 

'I' is implicit & so omitted; much like the 'ja' in 'ja bai nai?'. Only immersion in the language can teach you this, rather than reading the staid, 'correct' books!

 

Peace.

 

I think of bai nai and ja bai nai as two separate tenses. unless the context is clear. Like prung nee (ja) bai nai. But, absent some time marker, I would think of bai nai as being now and ja bai nai as being in the future. Is this wrong?

[El Cata]

I think of bai nai and ja bai nai as two separate tenses. unless the context is clear. Like prung nee (ja) bai nai. But, absent some time marker, I would think of bai nai as being now and ja bai nai as being in the future. Is this wrong?

Yes, you can't go somewhere in the past or the present; laaou or gamlang is for that - although I've rarely encountered the latter, unless to emphasize an ongoing argument (between women obviously, which never ends).

 

You could be anal about the distinction between immediate future & next day (poot laaou), ah tit, samong, bee...???

 

Actually, could you furnish me on the detail regarding 'next' & it's progeny?

 

EDIT: I could be wrong, I often am, but isn't the literal translation of 'bai nai?' = 'go which?'

 

Peace.

Edited November 12, 2010 by El Cata

[el_jefe]

Yes, you can't go somewhere in the past or the present; laaou or gamlang is for that - although I've rarely encountered the latter, unless to emphasize an ongoing argument (between women obviously, which never ends).

 

You could be anal about the distinction between immediate future & next day (poot laaou), ah tit, samong, bee...???

 

Actually, could you furnish me on the detail regarding 'next' & it's progeny?

 

EDIT: I could be wrong, I often am, but isn't the literal translation of 'bai nai?' = 'go which?'

 

Peace.

 

Bai nai is never used in the sense of the future tense in conversation or books that I've seen? Just something I've observed. your walking along and someone says bai nai. I don't think they mean where will you go? I would think in this case, the speaker could use gamlang and/or you but it would just emphasize the fact that it is ongoing. Maybe one could be sarcastic and respond to this question without stopping at all and say gamlang bai glai jaak khun - going far away from you

 

And isn't nai, which, what and where - depending on the context? Just like yang ngai can be what in some circumstances - possibly depending on the translator.

 

I just realized you meant next as in going where next, no? Wouldn't that be dtao pbai nai? (as in dtao dao ao aang mai eek). Seems like it should be this way although who's next would have the who in front I'm pretty sure. krai dtao pbai.

Edited November 13, 2010 by el_jefe

[Sam Hill]

Bai nai is a common greeting on encountering a friend on the street. It usually doesn't require an answer, any more than "what's up" or "what's happening" does in English. It's iomply acknowledging they have seen you to be polite. You may reply with just a smile and a wave.

[El Cata]

Bai nai is a common greeting on encountering a friend on the street. It usually doesn't require an answer, any more than "what's up" or "what's happening" does in English. It's iomply acknowledging they have seen you to be polite. You may reply with just a smile and a wave.

Nice copy & paste, Mr Thailand; you included typos too!

 

Peace.