Do thai girls want us to speak thai ?

[chanman]

Well that a good question, generally I find from experience that they dont, there are at least 600 thai girls married to guys in my home town with quite a good percentage being good friends of mine, most are happy that their respective partners are too lazy to learn as their english is very good, and ,being a very closenit community it gives them the freedom to talk to each other about their relationships and any other issues together without their patners being aware.

On the other hand my ex of 4 years was quite willing to teach me as being from Surin it was easier for me to communicate with her family when I stay there.

Bar girls are different, they seem to love it if you put in the effort to at least try to talk to them in thai,but be warned, if you can manage to string a sentence together they will assume that you are fluent and start to. talk at you 100 miles an hour and expect you to understand every word.

Dont berate me for my opinion as that is just what it is, an opinion based on my own personal experiences during the 5 years I have been going.On the contrary DO try to learn as the benefits are so much better when you do and saves a lot of confusion and in some cases embarressment.

[chanman]

P.S There is a fantastic site on the web called Learning Thai The Easy Way, it is totally free and starts off with basic words and phrases, greetings,telling the time,food and drink, numbers etc right up to advanced speech and reading and writing, but the BEST thing is that it allows you to click on the word or phrase and you can hear the correct pronounciation in your headphones.

[Thaihot]

No, Thai girls do not want us to speak Thai.

 

If they want some thing they will speak fucking English, believe me.

 

If Falangs live in Thailand & speak Thai they say he know to much, he long time Pattaya.

 

If you know the score they are half out the door.

[Craig_ozz]

they cant talk about you either if you know Thai. Its best to know some Thai but say you dont. That way when your BG is telling her friend shes got a fat stoopid farang with her who smells like a buffalo then you can make for an exit

[herds]

i swear if I see another "do thai's like us to speak thai" "do you think bargirls like us speaking thai" thread I will cry into my Leo.

[Highlander]

They do not like us speaking Thai, it freaks them out.

 

I seen it happen in a bar in Soi 6 when a farang ordered a beer, let them talk amongst them self in our company then after talking to me he asked where the toilet was in Thai. You should have seen their faces LOL

[Shake Girl]

lol @ 'it freaks them out'. who gives a fuck what they want? if its to your advantage to speak/understand Thai and you have the motivation and commitment to learn it, then do that. being more educated on any subject is NEVER a disadvantage and you probably need to be avoiding anyone who WANTS you to be stupid anyhow. that being said, if you don't respect their language and culture, do NOT speak it as you will only offend them... their language is dear to them, so don't underestimate that.

[eanto]

Joob joob!

[Sam Hill]

They don't want us to speak Thai? Then why do I have them all over me when they find out I can? I'd say if you're an expat and can't speak Thai, they'll look down on you (either lazy or thick). But they hardly expect tourists to speak Thai. If you can they might be a bit suspicious.

[MrLek]

They don't want us to speak Thai? Then why do I have them all over me when they find out I can? I'd say if you're an expat and can't speak Thai, they'll look down on you (either lazy or thick). But they hardly expect tourists to speak Thai. If you can they might be a bit suspicious.

 

I think its the same wherever you go in the world. Same as when migrants came to Australia and lived here for years yet never learned english. Australians looked down on them as ignorant. I think thais would be the same for anyone who chooses to live in a country and not learnt to speak the language would be perceived as either incredibly arrogant or stupid and ignorant. They would be right to.

[joltme1313]

ok, i just go back from a 3 week romp in pattaya here are my findings on the subject. my thai is pretty good.. not fluent but very good.

 

1. some girls loved that i could speak thai. they insisted on speaking only thai and taught me a lot. plus they love to laugh and joke when you spit out little stupid idioms or know some old school songs from their past.. it is a riot..

 

2. some girls gave me the look of death.. they get their guard up right away and start with.. how long you live in thailand, how long you work here? you have thai lady.. the farang know to much theory comes right into play. one girl i met didnt want me to speak thai in public with her. but when we were alone thai all the way..

 

3. a funny thing was me and a buddy met 2 girls.. one understood every word i said while the other one didnt. at first i thought she was playing with me. but it turns out she was so used to only thais speaking thai she couldnt understand me through my american accent..

 

4. the most important thing i learned is that if they give you an attitude or show you they dont like you when you speak a little bit of thai with them you are better off without them.. because they are looking to scam and dont want to be bothered in being personal with you. fuck em..

 

5. most regular thai ladies and id say around 90% like it... start off small. or even wait until you get to know them a little bit before you drop it on them. most of the time they are really interested in how you can speak their language.. because they are a little jealous because most of the time they are struggling to learn english...

 

the best tip i have is choose you moments.. always start in your native language... gauge the situation and if it works for you then go.. 90% of the time it is all in your favor and they love ya even more... the other 10% are called short times...

Edited November 16, 2010 by joltme1313

[TehVen]

I'v been cautioned by some BG's telling me that other BG's sometimes don't like Farangs to speak thai, but they ones i'v spoken myself and warned me about it have always had fun with it, seemed to enjoy it or been atleast indifferent. That said, my thai skills havent even reached puberty yet so perhaps things will change as my Thai gets better. Forging ahead regardless.

 

gauge the situation and if it works for you then go.. 90% of the time it is all in your favor and they love ya even more... the other 10% are called short times...

 

That's gold ! perfect perspective IMO

[Benny10]

I would say that maybe 95 % appreciate the efforts to learn their language.

There may be some who try to take advantage of Farangs who don’t understand Thai, but my overall experience is quite positive.

 

Even when BGs were not aware that I understand, I hardly picked up bad words about Farangs; some jokes yes, but not really bad words.

 

I think that some Farangs always expect the worst, so they think that Bgs have nothing better to do than talking bad about us.

Edited November 16, 2010 by Benny10

[pseasnain]

Depends on the type of girls you meet. If they're scheming money-mad bitches who are out to rip you off then they, obviously, don't like it if you can speak Thai as 'you know too mutt'. On the other hand if they're genuine decent girls they'll applaud your efforts.

[Dr.Winston]

"They don't like it if you speak Thai" The chant of those to lazy to learn Thai properly. I think that farangs who speak a little bit of Thai, or speak it badly could be annoying to Thais. Much in the same way as bar girl English can be grating on the ear. But if it's easy on the ear and improves communication then it would only annoy them if they wanted to keep you in the dark for some reason.

 

It is true that speaking it immediately can put some bar girls on the defensive but as some of the others said if you give them a few minutes to develop a rapport before you hit them with the Thai then the reaction is invariably good.

[cuteincords1]

They do not like us speaking Thai, it freaks them out.

 

I seen it happen in a bar in Soi 6 when a farang ordered a beer, let them talk amongst them self in our company then after talking to me he asked where the toilet was in Thai. You should have seen their faces LOL

 

lol

 

try saying ''jao bao lao'' to them now that does freak them out

[hazze]

Depends on the girls.

 

They come from a very close family oriented soceity and are not used to living far away from their familes on their own. A lot of them do get lonely or tired of their friends or female company in general. So being able to talk properly with a guy can be a treat for them.

 

But as people have said it also freaks many girls out. They are used to us not knowning what they said. and I think most girls are aware that one week millionaies who can't speak a word of thai are the best bet for good money and possible relationships.

Anyone who knows enough about thailand to speak thai is going to be judged as a tight (i.e. smart) with their money and a poor bet for a boyfriend because they know the score, will have lots of girlfriends and are not looking to move a lady to the west.

 

I think the ones that are more serious about us are more likely to want us to learn thai. One of my ex's would only improve her english if I learnt thai at the same time, and another was always trying to teach me words. I think they both had their eyes on me going back to see the family and talking thai with them.

[promotz]

No, Thai girls do not want us to speak Thai.

 

If they want some thing they will speak fucking English, believe me.

 

If Falangs live in Thailand & speak Thai they say he know to much, he long time Pattaya.

 

If you know the score they are half out the door.

 

I think this statement is so untrue. I have never had a bad experience talking with bar girls or thai people in general.

 

Most are relieved they can talk and express themselves properly without talking broken english.

 

Most will presume you have lived in Thailand for years and/or have a thai wife which is not the case with me.

 

On the other hand the hand hardened bar girls most likely want to talk to you because they know you can't be squeezed, but these are rare occasions.

 

This is from my experience which could vary from others

[Thaihot]

I think this statement is so untrue. I have never had a bad experience talking with bar girls or thai people in general.

 

Most are relieved they can talk and express themselves properly without talking broken english.

 

Most will presume you have lived in Thailand for years and/or have a thai wife which is not the case with me.

 

On the other hand the hand hardened bar girls most likely want to talk to you because they know you can't be squeezed, but these are rare occasions.

 

This is from my experience which could vary from others

 

Good points.

[carling]

All the BG i met were happy to try and teach me , and got a good laugh out of my efforts

[aussieassman]

If they know you can speak thai they become guarded and cant talk there friends in thai they think u might understand and realise there talkin shit about you ahahah, i only speak nit not thai, like hello and how much for fuck ass

[DrK]

Promotz I totally agree:

 

I've had a blast speaking Thai. It's great fun to have a few BG shooting the shit, joking, drinking and laughing our asses off.

 

Speaking Thai is a great weed-out IMHO. If the BG is a mercenary bitch then probably she won't appreciate anything that deprives her of her edge.

 

I've had great times with otherwise shy gals who open up to someone who can speak the language. I've gotten a ton of mileage out of knowing the score.

 

How many f'ckn times have I seen a BG looking bored as shit because her farang escort was chatting with his buddies in English? The only solution is to bring along her buddy but then what's the whole point of going out?

 

I speak Thai about 90% of the time I'm in Thailand, know a few songs in Thai and I have more fun with each visit.

 

I used feel like a sexual bulemic now it's more about the times I have with the people I meet. The one thing that charges me up is the natural friendliness of Thai people. Not being able to at least understand a little is missing out IMHO.

 

Years and years ago I had a black t-shirt with Ruu-Maag (in thai script) printed on it which I wore in Pattaya/BKK. Great fun.

Edited January 3, 2011 by DrK

[pseasnain]

They'll usually switch to their Isaan dialect or Lao if they want to keep things a secret from you anyway. So learning Thai is really for your own enrichment and won't give you the keys to their hidden queendom.

[GorGuy RIP]

I always speak English in new bars I visit or new venues.

They are expecting you to speak English, they are listening for English.

 

I would only speak Thai to ladies who cannot speak English, or in places I frequent often.

 

I will speak Thai to taxi drivers, street vendors and security staff.

 

When I go up country I will speak Thai, Issan/Lao or Cambodian.

 

In Pattaya, English first, if they do not understand, then I speak Thai.

 

Going into a new bar and speaking Thai, is not so cool. Play it cool, speak English, then listen to the chatter and smile to yourself.

Edited January 3, 2011 by GorGuy

[Dr.Winston]

If they can't speak English then of course they'd want you to speak Thai. If your Thai is better than her English then it's going to improve communication....which is what it's all about after all.

 

If your Thai is worse than her English then she might appreciate you making the effort or it might be a pain in the arse depending on her mood.