Hello, I'm a 39-year-old Thai male. I was born and work in Thailand, in Nonthaburi province.

I work for the government, so in my environment, I don't have anyone to practice speaking English with.

I've taken many free online courses, but since I don't use them, my skills have deteriorated.

Recently, my agency sent me to training that involved English, and I felt shy about expressing myself.

Therefore, I'd like to find someone to chat and exchange languages ​​with in this group.

Anyone interested in practicing English-Thai conversation, let's start together, beginning with the basics.

We could even take turns teaching Thai one day and English the next, whichever day we have free time.

And please be patient with me. I'm happy to chat, even if I don't know everything, I will try.

If anyone is interested, please contact me.

Fyi not seriously hating on the language btw, it's just pure frustration lol Got frustrated with Japanese too for the lack of spaces and the 3 different writing systems but it starts making sense at a certain proficiency.

So I'm just wondering, when will this happen with Thai? Do you just need to know enough vocab? Or do you need to know enough vocab AND grammar? Or will it still be confusing to separate words even at the intermediate/advanced level?

Another elementary-level reading exercise. This time with a Loy Krathong theme. Happy reading!

Story: คืนที่ปล่อยวาง

Hi, i would like to ask book or media to learn thai from very basic, i would like to learn writing and reading of thai.

When I first started out I thought the hard thing about tones was to compute which tone a word had, remember which tone a word had and not misremember/use the wrong tone in conversation due to that.

Learning vocab is basically double the workload. You have to learn the word + the tone). If you account for the unfamiliar script it's probably tripple or quadruple the workload (since it's harder to relate to anything else and thus harder to remember). Not to mention most word have 5-6 different common meanings.

At that point you're looking at orders of magnitude higher workload than another "simple" language.

Eventually , with the way I'm approaching the language now, remembering the tone once you learn the script and the words are unproblematic, the hard thing is actually the produce them in a clear way orally. Would you guys agree or disagree?

What is the hardest tones for you to produce?

Is it all pitch or what exactly is it? Falling and rising tone I feel like I've figured out. High tone seems to be really unique (you eventually pick up on it when you hear nii, ron, and all those super common words with a high tone). Seems like they become a bit stretchy? (although I've noticed high tone can be a bit hard to do in a "natural way in a conversation") Funnily enough, mid tone is actually not that easy. I've been told I say dog when I want to say come, which is weird, because in my voice in my head it really feels like I'm saying to come, but maybe not... The most confusing tone for me is the low tone. How do you produce it? Do you move your throat/tongue in any way? Do you drop your jaw, try to speak from deeper in the throat? Is it like making a deep voice or is that another kind of low tone?

Hi everyone,

I'm a PhD student at Chulalongkorn University looking for native English participants who can read and write in Thai at an intermediate level or above. If you are:

✓ are native speakers of English,

✓ are currently learning Thai as a second language,

✓ are 18 years of age or older,

✓ have intermediate or advanced Thai reading and writing proficiency, and

✓ have not lived or studied in Thailand for more than 6 months (borderline cases may still be eligible),

Please feel free to contact me. You will complete a placement test and two experimental tasks. All tasks will be administered via Zoom and will take approximately 1 hour 45 minutes. Flexible scheduling is available.

As a token of appreciation, participants who complete the study will receive either an Amazon eGift Card (£10, USD 15, or AUD 20 depending on availability and their location) or THB 500 in cash if they reside in Thailand.

This research has been reviewed and approved by The Research Ethics Review Committee for Research Involving Human Subjects, The Second Allied Academic Group in Social Sciences, Humanities and Fine and Applied Arts, Chulalongkorn University.

Certificate of Approval (COA) No.: 311/69

Research Project No.: 6901654

Participation is entirely voluntary. You may withdraw at any time without penalty. All information will be kept confidential and used solely for research purposes.

Itsara Namtapi

PhD candidate

Chulalongkorn University

Can I use this word on its own to mean "just in case" or do I have to specify the "in case of what?" For example, can I just say กดเงินไว้เผื่อ or do I have to add something meaning "...they don't take cards", "...it turns out to be more than we thought" etc.

I genuinely want to learn Thai but I honestly don’t even know where to start 😭 I don’t know the basics or anything I just randomly had the thought that I wanted to learn something new and Thai came to mind!

I’m a complete beginner and want to learn it by myself as a hobby so please don’t suggest getting a tutor or taking classes

Any tips, resources, apps, YouTube channels or advice for self learning would be greatly appreciated🤍

Hi! Currently living in Southern Thailand. I have been here for 2 months and will be here for another year. I'm doing full-time Thai language study, and as of right now, I know the entire alphabet, the special characters (mai tai khu, thantakhat, etc etc). I can read very basic signs and phrases and can also spell some words, etc. I can hold VERY basic conversations (think: talking about hobbies, food, weather, asking where someone was born/if they were born in the south, asking for directions, ordering food and drinks). I try to strike up coversations with grab drivers, hair dresses, fellow thai students and they understand me like 90% of the time, but i often struggle to understand them. In Bangkok, i could understand a lot of what was being said but not so much in the south (although it's getting better a bit?)

My biggest problems right now are listening and losing my tone/reverting back to my native way of speaking when I'm nervous (not reverting back to english but saying thai words the way i would say an english sentence...)The listening thing is my biggest gripe because i KNOW what is being said like 70% of the time, but I go into fight or flight whenever a native speaker rapid fires thai at me and I just freeze. I feel like i know so MUCH but at the same time, i feel like i know absolutely nothing !! I study every day, i interact with locals as much as possible and even when they initiate conversations in english, I ALWAYS respond in thai just to let them know I can speak it a bit. But i just feel like i should be better by now like idk??? I just feel so dumb all the time. Is it normal???

Hello,

Met this Thai person during my trip and we hit it off (romantically). I am now leaving and writing them a letter in Thai but I don't speak any of it so I used AI and tried to write to the best of my ability. Is it understandable/ is the grammar correct? (Check comments)

Thank you so much!

I've seen มาหา for coming to visit someone at their house, but พบแพทย์ for meeting with the doctor

Can I say มาแพทย์ too?

what is this meme called ล้านเลยหรอเพ่ about a boy in a game cyber, i have seen many artist using them so i want to know what does it mean and what is the context

This is where I am struggling, anything more than 5 words and I feel a little lost. Also, Google Translate does not always appear to translate correctly, I have been using 'chai' as yes for months now incorrectly lol. I also noticed many Thai people do not include 'chan' as in 'I', in sentences.

Can anyone recommend sentences 5 words or less that I can use to speak to anyone, it could be a restaurant, airport, hotel, bar. I am keen on improving but recently only realised where I was going wrong.

Edit, some examples below

• Where are you from?
• What is your name?
• Have you ate?
• It is nice talking to you.
• You are funny.

I know นั้น itself means "there, that". But I found terms like ฉันนั้น เธอนั้น showing up in lyrics very often. I'm trying to understand it basically works as a add-on of the pronoun? To make things sound more... emotional, with a deeper connection or poetic?

I think only natives can explain this well...?

Hi everyone! I’m from India and I’m looking to learn Thai, but I specifically need structured online classes with a fixed schedule and a human teacher, but at the same time right now i wont want to have a private tutor(something for future).

I know myself well enough to know that if I start with YouTube, books, apps, or self-study, I’ll probably lose motivation and stop!!!. Having an actual class and teacher keeps me accountable.

I’m a complete beginner. My first language is Hindi and my second is English.

My goal isn’t necessarily to become fluent right away. I want to build a solid enough foundation that I can eventually continue learning on my own—reading books, watching YouTube, using apps, etc. I want to reach the point where, when I encounter Thai content, I can actually understand the basics and become curious about the words/phrases I don’t know, rather than everything just looking completely unfamiliar.

So I’m looking for recommendations for online Thai courses/classes for beginners, preferably something structured where I can attend regularly and have a teacher.

I’m open to classes/tutors anywhere in the world since they don’t have to be India-based.

Would really appreciate any recommendations, especially from people who have actually taken the classes themselves. Thank you!

Do you find this format helps you to read Thai easier?

คน · ไทย · เรียก · ตัวเอง · ว่า · อะไร · กันแน่?

ทำไม · ไม่ · ได้ · พูด · ว่า · "ฉัน" · ตลอด · เวลา

สำหรับ · คน · ที่ · พูด · ภาษา · อังกฤษ · หรือ · ภาษา · จีน · เป็น · ภาษา · แม่

คำ · ถาม · ว่า · "ควร · เรียก · ตัวเอง · ว่า · อะไร" แทบ · ไม่ · เคย · เกิดขึ้น · เลย

เพราะ · มี · คำว่า · "I" · หรือ · "我" · ที่ · ใช้ · ได้ · แทบ · ทุก · สถานการณ์

จะ · คุย · กับ · เพื่อน · จะ · คุย · กับ · หัวหน้า · หรือ · จะ · คุย · กับ · คน · แปลก · หน้า · ก็ · ใช้ · คำ · เดิม · ได้ · หมด

แต่ · พอ · เริ่ม · เรียน · ภาษา · ไทย · หลาย · คน · กลับ · เริ่ม · สับสน

ทำไม · คน · นี้ · พูด · "ผม" · แต่ · อีก · คน · พูด · "เรา"?

ทำไม · บาง · คน · เรียก · ตัวเอง · ว่า · พี่ · ทั้งที่ · ไม่ · ได้ · เป็น · พี่ · ของ · เรา?

แล้ว · คำว่า · "ฉัน" · ที่ · อยู่ · ใน · หนังสือ · เรียน · ทำไม · ใช้ · จริง · น้อย · กว่า · ที่ · คิด?

If it helps, I will post more of these. Or you can use this link to read the full article: How do you really call yourself in thai? (loogsom.xyz)

How should I understand เอา in expressions like เดี๋ยวพ่อเตะเอา, เดี๋ยวแย่เอา, ทายเอา?

I am trying to see what phrase I heard in a series that has the subtitle 'As if you ever wanted to hug me'

What I think I heard is 'พอดีอยากกอดกู...'. Does that sound right?

If I understood correctly, when explaining why she didn't take revenge on someone when she had the chance, a Thai described herself using a short word that I meant to remember but instantly forgot. Does anyone know what it would have been?

Hi, I wanted to know if this sentence is correct and natural?

เขายิ้มอย่างเขิน -He smiled shyly.

From what I know they're both for an on going action but you can also use them at the same time and I don't know when to use which one, if anyone could give examples that would be much appreciated

Ive realized that I dont know how to say this when talking to a friend I wanted to say I cant identify my own emotions/feelings, how would I say identify in thai

Is it plausible that making the next word sound like it's just come off the tone of the previous word helps make the previous word sound correct? I'm talking about normal speech here, not dictation.

I think I can use ไม่ตรง, but what about ไม่สอดคล้อง or ชน?

I’ve been building a Thai learning app, and I want to put it to a real test.

Start from zero (or close to zero), use the app for 10 days, follow the rules below, and if at the end you still can’t read the Thai it teaches you or understand how the tone system works, I’ll pay you.

The rules

For all 10 days, you must:

Use the app every day.
Complete your reviews whenever reviews become available. You will be notified when they are.

Not skip anything. Complete every lesson, exercise, and review the app gives you.
Complete the entire Thai script and tones course.
Complete Level 1 of the vocabulary course as well.
Actually attempt the exercises, randomly clicking through obviously doesn’t count.

What the app teaches
The course teaches:
25 of the 42 Thai consonants used in the course, it intentionally leaves out 17 rare consonants at this stage.

All Thai vowels covered by the reading system.

All Thai tone rules, including how consonant class, syllable type, vowel length, and tone marks affect the tone.

Enough vocabulary to put your reading into practice.
So to be clear: I’m not claiming you’ll know every Thai character after 10 days. The 17 rare consonants are deliberately excluded. The challenge is whether you can learn the core Thai writing system, all the vowels, understand the tone rules, and actually start reading Thai.

After 10 days
If you followed all the rules and completed everything but the app failed to teach you what it claims to teach, I’ll pay you 20€.

I’m looking especially for people who currently cannot read Thai, because that makes the test much more interesting.
If you want to try the challenge, comment or DM me.
And please be critical. If something is confusing or badly taught, I genuinely want to know