colmx Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 Hi GB Back when you ran the old Gaybutton site - you used to have a page that listed out simple words and phrases in English and their Thai Equivalent I used to regularly refer to that list in my early dats of visiting Thailand Now that my Thai vocabulary has improved - i'd be interested in seeing how I am doing against the old list... However i seem to have mislaid my copy Do you still have the list to hand? I'm sure there are lots of newbies(and not-so newbies!) out there that would benefit from this list Thanks in Advance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaybutton Posted September 23, 2009 Share Posted September 23, 2009 It's been a very long time since anyone asked for this. I wanted to upload it as a .pdf file, but the system won't allow for .pdf uploads for some reason, so here it is. You'll have to copy it from here: ____________________ Gaybutton's Phrase Book It is always appreciated very much when a "farang" tries to speak some Thai. The various phrase books I have seen are helpful, but many phrases you wish were there simply are not. The following is a brief list of phrases you really need. You should be able to easily use these phrases or put them together to form sentences that will greatly help communication between you and your host. There are plenty of phrase books available in Thailand for additional words, along with web sites. I have written these as phonetically as I can. These are not official transliterations. As a matter of fact, the official transliterations are usually quite confusing, so here you'll get "Gaybutton's transliterations." Don't forget to print out these phrases and take them with you! Farahng - a foreigner (many people say falahng – either one works) krap - the polite "phrase-ender," used only by males ka - the polite "phrase-ender," used only by females Kapkhun krap - Thank you (if you are female, end with "ka" instead of "krap") Khun - you (also Mister or Miss) Sawat dee krap - hello, goodbye Pom poot passah Thai mai dai - I can't speak Thai Pom poot passah Thai neet noy mak - I can speak Thai only a little neet noy - a little bit Sabai dee roo - how are you? Mai - no, not (used to make phrases negative: hee-yoo=hungry, mai hee-yoo=not hungry Mai chai - no (same as ‘incorrect') Chai - yes (correct, and make sure you raise the tone as you speak the word) Krap - yes (agreement) Pom - I, me Krap pom - yes sir, yes ma'am Khun cheu (pronounce the "eu" like the oo in ‘book.') arai? - What is your name? Pom cheu - My name is Krai - who (pronounced just like "cry") Tahm-mai - Why? seu - buy, purchase Ah-yoo tao rai? - How old are you? Pom ah-yoo ..... bee - I am ..... years old. bee - year Mai kowjai - I don't understand Pom kowjai - I understand Kowjai mai? - Do you understand? Khun hee-yoo khao mai? - Are you hungry? Pom hee-yoo khao - I am hungry Hee-yoo nam - thirsty Khun dongahn arai? - Do you want anything? Khun yahk dai arai? - Do you need anything? Arai - what yungai - how nee arai? - what is this? ahnee - this jing-jing - really ye-um jing-jing - really excellent! Khun dongahn bpai nai? - Where do you want to go? bpai nai? - Where are you going? Pom ja bpai pai . . . - I am going to . . . Pom dahngahn bpai pai... - I want to go to ... Bpai nai mah? – Where have you been or Where are you coming from? Wun-nee - today keurn-nee - tonight proong-nee - tomorrow taw-nee - now Bahng-tee - maybe Bahng-krang - sometimes Mai-koey - never (This word is rather difficult for English speakers to pronounce. If you try to say the word "curry," without the "r's" you'll be close. Maikoey. Try it) gin - (pronounce with a hard 'g') eat deurm - drink (pronounced somewhat like the word "doom," with an "r" in it) mai ow pet - No hot spices in my food, please. sao - (pronounced as in São Paulo, Brazil) - sad moho – angry go-hoke – lie ( as in tell a lie) keeneeow – cheapskate burr-toh – telephone number Sam-khan - important rawn -hot now - cold (make sure to raise the tone as you speak the word) Fohn toke- raining Jep - pain, painful khun soo-ay (you're beautiful - NOTE: raise the tone "ay". If you lower the tone, you will be saying "ugly.") Khun law - You are handsome Khun law mak - You are very handsome Khun law mak mak - You are very, very handsome Mai bpen arai - That's ok, that's all right kaw tote - I am sorry Tow-rai - How much? Ah nee tow-rai? - How much is this? Peng - expensive Mai peng - not expensive, cheap Tee-nai? - where is? Khun yoo tee-nai? - Where are you? Hawng nam yoo tee-nai? - Where's the restroom? prah-wah - because lah-oh - we, us lay-oh - already, before Mee - have Mai mee - don't have Reu - or lah - and (pronounce the 'a' as in the word 'bat' or 'at' or 'cat') ta - if mak - very, much mak kwah - more than noi kwah - less than meu arai - when ja - will (as in future tense) Sa-nook mai? - Are you having fun? Are you enjoying this? Mai sabai - sick, ill yah - medicine (pronounce the 'a' as in the word 'bat' or 'at' or 'cat') Kawng kwan - present, gift sa-nam-bin - airport too-ra-sap - telephone dton-mai - tree polla-mai - fruit bur-ree - cigarette fy-shak - cigarette lighter kawng khun - your kawng pom - my, mine nam – water nam plow – plain water (drinking water) hawng nam - bathroom, restroom Choo-way - help Pom ja choo-way khun - I will help you. Khun puk yoo tee-nai? - What's your address? lahng - after eek - again, another pom kon dee-yo - I am alone dee - good dee mak - very good mai dee - bad, no good pahn-ha - problem ah-teet - week doo-wun - month gone - before (pronounce as in 'Gone With the Wind') bee gone - last year bee nah - next year ah-teet gone - last week ah-teet nah - next week chawp - like (enjoy) arroy - like (food) mai chawp - don't like khun chawp - do you like...? pom chawp - I like..... a-hahn - food lahn a-hahn - restaurant check bin krap - the check, please (in a restaurant) pee - the informal way to address a person your own age, or older, if it is a stranger, such as a taxi driver or restaurant employee. nawng - the informal way to address a person younger than you. If you are not sure whether the person is younger or older, use your best guess! yahk dten rum mai? - Would you like to dance? sum-rup khun - This is for you (when giving something) mah - come khun mah jahk nai, krap? - Where do you come from? Pom mah jahk Ah-mehr-ree-gah - I come from America. glup mah - come back proong nee glup mah - I'll come back tomorrow mai ow - no thanks, I don't want Pom kaw poot gap..... - I would like to speak to......(on telephone) mai yoo - he's not here proong nee, lao ja pop gahn way-la tao-rai? - Tomorrow, what time should we meet? way-la - time soon - zero neung - one song - two sahm - three see - four haa - five (extend the syllable, pronounce the word like a drawn out "hah," and the tone should be a falling tone) hoke - six jet - seven bairt - eight (pronounce it like the word "air," with a "b" at the beginning and a "t" at the end) kao - nine (practice getting the tone right. If you use the wrong tone, then it sounds as if you are using the Thai word for either "rice" or "glass." Of course, if you are using the word in context, you will be understood even if you get the tone wrong.) sip - ten sip-eht - eleven sip-song - twelve sip-sahm - thirteen yee-sip - twenty (this can also be shortened to simply "yeep") yee-sip-eht - twenty-one (or "yeep-eht") yee-sip song - twenty-two (or "yeep song") yee-sip sahm - twenty-three sahm-sip - thirty see-sip - forty haa-sip - fifty loy - hundred song loy - two-hundred song loy see sip-eht - 241 loy sip haa - 115 pahn – thousand muhn – ten-thousand sahm pahn hoke loy jet sip see - 3674 _____________________________________ Rak - love Pom rak khun - I love you Pom rak khun mak - I love you very much. Pom yoo mai dai ta mai mee khun - I can't live without you. Pom kee-toong khun - I miss you, I missed you Pom ja kee-toong khun - I will miss you joop - kiss smoke - oral sex ga-see-en-lay-o – I am retired jai dee – good heart gawd – hug ta-lawt chee-wit – the rest of my life or all my life goo gik jeu jee – make out tae-ang – playful sexual touching chock-wow – masturbate nom - breast Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest fountainhall Posted September 23, 2009 Share Posted September 23, 2009 Wonderful! Thanks so much GB. So many phrases there that I need to have on the tip of my tongue - especially at night Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Posted September 23, 2009 Share Posted September 23, 2009 kao - nine (practice getting the tone right. If you use the wrong tone, then it sounds as if you are using the Thai word for either "rice" or "glass." Of course, if you are using the word in context, you will be understood even if you get the tone wrong.) As I noted several times in the past, GB's furnishing of a ton of information was one of the reasons I enjoyed his prior website. A huge array of helpful articles, etc. No big deal but the number 9 is actually pronounced "gao" (pronouncing the "g" similar to the English word "get") with a falling tone. "Kao" with a falling tone is the Thai word for rice. I've really only begun (minimally) to learn the tones this year and, as GB notes, 95% of the time the Thais will understand you from the context even if you get the tone wrong. Trying to learn the tones will drive many of us nuts as our ears aren't tuned to that. English-speaking people do use tones occasionally but we don't mentally think about it as tones. For example, if somebody said something to you about a "chair" and you didn't hear them right and then asked "chair?", notice that you're using a rising tone with that word. Those little nuances end up meaning different things in Thai. For example: kao - with a falling tone means "rice" kao - with a low tone means "knee" kao - with a high tone means "he" or "she" kao - with a rising tone means the color "white" (although you often add the modifier "see kao") But....and this ought to make you think of English....Thai also has words that are pronounced the same that mean different things (in English, think of the words two, to, too). Kao with a falling tone also means "to enter". I tried to study the tones before but never picked up on them. I tried to simply remember that "kao" with a falling tone meant rice but that method of learning never worked for me. Now, I pay attention when learning a word as to how it sounds...and "kao" with a falling tone really does sound different than "kao" with a rising tone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaybutton Posted September 23, 2009 Share Posted September 23, 2009 So many phrases there that I need to have on the tip of my tongue - especially at night You may not need them as much as you think you do. I have a feeling that those for whom certain phrases on the list would be appropriate, those who are most likely to be with you at night, just may have been with a few others at night before and probably already know most, if not all, of those phrases in English. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest fountainhall Posted September 23, 2009 Share Posted September 23, 2009 Those little nuances end up meaning different things in Thai If you think Thai is difficult, just try Cantonese. This has 9 different tones and you can get into a lot of trouble if you use some of them incorrectly. For example, the Cantonese word for '9' is very similar to Thai - gao - but with a harder 'g'. However, depending on how you say it, it also means 'dog' or a part of the male anatomy. I was once at a rather elegant dinner and tried to complement the hostess with a phrase suggested by my secretary. When everyone collapsed with laughter, I realised I had got one or more tones wrong. Apparently, what I actually said was: "I am a sex maniac!" At that time it was probably true, but I was not so eager for it to become common knowledge those who are most likely to be with you at night, just may have been with a few others at night before and probably already know most, if not all, of those phrases in English I'm looking forward to finding out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaybutton Posted September 23, 2009 Share Posted September 23, 2009 Apparently, what I actually said was: "I am a sex maniac!" At that time it was probably true, but I was not so eager for it to become common knowledge Too bad she didn't respond with a coy look and a "So am I." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest painai Posted September 23, 2009 Share Posted September 23, 2009 If you want to speak Thai, you have to learn to read and write it in the Thai script first. Unless you know how the word is written in Thai, you are never going to be fluent enough to carry on a conversation let alone get your point across in Thai. I am glad I have learned enough now to be able to be able to actually talk with a Thai and be understood. Makes it nice to set up dates, times, etc. etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lvdkeyes Posted September 23, 2009 Share Posted September 23, 2009 I have heard this comment before about learning to read and write at the same time you learn to speak and understand. But, I didn't learn English that way; I was able to speak and understand before I could read and write. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest painai Posted September 23, 2009 Share Posted September 23, 2009 I bet you spent at least 7 years listening and speaking English before reading and writing. As an adult, you don't have that luxury. You have to learn the 4 skills: to listen, to read, to write and to speak to get fluent in any language. Speaking is only one part of any language acquisition. Reading Thai is especially important because of the pronunciation and vocabulary acquisition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lvdkeyes Posted September 23, 2009 Share Posted September 23, 2009 Actually, it was 5 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colmx Posted September 23, 2009 Author Share Posted September 23, 2009 Hi GB Thanks for reposting he phrase book Much appreciated Will Save it down for study on my next flight! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pingalicker Posted September 23, 2009 Share Posted September 23, 2009 Thank you Gaybutton. I printed the list and will cut it down to fit in my wallet. On my 2nd trip to LOS I bought the paperback "Thai for gay tourist" by Saksit Pakdessiam which has been a fantastic help. It list ALL kinds of sentences that I have used when talking to a Thai boy with limited English skills. I bought it at a bookshop, and it was rather pricey, but it sure has come in handy. It has chapters on Romantic talk, breaking up, sex talk, in a bar, etc. I like to use it when I don't want anyone to overhear our conversation (taxi,airport,etc). I also picked up used copy of an English to Thai dictinary at a small roadside market for 20baht that I carry in my back pocket that has helped a lot in resturants when ordering, etc. I just point to the word or sentence in either book and some eyebrows are raised and some blushing has occured under the "sex talk" chapter. It is most enjoyable. I continue to try to learn to speak more Thai, but is difficult for me, but I'm still trying! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest fountainhall Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 Too bad she didn't respond with a coy look and a "So am I." Now that would have put me in a really difficult situation, especially if she was expecting something to happen as a result! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaybutton Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 We can all debate over whether it is best to learn to read and write Thai before, or in conjunction with, attempting to learn to speak it. My Thai tutor, and I thought she was excellent, advocated learning to speak it before worrying about learning to read and write it. I think I speak Thai quite well in comparison to the average farang, but to this day I cannot read or write in Thai. On a practical level so far I have never had a need for it. However, I do wish I had learned to at least read it. It would certainly make things easier. But since I am able to communicate well enough to be satisfactory for my own needs, I doubt I will ever make the effort to learn to read it, although I know I should. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest painai Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 Sometimes it can be interesting to use your knowledge of written Thai to read things intended for Thais only. For example, at the Sea World in the basement of Siam Paragon, the sign, in English, reads: entrance 990 baht. However, in Thai script, using Thai script and Thai numerals: Thai people 300 baht. Also, at a buffet restaurant in Pattaya nua, the sign reads in English, 200 baht per person. In Thai, it reads 130 baht per person. Lumphini Stadium, the Grand Palace, the list goes on and on where signs in Thai are much cheaper than the English sign. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaybutton Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 For example, at the Sea World in the basement of Siam Paragon, the sign, in English, reads: entrance 990 baht. However, in Thai script, using Thai script and Thai numerals: Thai people 250 baht. It's interesting, but I don't see how the ability to read that is of any practical use if they are still charging farang a different price. I think that's outrageous, by the way, to be charging farang 4 times the price the Thais pay. For me, the ability to read Thai would be most helpful trying to read signs or menus that are entirely in Thai. I'm fortunate in one respect, and that may have a lot to do with why I never tried learning to read it. On my street there is a Thai woman who speaks English fluently. When I do have a question or receive mail written in Thai, I can simply consult her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
