Learn Thai, Lesson 7: Asking Where Something Is

Let's learn how to ask where something is in Thai

Of course, "where?" is one of the most useful words to know if you are traveling some place that you've never been before, especially in a different country.

The word “where?” in Thai is ที่ไหน thîi nǎi. We can make a question with it by using it together with the verb อยู่ yùu, which means "to be located."

So to ask a question where something is in Thai, just put the name of what you're asking for, then follow by yùu thîi nǎi.

"Where is the...?" = ...อยู่ที่ไหน ...yùu thîi nǎi? 

In Thai we have two words for bathroom, ห้องน้ำ hâwng-náam / สุขา sù-kǎa. 

ห้องน้ำ  hâwng-náam is less formal, and used in spoken language. 

สุขา sù-kǎa is more formal, and used for written language.

So, "Where is the bathroom?" in Thai is ห้องน้ำอยู่ที่ไหน “hâwng-náam yùu thîi nǎi ?"

We can ask about the location of any other place or thing just by changing the first part of the sentence. Some other places that you might want to ask about are:

Thai Names for Common Buildings

Bank = ธนาคาร tà-naa-kaan

Drug store = ร้านขายยา ráan kǎai-yaa

Restaurant = ร้านอาหาร ráan aa-hǎan

Airport = สนามบิน sà–nǎam-bin

Post office = ไปรษณีย์ bprai-sà-nii

Embassy = สถานฑูต sà-thǎan-thûut


I hope you enjoyed the lesson and found it useful!
Sawat-dii kha :)

Easy Thai Expressions Using ไม่...เลย mâi...loei

Let's practice some easy Thai expressions using the pattern ไม่...เลย mâi...loei.

ไม่ mâi means "not," and เลย loei means "at all."

So, we can put an adjective or verb in the middle of the pattern to say "not...at all."
For example:

ชอบ châwp means “to like”

ไม่ชอบเลย
mâi châwp loei
I don’t like it at all.

แพง phaeng means “expensive”

ไม่แพงเลย
mâi phaeng loei
It’s not expensive at all.

สนุก sà-nùk means “fun/enjoyable”

ไม่สนุกเลย
mâi sà-nùk loei
It’s not fun at all.

What other expressions can you think of using mâi...loei?

Easy Thai Expressions Using มาก mâak

Let's learn some easy expressions using the adverb มาก mâak.

มาก mâak means “very/ a lot”
It can go after any adjective.
For example:

สนุกมาก sà-nùk mâak = “a lot of fun”
แพงมาก phaeng mâak = “very expensive”
ร้อนมาก ráwn mâak = “very hot”
หนาวมาก nǎao mâak = “very cold”

Can you make any other expressions with มาก mâak using the adjectives you know?

Learn Thai, Lesson 6: Restaurant Phrases

In this lesson, we'll learn some basic phrases for ordering food at a restaurant in Thailand. But you can also practice these phrases at a Thai restaurant in your own country. I'm sure the staff will be surprised!

First, if the restaurant is very busy, maybe the staff didn't notice you yet, and you didn't get a menu. So you can ask for one:

ขอเมนูหน่อย ครับ / ค่ะ khǎw menu nòi khráp/khâ = Can I have a menu?

Then, in many restaurants the waiter or waitress will stand and wait to take your order right away after they hand you the menu, so if you want to take your time looking, you should say:

ขอดูก่อนนะ ครับ / ค่ะ khǎw duu gàwn ná khráp/khá = Can I take a look first?

When you're ready to order something, the formula to use is:

ผม / ดิฉัน เอา...  phǒm / dì-chǎn ao... =  I will take…

Names of Thai Dishes

The names of Thai dishes are often made up of 3 parts:

(Style of cooking) + (Description) + (Type of meat)

For example: แกงเขียวหวานไก่ gaeng-khǐao-wǎan gài = green curry with chicken

Here you can see the three parts:

(แกง gaeng = curry) + (เขียวหวาน khǐao-wǎan = green-sweet) + (ไก่ gài = chicken)

Some common types of cooking are:

ผัด phàt = stir fried
แกง gaeng = curry
ต้ม dtôm = boiled (used for soups)
ยำ yam = spicy and sour salad

And the 3 most common types of meat are:

หมู mǔu = pork
ไก่ gài = chicken
ทะเล thá-lee = seafood

Let's combine the sentence for ordering food with a popular Thai dish:

ผม/ดิฉัน เอาผัดกะเพราหมู phǒm/dì-chǎn ao phàt-gà-phrao mǔu = I'll have stir fried spicy basil leaf with pork.

Rice

Of course, you can't forget the most important part of a Thai meal:

ข้าว khâo = rice

An easy and quick meal is fried rice. You can say different types of fried rice just by changing the last word, for the type of meat:

ข้าวผัด khâo-phàt = fried-rice
ข้าวผัดไก่ khâo-phàt gài = chicken fried-rice
ข้าวผัดทะเล khâo-phàt thá-lee = seafood fried-rice

Paying for Your Meal at a Thai Restaurant

Finally, you'll need to pay for your meal. Thai people heard English speakers from different countries saying either "check" or "bill," so we just combined both words together in one easy phrase:

เช็คบิล chék-bin = Bill please!/Check please!

Or you can ask to pay another way:

เก็บตังค์ ครับ/ค่ะ gèp dtang khráp/khâ = I'll pay now.

Did you get hungry for some Thai food by reading this lesson? I hope you have fun trying out these phrases on your trip to Thailand, or at any Thai restaurant in your own city.

By the way, don't forget to "like" my Facebook page. :)

Father's Day.

Father's Day!

5 December is one of the most important days in Thailand.

It's Father's Day (วันพ่อแห่งชาติ "wan phâw hàeng châat"). 

The reason why we picked this day is because it's the birthday of His Majesty the King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX).

One phrase you will hear on Father's Day is ทรงพระเจริญ (Song phrá Jà-roen), which means "Long live the King".

On Father's Day, Thai schoolchildren invite their fathers to school and have a ceremony to wai (ไหว้ means "to pay respect") their fathers and offer flower garlands. 

People will decorate their homes and shops with the Thai flags and display pictures of the King. And many people wear yellow because it the color of Monday, which is the day of the week that the King was born on.

In the evening, people will gather in a public space such as Sanam Luang in Bangkok to light candles to honor the King and say ทรงพระเจริญ 3 times. There will also be other events such as outdoor concerts and performances.

 

Loi Krathong Festival

Loi Krathong Festival  (ลอยกระทง)

Loi Krathong is a Thai tradition for people to show respect to the water that we use in everyday life.

Loi "ลอย" is a verb meaning "to float"

Krathong "กระทง" is a floating bowl made from banana leaves

Loi Krathong is on the full moon night in November. In the evening of Loi Krathong day, people go to the river and float a krathong. A krathong contains candles, incense, flowers and sometimes money as an offering to the river goddess (Phra Mae Khong Ka) who is named after the Ganges River in India. This shows that Loi Krathong festival has some possible origin from India.

People decorate their doorways with candles, flowers, and lanterns. Children play with firecrackers. Here in the northern part of Thailand, people release floating lanterns into the night sky.

Here is a video of the Loi Krathong song. You can practice following the words. It's not too difficult. The general meaning of the words in English is:

On the full-moon of the 12th month, the water fills the the riverbanks.
All us, men and women, have real fun on Loy Krathong Day.
Float, float the krathong
Float, float the krathong
After floating the krathong, I invite you darling to come out to dance.
Dance on Loi Krathong Day
Dance on Loi Krathong Day
The merit we make will will give us happiness.
The merit we make will will give us happiness.

Mother's Day in Thailand

Mother's Day - August 12

สุขสันต์วันแม่ ค่ะ "Happy Mother's day kâ"

On Mother's Day, most Thai people do something special to show their gratitude and 
appreciation to their mother. August 12 is celebrated as Mother's Day in Thailand because it is the birthday of her Majesty Queen Sirikit. Thai people think of the Queen as the mother of the whole country, so they honor they Queen on the same day that they honor their own mother. 

Here are some useful words for Mother's day:

สุขสันต์ Sùk-sǎn = Happy
วัน Wan = Day
แม่ Mâae = Mother

สุขสันต์วันแม่ 

Sùk-sǎn Wan-Mâae= "Happy Mother's Day"