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Lesson 1: Hellos and Thank Yous

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This lesson is your first introduction to Thai Language. We will start at the beginning, with saying a polite "Hello", as well as your first full sentence: "I have a pen." After you study the notes below, click on the tabs above to practice what you have learned.

Lesson 1 PDF
(Right click on link to download)

 

Grammar Notes:

There are many differences between Thai and English. This lesson looks at one of the most obvious ones -- the polite words    and  kráp  that are found at the ends of most Thai sentences. These words have no direct translation into English, but are only there to make the sentence sound polite to the listener.

For example, to say a polite "hello", you would say  sà-wàt-dee  kráp  if you are male and  sà-wàt-dee    if you are female.

The only difference is that if a female is asking a question, she will say    at the end of the question. Note that this is a very similar word, but the tone mark above it is different. (   vs   ) You will have a chance to listen to the differences in the "Word Review" tab at the top of this page.

Another thing to note on this lesson is the meaning of  mâi þen rai  which we translate as "no problem" as a response to someone thanking you. But actually this phrase has a much broader use and meaning. For example, depending on the situation, you can translate it as: it doesn't matter, never mind, you're welcome, don't mention it, it's no big deal, no worries, etc. In Thailand you'll hear this phrase a lot, as it's a great way to sum up the easy-going attitude of most Thai people.

 

Word List:

EnglishPhoneticThai
hello sà-wàt-deeสวัสดี
thank you kàwp kunขอบคุณ
no problem mâi þen raiไม่เป็นไร
polite masculine word krápครับ
polite feminine word ค่ะ
you (singular)kunคุณ
I (f.) dì-chǎnดิฉัน
polite feminine question word คะ
I (m.) pǒmผม
 

Sample Sentences:

These sentences are based on the patterns described in the
Grammar section. Click here to see slightly different versions.
kàwp kun kâ
ขอบคุณ ค่ะ
thank you (female speaker)

 
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