Keep Speaking Thai พูดไทยไปเรื่อย

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Thai people sometimes ask questions with “mái?” [ไหม/มั้ย] and sometimes with “châimái?” [ใช่ไหม/ใช่มั้ย] So what’s the difference?

❓❓ “…mái?” [ไหม/มั้ย] Asking for information

Use “…mái?” [ไหม/มั้ย] when the speaker has no idea what the answer is. (You really don’t know the answer.)
• Ask to know: “Do you…? “ / “Is it…?”
• The question is open.
• The speaker accepts any answer.
• The speaker is simply asking. (There is no expectation of “yes” or “no”.)

✅❎ “…châimái?” [ใช่ไหม/ใช่มั้ย] Asking for confirmation

Use “…châimái?” [ใช่ไหม/ใช่มั้ย] when the speaker already has an idea and wants to check. (You think you know the answer but you are not sure.)
• Ask to confirm: “…, right?” / “…, isn’t it?”
• The speaker is saying: “I think this is correct, please confirm.”

Example:
🤔 kun hǐu mái?
[คุณหิวไหม]
Are you hungry?
(You don’t know if they have eaten or not.)
(The speaker has no assumption.)

🫠 kun hǐu châimái?
[คุณหิวใช่ไหม?]
You’re hungry, right?
(You see signs; They said they haven’t eaten yet)
(Speaker’s thought; I think you’re hungry.)

Enjoy learning, keep speaking, keep learning náká 🙏🏼

[P.S. My page uses the Paiboon phonetic (Romanization System / Transliteration)]

Learning Thai writing with Kruu Noey is a bit like learning to drive.(but I can't drive 😂)

[เรียนเขียนไทยกับครูเนยก็คล้ายๆ กับเรียนขับรถ แต่ครูเนยขับรถไม่เป็นนะคะ 😂]

“I know… I know…”. 🙂‍↕️ The word “to know” in Thai sometimes people say “rúu” [รู้] but sometimes they say “rúujàk” [รู้จัก]. Why?… 🤔 Let’s see it here below. ⬇️

💡 rúu [รู้] = know (information)

💁🏻‍♀️ rúujàk [รู้จัก] = know of, know (people/things/places, be familiar with)

Example:
chán rúu kamdtɔ̀ɔp
[ฉันรู้คำตอบ]
(I know the answer.)

rao mâi rúu wâa gə̀ət arai kʉ̂n
[เราไม่รู้ว่าเกิดอะไรขึ้น]
(We don’t know what happened.)

chán mâi rúujàk pʉ̂an kɔ̌ɔng káo ləəi sák kon
[ฉันไม่รู้จักเพื่อนของเขาเลยสักคน]
(I don’t know any of his friends.)

rao rúujàk kruu konníi prɔ́ wâa kəəi rian dûai
[เรารู้จักครูคนนี้เพราะว่าเคยเรียนด้วย]
(We know this teacher because I studied with her.)

pǒm rúujàk ráanníi dtɛ̀ɛ mâi rúu wâa man bpə̀ət gìi moong
[ผมรู้จักร้านนี้แต่ไม่รู้ว่ามันเปิดกี่โมง]
(I know this restaurant but I don’t know what time it opens.)

pǒm rúujàk chʉ̂ʉ káo dtɛ̀ɛ mâi kəəi jəə dtua-jing
[ผมรู้จักชื่อเขาแต่ไม่เคยเจอตัวจริง]
(I know of him, but I’ve never met him in person.)

Keep doing. Keep speaking Thai náká👍🏼



[P.S. My page uses the Paiboon phonetic (Romanization System / Transliteration)]

The word “child/children” in Thai is sometimes said as "dèk" [เด็ก] and sometimes as "lûuk" [ลูก]. So what’s the difference between these two words? Here is Kruu Noey’s explanation.

👶🏻 dèk [เด็ก] = Means “child” or “kid” in a general sense or any young person, not necessarily related to you.

Example:
mii dèk lên yùu nâa bâan
[มีเด็กเล่นอยู่หน้าบ้าน]
(There are some children playing outside.)

chán hěn dèk sɔ̌ɔng kon dəən bpai roongrian
[ฉันเห็นเด็กสองคนเดินไปโรงเรียน]
(I saw two kids walking to school.)

👩🏻‍🍼 lûuk [ลูก] = Your own child or someone’s child (family relationship), who belongs to a parent. Indicates a family relationship.

Example:
lûuk chaai kɔ̌ɔng təə pə̂əng kâo mahǎawíttayaalai
[ลูกชายของเธอเพิ่งเข้ามหาวิทยาลัย]
(Her son just started university.)

chán dtɔ̂ng bpai ráp lûuk tîi roongrian
[ฉันต้องไปรับลูกที่โรงเรียน]
(I have to pick up my child from school.)

Keep learning, keep speaking Thai, keep an eye out for the next post náká. 🙏🏼

[P.S. My page uses the Paiboon phonetic (Romanization System/Transliteration)]

My student is so funny, we laugh just from reviewing vocabulary 😄 If you would like to study Thai but can't go to school, no problem! We can do it online 👌🏼

The Thai words “lɔɔng” [ลอง] and “payayaam” [พยายาม] both be translated as “to try” in English, but in Thai, they express different ideas and emotions.

🔍lɔɔng [ลอง]
To do something to test it out or to see what the result will be.

Example:
təə lɔɔng kàp rót kan mài lɛ́ɛo
[เธอลองขับรถคันใหม่แล้ว]
(She tried driving his new car.)

💪🏼payayaam [พยายาม]
To keep doing something with determination. It emphasizes effort, and perseverance.

Example:
təə payaayaam lót náamnàk maa lăai dʉan lɛ́ɛo
[เธอพยายามลดน้ำหนักมาหลายเดือนแล้ว]
(She has been trying hard to lose weight for months.)

📍 lɔɔng [ลอง] = try once / test it out
📍 payayaam [พยายาม] = keep trying / make an effort

[P.S. My page uses the Paiboon phonetic (Romanization System / Transliteration)]

“gào” [เก่า] vs “gɛ̀ɛ“ [แก่] Many Thai learners get confused by these two words, because both can mean “old” in English.

gào [เก่า]: used for things or stories
It means “not new” or “from the past.”

For example:
🚙 rót gào [รถเก่า] = old car
🏠 bâan gào [บ้านเก่า] = old house

gɛ̀ɛ [แก่]: used for people or living things
It means “aged” or “grown old.”

For example:
🐶 mǎa gɛ̀ɛ [หมาแก่] = old dog
👵🏼 pûuyǐng gɛ̀ɛ [ผู้หญิงแก่] = old woman

⚠️ Remark
💔 fɛɛn gào [แฟนเก่า] = ex-boyfriend, ex-girlfriend
👥 pʉ̂an gào [เพื่อนเก่า] = old friend (a friend from the past: someone you’ve known for a long time or used to be close with before. It DOESN’T mean a friend who is old in age.)

Don't miss the next post. 🙏🏼 náká 👋🏼
[P.S. My page uses the Paiboon phonetic (Romanization System / Transliteration)]