Farang Learning Thai

[tycoon101]

I am Thai, and I know some Farangs that speak Thai really well. I was wondering how hard is it for those Farangs out there who try to lean Thai. What is the most difficult part of learning Thai? I am sure that the writing must be really pain for you since we don't have the quite the same sentence structure as the English. We write as we like..kinda thing...Not sure, how Tood Tongdee learn Thai, but I'm impressed ...

[colino]

I just try to add a few words each week , i will have to be here many years before i learn to write Thai.

My plan is to learn when my son starts School then he can teach me

[tycoon101]

I just try to add a few words each week , i will have to be here many years before i learn to write Thai.

My plan is to learn when my son starts School then he can teach me

I remember when my parents sent me to my English school. I learn a lot from watching movies with subtitle. Used to stand in fornt of the mirror and practice my English (until my English teacher assigned me a hot conversasion partner), and of course if you want to flirt with some hot girls, you got to be able to speak What I'm trying to get is that... is it easier to learn Thai than Chinese?

[GaiYaang]

I just try to add a few words each week , i will have to be here many years before i learn to write Thai.

My plan is to learn when my son starts School then he can teach me

I remember when my parents sent me to my English school. I learn a lot from watching movies with subtitle. Used to stand in fornt of the mirror and practice my English (until my English teacher assigned me a hot conversasion partner), and of course if you want to flirt with some hot girls, you got to be able to speak What I'm trying to get is that... is it easier to learn Thai than Chinese?

I really admire farangs that can speak Thai. Not easy to learn another language.

Hope to meet some farang when I visit.

[sbk]

I just try to add a few words each week , i will have to be here many years before i learn to write Thai.

My plan is to learn when my son starts School then he can teach me

I remember when my parents sent me to my English school. I learn a lot from watching movies with subtitle. Used to stand in fornt of the mirror and practice my English (until my English teacher assigned me a hot conversasion partner), and of course if you want to flirt with some hot girls, you got to be able to speak What I'm trying to get is that... is it easier to learn Thai than Chinese?

I think its easier to learn to read Thai than Chinese since Thai actually has an alphabet whereas Chinese has characters, each one representing a word rather than a sound. As for speaking, well they are both tonal so if a person has a hard time hearing the tones then they are equally difficult.

[billd766]

At 64 I try to learn Thai but as I only have about 70% hearing in my right ear and 80% in the left ear the tones just dont come out properly for me.

Fortunately my wife and son who is nearly 4 more or less understand me and so do most of the local shopkeepers up here in the countryside so it is not so bad but it is hard for all of us.

When I finally quit working I WILL make a determined effort to improve and also to read and write.

It is up to me to do it.

[Tod Daniels]

Learning to speak coherent thai is an arduous process. Some people never get past the 'two-word-thai' phase. I found learning to read was the fastest way to increase my spoken vocabulary. In speaking I initially concentrated only on the rising and falling tones. Those two can get you 'off script' faster than anything else.

I have studied thai for several hours a day, almost every day, for nearly the last year now. I concentrate now on improving my reading, typing, and the acquisition of new vocabulary words along with spoken sentence structure.

In speaking I can say what I want, am understood by the people I talk to, and understand most things IF I listen. Unfortunately for nearly the first two years here I didn't pay attention to spoken thai, and learned to tune it out like a background noise. Now if I don't pay attention when someone answers me I can get lost. (ฟังไม่ทัน)

I am NOT a fan of the hypothetical couching of the language nor the extreme emphasis put on polite interaction versus direct and blunt conversation but I will admit it is a fascinating language, richly descriptive, full of subtlety and innuendo. It does however, take quite a while to reach a level of understanding in spoken thai where things like that become apparent.

Thai is certainly NOT a language I would recommend someone attempt to learn IF they are not going to live here; mostly due to its relative obscurity and low importance to the world at large. That being said; I still study it, every day, but then I live here too...

[learnthaipodcast]

From members of our site we hear that the pronunciation is really hard for most foreigner and the lack of practice they can have in their own countries.

[tycoon101]

Thanks for the input just wondering what you Farang folks thought of Thai langauge. I've been living in Farang's land for over 10 years, still working on my English...it isn't great but good enough to get by..I still get the 'what' looks on some Farangs face every now and then..As a Software Engineer, working in the IT world, I need to communicate with all kind of people though out my company. I thought I'd better take adventage of it while I'm here in Farang's land before returning to Thailand for good. Glad to hear that some of you don't come to Thailand just looking for GIRLS !

[thithi]

yyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaa !!!

I couldnt agree more ka !!!!!!

not that amazing thailand loey na !

[tycoon101]

yyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaa !!!

I couldnt agree more ka !!!!!!

not that amazing thailand loey na !

Sawasdee Thithi... I know...I feel sorry for some Thai females in Farang's land..., but I won't go there ...it's just a bad perception...

[thithi]

sawadee ka Tycoon101

... there are always choices for them, heaps of job for them... they just chose the easiest job then they easily get money ... HELLO!!!!!!!.

[tycoon101]

sawadee ka Tycoon101

... there are always choices for them, heaps of job for them... they just chose the easiest job then they easily get money ... HELLO!!!!!!!.

Sawasdee Krub Khun Thithi,

Actually, it's kindda complicated than we might think. We have to take a hard look at this issue. If you have never been poor, you and I may not understand it at all. Most of these unfortunate girls have no education, no hope, no help but have a HUGE responsibilities to take care of thier families. It's not that they want to take an easy job (I don't think it's that easy, kindda hard actually), but they don't have the opportunity like we have. I don't blame them, in fact, I am admired them. However, I have to blame the gornverment for not helping these girls enough. Oh well...it's a complicated world....

[thithi]

Pi tycoon

some of them r not really poor, i talked to a 17 y/o girl living in Pattaya. she said she just wants to work in the bar after school like her sisters do .. cos she can easily gets so much money ... what u think ?

some of them screwed it up #%#$$$%%@!@$#%$!!!!!!!!!!!!

but for the others, i feel terribly sorry to them :S

ooo well ... it's thai lang. forum here but we r talkin about #$#$@#$%$@#@#!!!!!!! hehehe better change the subject na

Edited June 18, 2008 by thithi

[tycoon101]

Pi tycoon

some of them r not really poor, i talked to a 17 y/o girl living in Pattaya. she said she just wants to work in the bar after school like her sisters do .. cos she can easily gets so much money ... what u think ?

some of them screwed it up #%#$$$%%@!@$#%$!!!!!!!!!!!!

but for the others, i feel terribly sorry to them :S

ooo well ... it's thai lang. forum here but we r talkin about #$#$@#$%$@#@#!!!!!!! hehehe better change the subject na

Sorry, Ya'll.. off subject a little bit ... a 17 yrs old girl...where can I find her? ...law len na (just kidding) Ok..I'll be quiet now.

[mangkorn]

I think the most difficult part of Thai is the syntax of sentence structure.

That, and the maddening lack of pronouns, which can make it very difficult to know exactly whom is doing or saying what, especially if you're trying to read the newspaper... (And, that utterly maddening pronoun "rao" - which can mean "I," "we," or "you"...)

[thithi]

I think the most difficult part of Thai is the syntax of sentence structure.

That, and the maddening lack of pronouns, which can make it very difficult to know exactly whom is doing or saying what, especially if you're trying to read the newspaper... (And, that utterly maddening pronoun "rao" - which can mean "I," "we," or "you"...)

In the newspaper, Rao can't mean "I" or "You" ... They use the writing language there, but for speaking, Rao can be those ones

[Ratsima]

I've pretty much give up. I've studied using many books and lessons: Becker, Rosetta Stone, Pimsleur. I can read a bit. I can understand and parrot everything I hear on Rosetta Stone and Pimsleur. But, when I go out into the real world I don't understand anything that anyone says to me and they don't understand anything I say to them. Even my wife can't really understand my Thai. Her English is superb, so that's what we use.

I'm old (nearly 60) and that may be part of the problem. Also, I'm not a big talker. Production is important in language learning. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. But, I hate to venture out of my comfort zone.

This morning I was having a chat with a new Danish neighbor. He's been here about five years and seems quite fluent. As we talked one of the moo baan construction workers walked by and he chatted her up. Oddly, I could understand the Danish guy's Thai perfectly well, but nothing that the Thai woman said back to him!

[thithi]

I've pretty much give up. I've studied using many books and lessons: Becker, Rosetta Stone, Pimsleur. I can read a bit. I can understand and parrot everything I hear on Rosetta Stone and Pimsleur. But, when I go out into the real world I don't understand anything that anyone says to me and they don't understand anything I say to them. Even my wife can't really understand my Thai. Her English is superb, so that's what we use.

I'm old (nearly 60) and that may be part of the problem. Also, I'm not a big talker. Production is important in language learning. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. But, I hate to venture out of my comfort zone.

This morning I was having a chat with a new Danish neighbor. He's been here about five years and seems quite fluent. As we talked one of the moo baan construction workers walked by and he chatted her up. Oddly, I could understand the Danish guy's Thai perfectly well, but nothing that the Thai woman said back to him!

You can't just study from the books. You need to be in the real world, listen more what Thai natives speak, and speak more.

It's just like when Thai people study English ...

[Ratsima]

You can't just study from the books. You need to be in the real world, listen more what Thai natives speak, and speak more.

It's just like when Thai people study English ...

Perhaps the fact that my wife, who works in a law office as a translator, can't understand me makes me hesitate to spring my incomprehensible Thai on the public at large....

[thithi]

You can't just study from the books. You need to be in the real world, listen more what Thai natives speak, and speak more.

It's just like when Thai people study English ...

Perhaps the fact that my wife, who works in a law office as a translator, can't understand me makes me hesitate to spring my incomprehensible Thai on the public at large....

oiii she's the translator that's great huh... but all u need is how to speak thai and it's easier than listening or translatin.

[tycoon101]

You can't just study from the books. You need to be in the real world, listen more what Thai natives speak, and speak more.

It's just like when Thai people study English ...

Perhaps the fact that my wife, who works in a law office as a translator, can't understand me makes me hesitate to spring my incomprehensible Thai on the public at large....

When I went to my English school, I picked up listening, speaking, and reading fairly fast, but I was like 19 at that time(Thanks goodness, there were no Thai students around). However, when I went to University....I had to hire my buddy to write an easy for me

[thithi]

You can't just study from the books. You need to be in the real world, listen more what Thai natives speak, and speak more.

It's just like when Thai people study English ...

Perhaps the fact that my wife, who works in a law office as a translator, can't understand me makes me hesitate to spring my incomprehensible Thai on the public at large....

When I went to my English school, I picked up listening, speaking, and reading fairly fast, but I was like 19 at that time(Thanks goodness, there were no Thai students around). However, when I went to University....I had to hire my buddy to write an easy for me

oiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii hiring buddy for writing Essay !!!!!!!! badddddddddd studentttttt

but

but

but

I would do the same !!!! haaaaa!!!!!!!!!

[tycoon101]

oiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii hiring buddy for writing Essay !!!!!!!! badddddddddd studentttttt

but

but

but

I would do the same !!!! haaaaa!!!!!!!!!

At least I didn't hire him to take the exams for me ... , and I wasn't planning to be a writer anyway.

[thithi]

hahah pi tycoon

me neither but some would hire me for taking their Eng exam tho

i hate writing nyway but still no one wants to do it for me .. .sighhhhhh :S

[thithi]

uh oh .. gotta go

g'night pi tycoon

[mangkorn]

In the newspaper, Rao can't mean "I" or "You" ... They use the writing language there, but for speaking, Rao can be those ones

Right: I meant the absence of pronouns (especially in the newspaper); plus the imprecise uses of "rao" in spoken language.

[tycoon101]

uh oh .. gotta go

g'night pi tycoon

Ra tee sa was krub Khun Thithi.

[PeaceBlondie]

I seldom venture into the Thai Language Forum because I finally tried to learn some Thai and failed miserably. I will just say that, in my personal experience, it seems that for some of us, the language is virtually impossible to learn. Tones, grammar, alphabet, teaching methods, native pronunciations, etc. Too complex. I thought enrolling in a class, rather than just reading the beginner book by Becker, might help. However, the class only emphasized to me the near-impossibility of mastering the tones and pronunciations. Good on y'all for mastering it all.

[Ratsima]

I'm with you PeaceBlondie. I wish I knew what it was and how to overcome it. Went out shopping to a fresh market last night (on my own) and every transaction was a real struggle. Almost impossible for me to get the sounds right so the vendors understand what I'm saying and just as impossible for me to understand what they say back. I know the words to use and I can probably read and understand most of them, but spoken Thai is beyond my grasp.