learning the thai language

[parrot]

super Saab (an Issan twist??)(

Oh, my point??

The answer I gave never sat well with me as it does seem it’s a play on the English Language, I asked my Thai teacher who told me มาย is never used on its own and go to the back of the class

She suggests that it is Oh! My point(s)

Well, that makes me feel a bit better. The fine print on my membership says English "MyMKPoint"

[Chuchi]

super Saab (an Issan twist??)(

Oh, my point??

The answer I gave never sat well with me as it does seem it’s a play on the English Language, I asked my Thai teacher who told me มาย is never used on its own and go to the back of the class

She suggests that it is Oh! My point(s)

Well, that makes me feel a bit better. The fine print on my membership says English "MyMKPoint"

I wish you had showed me that earlier before I made a fool of myself

[parrot]

super Saab (an Issan twist??)(

Oh, my point??

The answer I gave never sat well with me as it does seem it’s a play on the English Language, I asked my Thai teacher who told me มาย is never used on its own and go to the back of the class

She suggests that it is Oh! My point(s)

Well, that makes me feel a bit better. The fine print on my membership says English "MyMKPoint"

I wish you had showed me that earlier before I made a fool of myself

If you're like me, it won't be your last time. All part of the learning process. I chalk it up to 'inquiring minds'........back in the dinosaur days, I had a student at AUA who asked odd-ball questions.......mostly grammar, but sometimes root-related questions that I often couldn't answer off the top of my head. Of the hundreds of English students I've known over the time, she was the only one with the cojones to ask out of the ordinary questions. She was an excellent student.

[parrot]

My favorite noodle shop was closed today so I ducked into the PTT station near the airport for lunch. A friend had suggested a restaurant there. Of the four restaurants across from the 7-11, the one my friend had suggested was busy. That's always a good sign.
I opted for the กระเพราไข่ระเบิด.....but only after taking a few minutes to decipher the long quote underneath the menu item. It says "ผัดกระเพราแท้ๆ ไม่มีถั่วฝักยาว และหอมใหญ่ ราดลงบนไข่ดาวเยิ้มๆ โดยด้วยกระเพรากรอบหอมๆ โคตรฟินบอกเลย" The last part โคตรฟินบอกเลย threw me, so I asked the waitress and she did a mime for me to help me understand....she silently mouthing some words while rubbing her belly in a circle. I got it.

Reading the other sign in the restaurant helps customers to understand why the busy waitress may have forgotten to serve you water.

The name of the restaurant is เชฟเด้ง. Nothing in English.......so it's reason #6279 to learn to read a little Thai.

And yes, the quote fits the bill perfectly.

[parrot]

My take on โคตรฟินบอกเลย (also seen on the web as บอกเลยโคตรฟิน)......"(I'm telling you....) this stuff is awesome."


น้ำตื่มบริการตัวเอง - self-serve water (or, get the water yourself). I've seen this sign in several restaurants around town.

[parrot]

I may have mentioned this, reason #7822, about learning the tones/sounds of individual letters in words: If you can crack this nut, admittedly not easy but certainly nothing to do with age or hearing, you can expand your knowledge of 'all things Thai' even if your vocabulary or speaking ability sucks (like mine).
For example, on a recent trip to the market, I noticed a multitude of vendors selling puffed rice and other snacks not routinely sold. I knew they were probably for Friday's Buddha day (วันพระ), but knew there must be something else going on. I asked my wife this morning. She explained the treats are for วันข้าวสาก and went on to explain a bit about the ceremony. I knew how to spell วัน and ข้าว but had to ask my wife to spell the last syllable for me. Once she did, I could google วันข้าวสาก and read a multitude of articles, google translated into English, about the ceremony.
I've done this sort of things many times......usually on something I know only a little bit about, but once you google the Thai words, you can read much more......auto translated.
I'm not young, I have profound hearing loss (wear hearing aids)......but if you can find a dedicated teacher to teach you the sounds of the alphabet (not the alphabet itself.....that's of little use) and the tones, you'll be able to delve deeper into Thai culture/tradition than the common tourist.

[mech_401]

" chef deng " เชฟ เด้ง and there is one across from bkk hospital? i wonder if same fellow? on fb

[parrot]

" chef deng " เชฟ เด้ง and there is one across from bkk hospital? i wonder if same fellow? on fb

Not sure. But the one at the PTT seems to be a popular place
https://www.facebook.com/chefdenginter/

[iPa41000]

@parrot
Just a little mistake:
น้ำดื่ม not น้ำตื่ม
dodek instead totao

[parrot]

@parrot
Just a little mistake:
น้ำดื่ม not น้ำตื่ม
dodek instead totao

Thanks. I got the tone right.
Speaking of ด and ต. I had a wonderful Thai teacher who patiently taught me tones and pronunciation.
But no matter how hard I'd practice, I couldn't get the sound just right between the two. It's in was lucky, I could hear the letter in a word correctly or speak it correctly maybe 50% of the time. Most all the other common letters I could do blindfold tests and get it right. ต ด.

[parrot]

My wife grew up in a setting not far from Little House on the Prairie. I asked her if she was more like Mary or Nelly. She said....."Nelly.....half of her". As she grew up without a TV or radio, the kids got their stories from the elders.....mostly in the form of tales/นีทาน. Hardly a week will pass by that our morning cuppa conversation doesn't turn to one of those tales. Today was the dog and the pig. It gave me the occasion to look up the story and I remembered how useful those tales were when I started reading Thai. They're commonly available on the internet, often with pdf/mp3 files. They're generally easy to understand....and you can use google translate to help when you're stuck.
Here's a good link for the dog and pig story.....conveniently with English translation provided.
Enjoy
http://www.seasite.niu.edu/Thai/storyte ... ogtext.htm

[mech_401]

with your unparalleled knowledge , could probably
be an english teacher of thai ? andrew biggs udon

word choice: stumbling along with vocab, i was
looking for a common word for arrogance or conceit. lets see หยิ่ง , จองหอง , ยโส 20 choices
would seem this is a common hiso phenomenon

[mech_401]

more than 20 ทรอึง , ถือตัว , ไว้ต้ว , self-important
haughty , a very difficult concept to get across.
these sorts of deeper , complex meanings urgh

[parrot]

with your unparalleled knowledge , could probably
be an english teacher of thai ? andrew biggs udon

word choice: stumbling along with vocab, i was
looking for a common word for arrogance or conceit. lets see หยิ่ง , จองหอง , ยโส 20 choices
would seem this is a common hiso phenomenon

I'll be the first to admit my speaking ability, especially when I'm not controlling the conversation, is pathetic. Andrew, on the other hand, is a master. In the 23 years we've been here, I've only met two expats who were at ease shooting the bull with the locals. I'm sure there are more.......but I think they're the rare gem in the expat community.
You've got me worried, though, that I'm coming across on this thread as คนจองหอง. My wish has been to show others how learning a bit of Thai can make your life here so much more enjoyable. No excuses for age, hearing, tones, or lack of time.

On that note, there's a golden opportunity to impress your partner with your reading ability over the next few weeks. There are signs all over Udon announcing the Vegetarian Festival from 28 Sept to 8 Oct. If vegetarian food is your thing, you only need to know two letters from the Thai alphabet: เ for A, and จ for J. เจ = jay = vegetarian. You'll see signs all over town so you'll have plenty of time to practice. Enjoy

[parrot]

more than 20 ทรอึง , ถือตัว , ไว้ต้ว , self-important
haughty , a very difficult concept to get across.
these sorts of deeper , complex meanings urgh

I'm guessing knowledge of these sort of words would get you through most all Thai soaps. urgh!

ทรอึง is a classic example of words that still kick my butt just trying to read them.......I'd be forever trying to put the ทร together to make the ทร sound in โทร.

[mech_401]

i can read dates , that's sometimes helpful
or abbreviations actually. ก.ย. september
ต.ค. october. also " tesaban area4" i think

[mech_401]

if it wasn't for google translates audio feature ,

wouldnt have a clue how to pronounce most things. but as you suggest, tone rules are there

[parrot]

You'll see this sign in a variety of places.....on the back of large transport trucks, TOT/AIS/True/3BB vehicles, and today, at the PTT station where I regularly fill up. Many many years ago, before PTT cleaned up its act (including its bathrooms), I had an encounter with an attendant who insisted on filling my truck to the brim, despite my telling him 'enough'. He ended up spilling some diesel on my newish truck. I went inside the 'office' and talked with a manager who brushed it off. I didn't go to a PTT station for years. Now I won't go any where but.
พนักงานไม่สุภาพ โปรดแจ้งพู้บริการ โทร A little Thai goes a long way

[Chuchi]

You'll see this sign in a variety of places.....on the back of large transport trucks, TOT/AIS/True/3BB vehicles, and today, at the PTT station where I regularly fill up. Many many years ago, before PTT cleaned up its act (including its bathrooms), I had an encounter with an attendant who insisted on filling my truck to the brim, despite my telling him 'enough'. He ended up spilling some diesel on my newish truck. I went inside the 'office' and talked with a manager who brushed it off. I didn't go to a PTT station for years. Now I won't go any where but.
พนักงานไม่สุภาพ โปรดแจ้งพู้บริการ โทร A little Thai goes a long way

If the employee is not polite please call customer service.

[parrot]

This holiday weekend is an especially good time to practice your reading skills while driving. On our way from Udon to the jungle market on the way to Nongbualamphu (ตลาดห้วยเดื่อ), we spotted vehicles from a lot of places not often seen in Udon......จังหวัดพัทลุง จังหวัดปัตตานี จังหวัดตาก จังหวัดตราด among the many we saw today. It's a good way to practice your reading skills while driving......and even better when the license plate is partially obscured by the plate holder.