[JayMillz]

Are any members fluent in Thai?

I realized on my recent trip that I need to up my Thai game. I hope this is not a duplicative thread. If so, please excuse me

[bacon]

good thread im curious if anyone could recommend websites or books that helped them with thai. also how important is knowing thai outside of basic phrases? i have heard expats live there for years and even then speak very basic levels of it

[LowerCaseG]

One good thing about bar girls is they are very receptive to teaching you thai. Becoming fluent in thai is a pipe dream. But being able to go beyond hello and thank you is very valuable and will earn you some respect. Also note that getting a thai/english dictionary or phrasebook is essentially useless because you need to hear how words are pronounced, seeing it written with english characters is not very valuable.
I would also recommend pipelining as a way to practice your thai, and google translate has a speaker function that is very useful. If you can get up to about 100-150 phrases you will be ahead of 99% of all the other farangs, and the locals will be a little bit impressed.
Then put your english translation into a small little notebook, or I guess you can put it into your phone.
For example: the dictionary says westerner = farang. Farang is pronounced Fa-lang. You write westerner = Fa-lang into your notebook. Repeat.
The key is hearing how the thai word is pronounced, then writing the pronounciation so you can understand it.

[Beyond Borders]

A simple approach is to teach yourself 5 new words and 5 new phrases a day.

Get a stack of index cards (or whatever you can find if already in Thailand). Every day, pick out 5 words and 5 phrases that would be useful to know, and then write the thai word (in English letters) out on one side and the English translation on the other.

Go to a Thai restaurant that you frequent. Be sure to pick one out with girls (can be guys but girls are more fun) who are standing around a lot. Here's a hint - this describes nearly every restaurant in thailand. They are always overstaffed because labor is so cheap.

First, do a decent job of trying to memorize your new words and phrases before you go. You'll have the sounding wrong, but it helps make her job easier.

When you're ready, have her sit down. Lift up each card and have her say the word. You may need the book on you here because she won't understand the way you've written some of them. Listen verrrrrry closely. Have her repeat it. Repeat it back to her a couple times until you're close enough for her to stop laughing at you.

Next card.

After you've gone through the cards, ask her to give you some time. Practice over and over for a while until you think you've got them ground into your memory. Then have her sit back down later to test you. You'll have some wrong but she'll correct you.

Study some more. Have her test you again.

Carry your growing stack of cards around with you all day, practicing at intervals, when eating, waiting in line, in transport, taking a shit, getting a blow job (ok only kidding), etc.

At the end of the day, test yourself before bed. Then again in the morning.

In the morning, for all the words that have become second nature, you have no need for those cards any more - throw them out. This is crucial because you've already sunk that word into your subconscious and it's making your stack unnecessarily cumbersome. It keeps you from having to drill words you already know to death and bore yourself out.

Setting them aside for a bigger stack you test on every once in a while might not be a bad idea though.

When I first got to Thailand there was a restaurant/bar that showed movies twice a day. It was one of the only bars in Lamai that didn't seem red light district, so I ate a lot of meals there and showed up nightly to catch a movie or two before going out. This place became my second home - always good to have one in a new place.

and using the method outlined above for a month and a half accellerated my learning like you wouldn't believe. I've had Thais in America ask me if I'm part Thai based on my accent. It really blew everyone away how fast I progressed.

You should also consider paying for private lessons. I was just a cheapskate at the time. I did take a 5-week class in Chiang Mai at one point but feel they're a bit overrated - group learning seems iffy for picking up a language.

Most importantly, you've got to grab your balls and swing! You've got to get out there and use the shit to sink it in, and the hardest thing will be gaining an ear for it.

Don't let people tell you there's no need for Thai in Thailand. Like most things, that's only one side of a complicated story. Many Thais are shy to speak English, even if they know it, and making an effort opens doors for you.

You'll meet people faster. You'll get better service. Older people will love the shit out of you. You'll get to make up jokes that'll seemingly work with everyone. lol Educated Thais will approve and tell you you're very clever. Everyone will see you as more than just the typical farang. You'll sometimes skip the dual pricing. You'll be able to open more girls, of all subcultures, and since they see you trying to integrate, they'll imagine some kind of future is actually possible with you (important for the mainstream girls). You'll catch people talking shit about you and be able to break the ice and turn it into a laugh.

Even knowing something stupid like "jing laaa (really)" can be a blast if you know how to say it right. Can't tell you how many times I walked into a restaurant and noticed the girls were talking about me and turned around and said that in just the right way, even if I had no clue what they were saying. Instant blushes, giggles, and laughing all around just because they think you heard what they said. It's good fun.

Also, learn to actually read (i never did) and it will help you immensely in navigating your way through life (will also accelerate your speaking ability).

Do it.

[Arado]

I lived in Thailand for a few months so had a good few dozen phrases under my belt. People were definitely happier when we spoke in Thai. In somewhere like Phuket filled with rowdy meatheads and uneducated tourists, speaking Thai is a good way to stick out in a positive light. There are phrasebooks that transliterate the words for you - keep it handy. Focus to start on key phrases - swadi krap, khap khun krap, khor thor krap, sabaidi mai, khun ayu taorai, mee aahaan thai mai, etc... and work your way up.

[babababalot]

the thai alphabet looks like a series of sharp Us backward small-case Rs and small-case Ns with little circles and squiggles here and there.

[Beyond Borders]

(01-08-2013 01:11 AM)LowerCaseG Wrote:  

One good thing about bar girls is they are very receptive to teaching you thai.

haha Very true. Problem being that you will be speaking Isaan Thai, in most cases, and have a lot of rude and poor speaking habits. It happened to me too. Thais are very sensitive to dialect and will make immediate assumptions about you.

Just a warning. It's still a good way to learn.

Great tips!

[LowerCaseG]

Interesting, didn't think of that. Now that you mention it, I remember some funny looks on phrases I thought I had down pat.

[Beyond Borders]

(01-08-2013 01:46 AM)LowerCaseG Wrote:  

Interesting, didn't think of that. Now that you mention it, I remember some funny looks on phrases I thought I had down pat.

haha I know that look....

[LowerCaseG]

BB, have you done the Isaan circuit? I must admit, I'm kind of curious about the 10 or so 3rd tier cities scattered throughout the region.

[Beyond Borders]

(01-08-2013 01:55 AM)LowerCaseG Wrote:  

BB, have you done the Isaan circuit? I must admit, I'm kind of curious about the 10 or so 3rd tier cities scattered throughout the region.

I haven't at all. I'm not really attracted to the darker-skinned Thais. Though I'm sure there are plenty of stunners, both light and dark-skinned, in that region...After all, beauty is beauty, regardless of skin tone preferences.

That said, it's not all about the girls for me, and I think culturally Isaan would pretty epic to visit. Isaan food is also some of my favorite grub in Thailand. Can't get enough...Then you've got the Khmer architecture out that way.

I'd definitely like to make it out there sometime. I think Isaan is very much the old Thailand.