Tod Daniels

Just a note;

Language Express, at Mahatun Plaza (near the Ploenchit BTS station) just went thru a MASSIVE re-write of their already superior Thai course materials!

They polled their existing students and asked for input on what they felt the shortcomings or strengths of the current books were; then they took the suggestions to heart and had their talented team re-format and re-write a new set of course materials.

For the Thai conversation portion of their material; they now provide a review lesson after every 4 study lessons and a comprehension test after every 8 lessons. They deleted some lessons which didn't provide good useful vocabulary and added others which give more 'bang-4-the-baht', and each book has its own c/d with crystal clear sound files to practice getting your pronunciation down out of class. The Thai reading/writing books are easier to use and have much more practice insofar as learning to write and read Thai

FWIW: I've 'acquired' textbooks from about 15 private Thai Language Schools and hafta say Language Express has some of the most well written Thai course materials available in the private Thai language school market out there now!

I try to stay up on what schools are doing material wise..

ALSO: (despite some claims to the contrary) I'm NOT affiliated with ANY Private Thai Language School! I offer out my opinions as I want people to get 'bang-4-their-baht' when they attend a school. The last thing a student needs to do is pay for a year’s tuition at a school which they later find out isn't all it's cracked up to be.

This is the second time (In TWO weeks) I've heard of foreigner's who are on extensions of stay based on marriage to Thai nationals being told they have the wrong visa class to get a work permit.

I believe that is totally wrong, and the H/R department is not familiar enough with the rules to know that a person with a non-Immigrant Type-O extension of stay based on marriage to a Thai can get a work permit..

I'd just get the documentation from them and go apply for the work permit at the Ministry of Labor AFTER you've made a new yearly extension of stay based on being married to a Thai like you have been doing..

At least that way, IF the employment doesn't pan out and you're fired or quit, your visa doesn't end on your last day of employment. You don't hafta start all over from square one with a marriage visa extension. Youre out nothing but the work permit, as your visa would be based on marriage; not tied to you working, but to you having a Thai wife.

Other more learned posters than I will weigh in if Im way off base; which I admittedly could be (but I don't think so).

I believe you CAN get a work permit (with the proper documentation) while using the "married to a Thai" visa extension route.

Let us know what stamp is actually in your passport when you get it back. Then again, Id just tell them I can make my own visa and have them send it back without doing anything, so you can go get your normal yearly extension of stay.

While off topic; Phuket seems to have one of the most 'broadly' interpretive versions of the visa rules. I've seen visa extensions for attending private Thai language schools get issued a full year extension of stay, instead of the 'normal' 90 days like they are here in Bangkok. So who knows what type of visa or how long of an extension the O/Pll get is anyones guess, (although the O/P did say the company would get an extension of stay good until the end of this calendar year).

(It goes without saying but the O/P must meet the qualifications of a yearly extension of stay based on being married to a Thai national)!

Good luck. ..

When I came to Thailand almost 6 years ago, I flew in with a "bundle" 'o cash from the US (in excess of +60K USD). It didn't cause me more than a blink of an eye entering Thailand, and they didn't even want to see my cash or my paper from the USA saying it was okay.

However it DID cost me HOURS in the USA at customs leaving the country! Even though I had ALL the documentation for taking CASH out of the USA to another country, and which was MY money . They held me up, so long until they had to get a golf-cart to run me to the gate to leave!

This is just my experience LEAVING the USA with a LOT of cash (as in REAL money, that I declared when I left).

FWIW: I have wire transferred money here A LOT and never had a problem, except they are SLOW on the acceptance of wire transfers (about 3 working days or more, depending on who you bank with)!

Then again, these are just MY experiences in Thailand, yours may vary.

Oh BTW, I kept the money in my freezer here in Thailand for a coupla days and then went to Bangkok Bank and opened an account..

Unless ONE of your parents are Thai, you (as a foreigner) can't get a Thai I/D card without the Permanent Resident thing and then after that Thai citizenship. And you can count on ONE hand the number of foreigners each year who jump thru those hoops, and you'll still have fingers left over!!

If you can, get on the Yellow "Taa Bien Baan" (or spell it in engrish how ever you want to) but in Thai it's spelled like this ทะเบียนบ้าน and then yellow is สีเหลือง, my advice is TAKE it!

Still, with ANY type of Non-Immigrant Visa you can get a Thai driver's license and it looks a LOT like the new Thai I/D (Smart) card. .. Going one almost 6 years here, I've NEVER been asked to show my passport, EVER after showing my Thai D/L. .. Then again I rarely run amok with the Thai Police.

The last time was when I was checking IF the Thai Police at the Ekami bus station in Bangkok were targeting foreigners more than Thais.

YES FWIW; they were (by a factor of about 100!). After taking a LOT of pix, when the Police out there asked for my passport I showed them my 5 year Thai D/L and they only said, “You can’t take a picture here”!

Your mileage may indeed vary!

As an aside; I HAVE seen half thai children listed in the BLUE book, but never ever seen a foreigner who hasn’t “hooped jumped” get on that one!

Let us know how it pans out for you, huh?

Yep, that's it !

I peruse the Thai books in B2S or Se-Ed and never seem to find one's that pique my interest. However this one did.

It is written in ภาษาพื้น ๆ or quite a low level of Thai. In English we would say it's written colloquially, in every-day-speak. It's called ฉันคือเอรี่ (I am Aarii) and it related the trials and tribulations of a Thai girl and the things she goes thru in her life.

I thought medium or intermediate readers of Thai would find this book of interest, as there're not all that many words that you hafta look up per page. Even then, you don't hafta really look up the words, as even reading Thai at my level, I could guess most of the meanings by the context of the sentence(s).

Honestly, I don't know how it ends, as I've only read about half the book. Still it is quite the interesting (and fairly easy) read.

Just thought I'd throw this out there, and see what people might think. Sometimes interesting and easy to read medium to intermediate stuff isn’t all that easy to find ..

Here is the forward of the book by the author;

คำนำผู้เขียน

ฉันคือเอรี่กับประสบการณ์ข้ามแดน...

เป็นเรื่องราวที่เกิดขึ้นจริงจากชีวิตของฉันตลอด 40 ปีที่ผ่านมา ที่ต้องเผชิญกับปัญหามากมาย บางครั้งอาจจะเหมือนนิยายน้ำเน่า แต่ฉันก็ไม่ได้เสริมแต่งแต่อย่างใด จริงๆ แล้ว มันก็เป็นเรื่องน่าอาย ที่จะต้องมาเล่าให้ใครต่อใครฟัง ซึ่งเหมือนกับประจานตัวเอง แต่ฉันก็อยากจะบอกให้โลกรู้ว่า มันยังมีอะไรอีกมากมาย ที่ใครๆ ควรรู้ "ว่าอย่างนี้ก็มีด้วยหรือ!"

ฉันไม่ได้คาดหวังกับการชิงรางวัลว่าต้องชนะ เพียงแต่ตอนนี้ตกงาน และอยากเป็นคนดีกับเค้าบ้าง อยากพักผ่อนเรื่องเลวร้ายบ้างแต่ก็ไม่รู้ว่าจะได้พักอีนานสักเท่าใด แล้วจะต้องเริ่มต้นเดินทางอีกมั้ย..

ธนัดดา สว่างเดือน

Apologies in advance, if there're mistakes in my copying of the foward. ..

I don't know exactly who it is you are disagreeing with <SNIP>

Sophon

I was actually disagreeing with part of the the second post in this thread. This one;

Start over is the answer.

I have accompanied 10 or 15 acquaintances out to Changwattana and secured new yearly extensions of stay early based on the fact they will be out of the country when their current extension expires. It is neither fraught with peril or out of the ordinary to the Immigrations officials.

While starting over is certainly an option, it'd be at the bottom of my list 'o choices. Given the situation I doubt the O/P will have a problem extending early, especially with proof of being outta the country when his extension expires. He's got NOTHING to lose but time by trying to extend his stay before he leaves.

I do hope the O/P lets us know if he did secure his extension prior to his leaving, as my experience is ONLY with Changwattana.

Quite the vague question indeed. ...

I think a little more info from you would go a long way towards securing accurate info from the forum experts (of which I am NOT! ).

You'd be applying for a Non-O visa based on what exactly?

Marriage to a Thai national, Retirement, etc. ..

FWIW: I applied for and received a 90 day, single entry, Non-Immigrant Type-O visa from the Thai Embassy in Lao PDR based on retirement several years ago. At the time I was on a Non-Immigrant Type-ED visa and Thai Immigrations wouldn't do the conversion from ED to an O based on retirement inside the country.

I think with proper documentation you could most likely get a Single entry, and then extend that for a year inside the country providing you meet the criteria Thai Immigrations has set out for that particular visa.

I think you have your visa terminology mixed up and perhaps are on a yearly extension of stay based on retirement instead of an O-A visa.

Still, you might find this answer of interest as it is along the lines of your question about renewing an extension early due to being out of the country when your current one expires;

Renewing an extension of stay early

I must totally disagree with the ‘start over’ answer offered to the O/P.

I recently accompanied yet another acquaintance to Changwattana to secure a new yearly extension of stay based on retirement. He was in a similar situation as the O/P; leaving the country for several months and his current extension of stay would expire BEFORE he returned. We went to Changwattana when he still had 2 1/2 months left on his current extension.

Even though I told him TWICE, not to forget to bring his confirmation of travel from the airlines, he forgot it . The first Immigrations officer refused flat out because he couldn’t prove he was actually leaving the country. She told him to go home get the confirmation and come back. It was only when I walked over to the higher level officer (the one who initials your stamps when you're done), as I know her, and asked if there was any way she could help. She relented and did let the guy get his yearly extension without proof of travel.

She did say; if I do this with acquaintances again make sure to bring an airline ticket or confirmation of travel out of the country. With proper documentation, there is no problem renewing an extension of stay early. You just prove you’re gonna be gone when your current extension expires and they’ll issue the next one early.

Also no days are lost as they just tack a year onto the current extension’s expiration date.

Standard forms and copies that your immigrations office wants, AND the confirmation of travel outta the country is about all it takes. Oh, and 1900baht too. ..

I would also imagine that IF you secure your extension of stay early, it might behoove you to also purchase a new re-entry permit, as the old one is tied to the expiration date of the old extension of stay.

I can only relate the experiences of 3 acquaintances of mine (whose nationalities are of little importance but were; a Dane, an American and a Scotch) when they went to Vientiane last week.

They were ALL denied Double entry Tourist visas. Two of them were able to get a single entry. One was denied a visa entirely and came back to Thailand on a 15 day visa exempt stamp. YES, before you ask, they ALL had more than a few back to back Tourist visas in their passports, several coming from Vientiane.

FWIW: I just called TWO well known visa run services and both owners told me; IF someone has 2 or 3 back to back tourist visas in his passport they won't even let them board their bus to go to on their visa run to Vientiane. Instead they take them to the Cambodian border (where they stay at a hotel for 2 days) and run the passports to Phnom Penh via courier to get a tourist visa. Both companies also said that so far there haven't been any problems with going this route.

Also there is an unconfirmed report that Vientiane may start charging for Tourist Visas before the 'official' government 'promotion' runs out on March 31st. Again, this is unconfirmed and was only related to me by the owner of one of the visa run companies as having come from his contact at the Thai Embassy in Vientiane last week.

I wouldn't take it as gospel, but neither would I discount it out of hand as pure speculation, this being Thailand and all.

Now once Tourist Visas arent free anymore will the consulates ease up on their issuing. Certainly handing out free Tourist visas isnt a cash cow for the embassy. Perhaps once money is involved again it will have a way to provide a better incentive to the embassy staff, but only time will tell.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but that's the latest info I have about the current situation in Vientiane.

While slightly off topic of your O/P. Especially given your video certainly has more 'substance' in terms of catchy and semi-meaningful lyrics; I always thought these two videos (made a while ago) were good for a tongue-in-cheek poke at the political movers and shakers here. . Sadly, they're short on substance, but long on humor . ..

Whoever did 'em made one about Thaksin and another one about Abhisit as well. They poked fun at both sides of the political spectrum. I thought their use of 'creative' editing to get totally out of context sentences, their capitalization on mispronunciation and purposeful misuse of words to get different meanings to be quite amusing. (Then again, I am easily amused )!

Here's the Thaksin one:

แม้วแร็พ - Thaksin Rap

And here's the Abhisit one:

มาร์คแร็พ - Abhisit Rap

I've played them here in my house 20 or 30 times to thais of EVERY color shirt currently out there and to a person, they laughed at BOTH of them! Showing that even thais can lighten up once in a while and see the fun in taking the piss out of each other.

I will say, your vid has better words. .. Thaksin's nickname has been "Square Face" and Abhisit's has morphed into "Pretty Face" (in almost all the gossip rags). Once the rest of the wording is hashed out; I can only surmise that this wasn't written by the Democrat Party as a rallying song to be played at their next get together.

BTW: I am not affiliated with ANY "colored shirt group"; other than the black KISS tour shirt group (which evidently consists of only me ). Also, thankfully no thai faction has adopted this as their 'official color scheme' yet. Sheesh, if/when that happens I'll be out of an entire wardrobe!

Any of the Thai language schools which offer that “cram” (one month, 5 days a week, 3 hours a day kinda schedule) would work for you!

My advice, FOREGT ANY tone that isn’t Rising or Falling; because no matter what any foreigners or Thai Language schools say, the rest of the tones can be BLURRED and Thais will understand them in the context of what you’re saying! YES even the ‘high’ tone!!

In Thai, you’re either talking about a “Tiger” or a “Shirt",!

Then again, it could be just me! I’m certainly NOT tryin’ to speak Thai like a thai; I’m tryin; to speak Thai to thais, albeit with a foreign accent.

There is a HUGE difference!!!

I’ve yet to meet a foreigner here who spoke Thai like a thai. BUT if I EVER meet one, I’ll letcha know..

Close? Yes! But who spoke LIKE a thai with a Thai accent, NO Way! No Matter how much the Thais says your thai is clear.

You’re a foreigner here! How strange is it to think you might speak Thai with a foreign accent? Not too strange huh?

You know, after knowing the owners of MTLS; I can say 100% they are NOT out to steal money off foreigners. They provide a good service and a good quality of learning thai for foreigners!

Now if a person pays for "group" lessons, well maybe there will be some time lag until enough people sign up to make a "group". . Not all that crazy huh? Not every school teaches their books mindlessly over and over again! Not a single school that I know of will start a class with ONE student who paid for group lessons, yet who would be taught 1-on-1 because there are no more students in the class. .. It's just not out there in the market today! NOT even by sponsors of the forum!

That the O/P had a bad experience based on his side of the story and that MTLS had an equally bad experience based on their side of the story is NOT unique in the “learning Thai Language” sector.

MANY, many private thai language schools in Bangkok have had similar situations with students. That this ONE student posted online about his "dissatisfaction' is no surprise. You can't please everyone, everywhere!

I urge readers of this forum to GO take a FREE class at MTLS, and judge for yourself. Especially now as more 'facts' have come to light about the O/P's situation

You don't judge a book by its cover; instead you read a few pages and see if it has interest for you! It's the same for a private thai language school; you don't take the first one you stumble across, just because you get an ED visa, you scope them out FIRST. You see if they can meet your requirements as far as methodology, scheduling, etc. If they don't you discard them. .. That's just how it is. ..

To the O/P. Sorry it didn't work out for you. Try again at another school, huh?

AND BTW: I'm NOT affiliated with ANY Thai Language School!!

I just say what I think!!

It would seem this word can be spelled two ways and share only slight similarity in meaning(s); อ้าย versus ไอ้. However, the shorter spelling ไอ้ carries a lot more negative connotation(s) and usage. ..

Here're the linx to them both;

Thai-Language Dot Com - อ้าย

Thai-Language Dot Com - ไอ้

From your example sentence, I believe it could be the longer spelling อ้าย and use the meaning found under number 9 in the possible meanings; "word used in front of some words or phrases to express emphasis in a general way".

Then again, I could be wrong! It could be ไอ้ and used more in “exasperation” or remarking negatively about the unruliness of the children.

I too shy away from using ไอ้ except in phrases I've got down perfectly clear and still only use those with my close thai friends where there aren't any misunderstanding(s).

Still good question. ...

I think you could be confusing the two thai words ขึ้น/ลง which denote directionality in a condition with english meanings (better/worse) which while conveying directionality dont work the same way these thai words do.

Then again I freely admit I could be wrong.

In this case, following my theory in my previous post; ผอมลง would mean your thinness went down, As the condition of being thin went down, decreased, meaning you weren't as thin as before or you got fatter. Were not talking about real weight but a condition that the body is in, given the word ผอม.

I do believe I got the แย่ one's correct, as the condition of badness either went up, got worse แย่ขึ้น or went down, got better แย่ลง, especially in relation to the way thais use the words ขึ้น/ลง.

Dunno, but certainly interesting and I will ask a thai teacher tomorrow.

I believe it's more a case of english language interference in regards to how conditions either become better or worse versus how thais view and denote them with their words.

Still quite the interesting thread 'cute farang'. .

Established school are real. Those that are just newly open could be risky.

Quite honestly, I cant think of a SINGLE private thai language school in Bangkok registered with the Ministry of Education and teaches thai to foreigners which has closed!

To buy into the fact that new schools are more risky than established schools is ludicrous. Thats like saying dont buy a new care because old ones are better!

Some of the most well promoted schools out there havent even taught the thai language for more than 3+ years! Conversely, some of the least promoted schools have been in business OVER 20 years!!

The initial cash outlay to actually get a school off the ground insofar as finding the property, renting it, paying for the retrofit to make it into a school, finding/developing teaching material(s), getting registered with the Ministry of Education, then jumping thru hoop after hoop license wise is VERY HIGH! After that type of investment, few people are gonna just close up shop and walk away. Now granted, in some other areas, (as my experience is in Bangkok), some schools did open, and then close, but not any that I know of in the Bangkok Metro area.

Also a myriad of factors come into play when a student selects a thai language school; customer service, methodology, efficacy, qualified teaching staff, efficient handling of paperwork, convenience of location(s), cost of tuition, bang-4-the-baht (what you feel you get out of a particular school), etc. No one can say without question which is the best school for you. Only you can figure that out.

YES, there are some schools now offering online classes via Skype, so people in out of the way areas can still attend class and reach their required study hours.

Now unless I am totally mistaken (which if I am, Im sure to be called out on!), the rule to get visa extensions actually reads; a student must attend a total of 16 hours class time a month. I think its the schools which break it down into 4 hour a week dealys. Again, if Im worng <sic> errr wrong, please correct me.

There are also more than a few schools which take payments over time for the duration of the year. The ones Ive seen usually want 6 months up front, as this covers their expense to get your paperwork for your initial single entry non-immigrant ED visa (good for 90 days) and the first set of extension paperwork after that runs out (good for another 90 days). As extensions are based on 90 day cycles, if you want to study more; before your extension runs out, pay for another three months, get another set of paperwork for a 90 day extension. However, with that being said, I know there are schools out there which will do monthly payments although it can be higher than coughing up the cash upfront.

My advice has always been; if you can, check and take a free class at as MANY private thai language schools as you possibly can BEFORE you part with a single satang of your hard earned baht!

Sorry for the long post

I am amazed that you seldom exchange pleasantries with anyone, yet I thought I remember you saying that you regularly sit outside your place and chat with people. You must be mixing in a very odd group of people if no greetings are exchanged.

You caught me out on that!!

YES, I do routinely sit outside my gate and imbibe in various spirits with my thai friends , but. .. Most of the pleasantries, which a person might say to a thai in passing them day to day have been weeded out a long time ago.

Other than asking when I show up at the table; “what’s going on?” เป็นยังไงบ้าง often shortened to just a ไงบ้าง, or “drunk yet?” เมารึยัง. There’re not a lot of the day-2-day run-o-the-mill pleasantries being exchanged which I believe is more what the O/P is looking for rather than the old stand bys.

Now granted both of the above phrases do fall under the "polite pleasantry" category, so I stand humbly erected!

I guess what I should have said was, other than nod in acknowledgment to the thais I see every day as I walk hither and yon, I don't engage them too much in conversation.

As far as a farewell, I've always found using เจอกันวันหน้า works best if I'm not sure I'll see them tomorrow. Thais use the word construct วันหน้า to mean an unspecified day in the future. It could be tomorrow or it might be several days as the word หน้า only denotes sometime in the future (forward in time).

Of course after a hard nite at the table; solving the world’s problems, ogling pretty women who pass by and the normal political, sports, etc conversations, a ขับรถดี ๆ or "drive very good" at least eases my mind as they climb onto their motorbikes to make the slog to their homes, half or sometimes fully in their cups.

Perhaps I’m not the best contributor for this thread. Sorry about that . ..

Sorry I make the thai font so big I can't read it if I don't, age and all..

I always looked at those two words ขึ้น/ลง in a strictly directional sense of what ever word they are used with.

To me, if something is ขึ้น'ing; what ever it is, is going up or ascending in its conditionality. Conversely if something is ลง'ing its conditionality is going down or descending.

In using this methodology on your examples I would imagine with แย่ขึ้น the situation of being "terrible, dreadful or bad" is ascending or it's getting more แย่. While แย่ลง would mean it's descending, getting better or less แย่.

This line of thought, even accounts for the oh-so numerous engrish signs for "slim-up" centers, as the condition of being slender is increasing i.e. go there, you'll get thinner. It would seem someone is word by word translating the words "slender" and the word which conveys a conditionality increase in thai, hence slim up, not slim down like we'd say.

If I'm off base feel free to correct me, but that was my understanding of the two.

OFF TOPIC:

Not to be a dissenter (given my tenuous status), but there ARE schools in Phuket which teach THAI to foreigners and which also offer the “one year / one time” extension @ 1900baht!

Months ago, I called two schools (which shall remain nameless as NEITHER are forum sponsors) and BOTH said they could get a student a YEARLY extension of stay, IF they paid for a year’s schooling up front.

Phuket seems like an entity in-and-of itself in that regard. The Immigrations Officers there are pretty open to their own “interpretation” of the rules as far as foreigners attending a “private” Thai language school.

Last time I checked (which I do once in a while), MOST private Thai language schools offer 90 day ‘extensions of stay’ for the duration of a students’ year of attendance. Then again my experience is ONLY in Bangkok, not other areas.

Not living anywhere near (nor even having visited) Phuket, I couldn’t comment more than that!

Amazing Thailand, huh?

Perhaps the forum sponsor known as ‘macwalen’ who recently opened a branch in Phuket could enlighten us all? Mac, is there any news about Phuket and students securing a "yearly" extension of stay first time outta the gate for attending a 'private' Thai language school???

Really (luv him or hate him); if there’s anyone who knows anything about ED visas, it’s Mac Walen. Single handedly he drove the price for a year’s tuition down in Bangkok at almost EVERY school out there and his school(s) have gotten more foreigners ED visas than I care to count.

Mac, while we may not see eye to eye on things; I still respect how you run your business(es)!

Note 2 the MODZ; if the last part I wrote about ‘mac’ violates ANY of the T/V forum rules, just delete it okay?

Sadly, I have NO info about schools in or near Udon. .. (Although I did suggest to Mac that he should open a school there given the number of foreigners living up-country!)

Quite the interesting little thread going here , and something I have wondered about too!

My hat’s off to the O/P “cute-foreigner” for posting it..

It's my experience that the only thing which can 'dull' your foreign accented Thai is speaking nothing but Thai with Thais (day in/day out) but it will take many YEARS! Chat-speak, or M-speak has NOTHING to do with how you speak Thai in real life. It is an interesting diversion and you DO learn the current ways "youngsters" massacre Thai when they type. Being 52, I don't have a lotta patience for that type of interaction. I prefer my friends to be closer to my age than that of my son (who is 29)!

You're never gonna completely get rid of it (your foreign accent), no matter how much you’re patronized by people saying you speak Thai just like a Thai (In reality, you don’t, and they’re just being culturally polite). Nearly everyone you speak with will realize you're a non-native Thai speaker (even over the phone when they can't see for their own eyes you're a foreigner), if you speak to them long enough your foreign accented Thai or sentence constructs will give you away.

Just as observations;

The young guy who has a short t/v show in the afternoon called; "Wink, Wink English"; Adam Bradshaw, speaks pretty clear Thai BUT with a foreign accent. Andrew Biggs (easily the most recognized foreign Thai speaker in-country) also speaks Thai with a foreign accent. Even the "legend in his own mind"; Todd Lavelle, aka; Todd-Thong-Dee (who I jokingly refer to as; Todd "Good Stomach"); still has a foreign accent in his spoken Thai. Now both Andrew’s and Todd’s foreign accents are dulled somewhat after all the years they’ve been here, but if I put THAT many years here in-country I’d expect it to be like that. Christopher Wright (Chris Delivery) certainly speaks with a Thai accent, but as he's half Thai, I don't count him as a ‘real foreigner’.

I have found overall; Thais have a highly developed ability to discern (quite accurately) from the accent a native Thai speaker uses; where that person comes from regionally in this country (often down to the correct province)! I doubt you're ever gonna 'shed' your foreign accented Thai to the point Thais would EVER confuse you with a native speaker.

Whilst slightly off topic (it still is marginally interesting):

In one of Andrew Biggs' books he's got nearly an entire chapter about accents and how parents of Thai children come to his school saying to him, "I want my Thai child to speak English completely with a British or an American accent." He does lament the fact that not once, EVER, has a family come in and asked their children be taught English with an Auzzie accent, 555+. Go figure!

He goes on to tell the Thais to be proud enough of who/what they are to accept; facts are facts. They're gonna speak with a regionally S/E Asian (Thai) accent, just like the Koreans, the Japanese, and anyone else in this neck of the woods does when they speak English. Sheesh I know Thais who've been in America for 15+ years, speak flawless grammatical engrish (better than mine!) yet can't shed their Thai accent(s). One Thai girl I know has lived in rural Tennessee for 20 odd years. She speaks English with a southern drawl MIXED with a hint of a Thai accent!! It actually sounds kinda cute, lol.

If a foreigner has the toning & vowel length down, uses colloquial sentence constructs which are 100% free from "mother language interference"; EASILY the biggest impediment in speaking Thai clearly (next to vowel length and toning), they're understood by every level of Thai society, from the lowest street vendors to the highest government officials.

I will concur that ‘un-learning’ poor Thai pronunciation is a FAR tougher “row to hoe” than learning it correctly “outta the gate”. I struggle with it EVERY SINGLE DAY! Mostly because of the way I learned Thai. First I taught myself to read Thai (without tone rules!) and then I learned how to speak Thai. I am on the “short end of the stick” in that regard!

Personally, I don't think it's worth wasting even a second on really trying to speak Thai with a Thai accent, but that’s just me. Do I wanna speak clearly, correctly, so that the Thais understand me? MOST DEFINITELY!! But, do I wanna speak Thai with a Thai accent, hmmm; no, not so much.

FWIW: I have noticed quite often my observations and opinions run counter to those of other foreigners here. So don’t let me rain on anyone’s parade!..

I apologize for an overly verbose post . If you stuck with it, I hope you found it of some interest!

Don't forget that the current thai greeting they use now was BEFORE someone (in an official capacity at the time) changed it thai to สวัสดี. I think it actually comes from Sanskrit or Pali and is not even a real "thai" word at all!

A LONG time ago people used to ask; อาบน้ำหรือยัง (Have you bathed or not?). About 35+ years ago up-country it was the STANDARD greeting in thai and after that it was the other one (still used today!); กินข้าวหรือยัง (Have you eaten?).

As I am TOO lazy to jump a link 2 u: research where and WHEN the now standard greeting came into effect! I think it was 1935-1938 (maybe earlier/later I dunno).

Up-country, with OLD people (60+) they'll ask if you've bathed or eaten, more times than not.

Sadly I cannot contribute more to this thai greetings thread. Mostly because I rarely exchange pleasantries with anyone; thais, foreigners, or who ever they are!

Still I thought this post might have some marginal value; then again, (in retrospect) MAYBE not. ..

Like I said my previous post:

Hull is STILL the "easiest" (as in THE most lenient Thai consulate/embassy out there in the WORLD) to secure the coveted Non-Immigrant Type; ('O'), ('B'), ('ED'), or (insert the letter of your choice here ) type of visa. With even marginal documentation, they'll issue you a year long visa.

Yes, with that type of visa, you hafta run-4-the-border every 3 months (but so what?) Play the numbers game right and youre here; in-country almost a year and 3 months!

They are quite easy going in the qualifications you must have to get the visa you want (need).

That they raised the proverbial 'bar' insofar as "visiting friends" is no surprise to anyone, OR IS IT? (Try to secure that kind of visa in S/E Asia or in the US, and get back to me on it will you?)

Man!! The change they made sure seemed to "ruffle some feathers" of the posers <sic>, errrr, posters here on T/V, huh?

As an aside; I just (as in two minutes ago) sent an email to Hull asking about a multi-entry Non-O visa for the purpose of "visiting friends" in Thailand; when I get their answer I'll post it, okay?

BTW: I'm on an extension of stay based on retirement, so in reality, I don't care.

I just wanted to know, (being nosy and all! )

This is anecdotal only (as it runs contrary to other posts); I was on a multi entry non-O visa which I had obtained in the US 3+ years ago. It was my last 30 days of the final 90 day stamp, after border running for the year (so I was on my 15th month). I took the paperwork from the language school I was going to attend out to Suan Plu to convert the visa from a type-O to a type-ED. Nope couldn't do it, as the paperwork issued by the MOE for private thai language schools is addressed to a thai embassy or consulate and NOT thai immigrations. (BTW: there is NO thai embassy or consulate inside thailand, lol)

I ended up taking a visa run company to Vientiane and received a single entry non-immigrant type ED visa without hiccup from the thai consulate there; even though in theory, I had a non-O at the time. Now whether they did this because my actual non-O visa had expired, and I was on the last month of the final 90 day "permitted to stay until" stamp or what I dunno. As I said, this was several years ago; now they may or may not do it. I wouldn’t wanna waste a trip to find out they won’t do it though.

I concur with other posters insofar as the best course of action seems to be;

• canceling your current visa at immigrations
  
• purchasing a 7 day extension (although possibly not needed)
  
• going to a thai embassy in a neighboring S/E Asian country
  
• applying for a single entry non-ED visa with the documentation from your school
  

That seems to be the safest way and certainly only involves a single trip outta the country. In fact some private thai language schools can do a 'rush' paperwork (for a fee of course) and get you the documentation from the MOE in a week or less.

I wholeheartedly agree, those "we'll get you the stamps you need" kinda services, can & do come back to haunt people later. I'd steer clear of them. ..

I am interested in a very specific activity:

I want a Thai chat on a topic of my choice for around 40 minutes a week. I don't want a teacher to choose the topic and I don't want them to chronically correct me. I want them to not intervene in the flow of the topic. I only want them to explain grammar or vocab or accent when asked. It would be one to one.

Can you deliver this? And how much?

I've tried with Thai friends but it doesn't work. They seem to always want to teach. They feel a need to follow the way they learnt. So I need to pay someone not to teach me.

Thanks in advance.

WOW "Gaccha" those are some specific requirements!

Let me re-cap 'em and see if I got 'em right;

• topic of your choosing (not the teachers)
  
• lesson of about 40-50 minutes
  
• no chronic correction for speaking Thai with a foreign accent
  
• unless you're not completely understood, let the conversation flow
  
• answer grammar etc questions when asked only

You're totally right, it's gonna give you far more "bang-4-the-baht" taking private lessons given the curriculum you've outlined. Oh, BTW; what time of day or nite did you want to study?

Seeing as I don't know you from "Somchai" and ANY Thai language teacher worth their salt would also need to know the following things I'm gonna ask you, please don’t take my further queries the wrong way.

Just out of curiosity; what is your level of comprehension in reading of Thai, in speaking Thai & in understanding normally spoken Thai? Do you have solid 'working foundation' in those areas? How good of a handle do you have on your "mother language interference" (where your native language overrides your spoken Thai making you say things in Thai with the wrong word order)? If you, like most foreign Thai speakers, suffer from this, be prepared to get corrected. Also if mix up vowel duration and the falling and rising tones be ready to get corrected too. Nothing sends you "off script" faster than mixin' up those two tones and using incorrect vowel length.

While somehwat off-topic; I honestly think improper word order is easily the biggest reason foreigners are misunderstood here. Even mispronouncing some of the words tones or vowel length; if you get 'em in the correct Thai word order, you're more easily understood by Thai because they don't hafta re-order what you AND try to work it out too.

Are you going to provide written text which the lessons will be based on? Will it be more a 'free-style' type of thing where you provide the topic only, and go from there? Would you want to learn vocab about the specific topic or are you gonna wing it with what you know? Are you going to provide the next lessons topic a week early so the teacher can find specific vocab for you or again, do you just wanna wing it?

MANY topics (especially current events, historical stuff, etc) use specific vocab and if you don't know that vocab, you just plain can't talk about the subject in anything more than very rudimentary terms.

For example; if the topic is the on-going border dispute with Cambodia, and you can't talk about the two countries governments, the different protesting factions, the meaning of 'nationalism', the refugees forced from their homes on both sides of the border, the Phra Vihear temple complex, the process involved with the demarcation of joined land borders, the UN, UNESCO, etc; you're gonna be hard pressed to talk about that topic in anything but vague generalities.

I know this one from personal experience! I was WAY outta my league last nite chatting with the thais on my soi about this exact topic. As I didn't have the specific vocab to interact with them in a meaningful way; I had to stop them over and over to ask the meanings of terms they used which I didn't know.

I agree with you 100%; using native speaking Thai friends isn't always the best way to go. Seeing as when they were kids; they learned Thai by rote, no questions, just a "repeat after me", "that's how it is in the Thai language" sort of dealy, so they only know that method of teaching Thai.

I'd imagine that almost EVERY private Thai language school in the greater Bangkok area would adjust their private lessons to meet the needs you've outlined. Seeing as you're the only student in the class, they're not nearly so 'method bound' as they are in group classes where they follow the book. I see 'macwalen' already and Language Express weighed in. I also spoke with two other private schools who'd cater to your needs as well. So that is one possible option available.

FWIW: I know many private Thai teachers who can and would tailor lesson plans to your needs. These people are current and former Thai language teachers from several schools whose experience base is/was teaching Thai language to foreigners. I'm sure, they'd give you a 'free' lesson to gauge your ability and see if what you want is something they could deliver on, or if what you want is more trouble than it's worth to them.

Sorry this is a long post , and I apologize if I came across as overly blunt or to the point. However, the better someone understands what it is you want; the better they can tailor lessons to achieve your goals.