Is there a word or saying that would equate to "what a pity." ..... ? I think that nah sung san is more feeling sorry for someone which can be similar but not. The same...

Sia dai....

 

or nah sia dai

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In the other way round, I as a Thai people don't know how to translate the word "เสียดาย sia daay" in to english with the same emotion and context. May be this thread is my answer !?

In the other way round, I as a Thai people don't know how to translate the word "เสียดาย sia daay" in to english with the same emotion and context. May be this thread is my answer !?

That's a pity, that's such a pity, that's so sad.

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14 hours ago, Sweet memory 80s said:

In the other way round, I as a Thai people don't know how to translate the word "เสียดาย sia daay" in to english with the same emotion and context. May be this thread is my answer !?

I think it depends on the context. If you don't eat all of the food, then sia dai ahahn. You feel bad for waste. 

 

If you friend's mother dies, you feelsad, sia dai, you are sorry. 

 

One Thai friend translated emotional as.... cry easy.. I think that works best. 

I like to make simple statements then take the meaning from context because people don't all understand words in the same way. 

 เสียดาย describes a person's feelings about their own loss. 

สงสาน is showing sympathy/ pity for other people's loss. 

What or which if one of these, does "what a pity' describe?

 

2 hours ago, tgeezer said:

I like to make simple statements then take the meaning from context because people don't all understand words in the same way. 

 เสียดาย describes a person's feelings about their own loss. 

สงสาน is showing sympathy/ pity for other people's loss. 

What or which if one of these, does "what a pity' describe?

 

Neither actually in the sense I was thinking. It is definitely the fun of learning Thai. It is one of those words or phrases that needs to be expounded upon and there is no one direct word that would cover these expressions in every case. 

I think that the fascination is trying to communicate in a foreign language. The first mistake is to try to use one’s own language as a model.  I am a native English speaker and we have just agreed that I don’t understand you when you say ‘it is a pity’ so why do you expect that anyone on this forum can give you a Thai equivalent?   I don’t doubt that what you feel can be expressed in Thai if the speaker thinks that it is worth expressing. 

I and a visitor from England were being guided by a Thai friend this weekend and he had selected a restaurant for lunch, unfortunately it had closed at 1400, I remarked “Now we’re <deleted>” which upset the. Thai greatly. He heard only the bad word, not the tone, I demonstrated the difference between ‘Now we’re <deleted>’ and “Now we’re <deleted>” and later he grudgingly accepted that I wasn’t being negative.  I feel that the greater hurt was embarrassment for him was that he didn’t understand English as much as he thought he did. This demonstrates that communication is not easy even in a common language and we can never be sure that when we are communicating to a native speaker in their language that we really are communicating unless we know exactly what we are saying. 

My way to do that is to keep it simple. K.I.S.S. 

3 hours ago, tgeezer said:

I think that the fascination is trying to communicate in a foreign language. The first mistake is to try to use one’s own language as a model.  I am a native English speaker and we have just agreed that I don’t understand you when you say ‘it is a pity’ so why do you expect that anyone on this forum can give you a Thai equivalent?   I don’t doubt that what you feel can be expressed in Thai if the speaker thinks that it is worth expressing. 

I and a visitor from England were being guided by a Thai friend this weekend and he had selected a restaurant for lunch, unfortunately it had closed at 1400, I remarked “Now we’re <deleted>” which upset the. Thai greatly. He heard only the bad word, not the tone, I demonstrated the difference between ‘Now we’re <deleted>’ and “Now we’re <deleted>” and later he grudgingly accepted that I wasn’t being negative.  I feel that the greater hurt was embarrassment for him was that he didn’t understand English as much as he thought he did. This demonstrates that communication is not easy even in a common language and we can never be sure that when we are communicating to a native speaker in their language that we really are communicating unless we know exactly what we are saying. 

My way to do that is to keep it simple. K.I.S.S. 

So, what are you trying to say here??? 

 

Just kidding, but yes, that is so true. There are surely enough times when communication in our own language is misconstrued. And you can multiply that when it comes to informal written communication as in email. 

 

But what fun and what an advantage to speak Thai.