Later

[loong]

ทีหลัง tee lăng

ทีหน้า tee nâa

ลัง actually means behind and น้า means front, yet both these words (ทีหลัง และ ทีหน้า ) mean later, that strikes me as rather strange, but besides the point

I was recently asked if I was not going out, คืนนี้ จะ ไม่ ไป เที่ยว หรือ ( She did not actually say หรือ but more like เลอ, not sure how to spell it, but usually used as really!)

I answered that I would be going out later จะ ไป เทีหลัง

She corrected me and told me that I should say จะ ไป ทีหน้า

I tend to use ทีหลัง for later and ทีหน้า for next, same as in อาทิตย์ น้า , next week.

Please tell me, was I wrong? Is one better than the other?

ต่อ or ต่อไป

means next, later, but in the sense of continuation . So I would not use this here. But would welcome some examples of use. I only tend to use this word when extending a visa or something like that

Thankyou

[Tywais]

I'll give an example of the two uses.

The wife asks if you are going to the party and you tell her to go ahead and you will go ทีหลัง (at a later time after her)

The wife asks if you are going to the party and you tell here you will go ทีหน้า , that is you will not be able to go to this party but will go to the next one when they have one. So ทีหน้า will be more like "not this one but the next one"

So for your example I think ทีหลัง is correct - that is going out later

[In the Rai!]

ทีหลัง tee lăng

ทีหน้า tee nâa

ลัง actually means behind and น้า means front, yet both these words (ทีหลัง และ ทีหน้า ) mean later, that strikes me as rather strange, but besides the point

I was recently asked if I was not going out, คืนนี้ จะ ไม่ ไป เที่ยว หรือ ( She did not actually say หรือ but more like เลอ, not sure how to spell it, but usually used as really!)

I answered that I would be going out later จะ ไป เทีหลัง

She corrected me and told me that I should say จะ ไป ทีหน้า

I tend to use ทีหลัง for later and ทีหน้า for next, same as in อาทิตย์ น้า , next week.

Please tell me, was I wrong? Is one better than the other?

ต่อ or ต่อไป

means next, later, but in the sense of continuation . So I would not use this here. But would welcome some examples of use. I only tend to use this word when extending a visa or something like that

Thankyou

Hey Loong,

I agree with you on using ลัง for later as apposed to ทีหน้า I use this with days/ time/ months/ next time etc.. . I use it ลัง and I hear my wife and her family use it all the time.

In your situation, if she asked me คืนนี้ จะ ไม่ ไป เที่ยว หรือ (maybe she was saying เหรอ)

as in คืนนี้ จะ ไม่ ไป เที่ยว เหรอ

I would answer เอาไว้ทีหลัง as in I want to later

As for ต่อ I would use as continue but ต่อไป I would use as "from now on"

example sentence, ผมสัญญากับเมียว่าจะไม่ดื่มเบียร์อีกต่อไป I promised my wife that I wont drink beer again from now on (no chance).

ITR

Edited January 22, 2007 by In the Rai!

[rak sa_ngop]

Can you use ภายหน้า and ภายหลัง in exactly the same way or is there a difference?

[loong]

Thanks for clearing this up, I can't understand why some Thais misinform in this way. I'm sure that it is meant to tease, but can be very confusing.

re your example, if you cannot keep your promise, is this a situation where you can use ไม่ไหว as opposed to ไม่ได้. Can อีกต่อไป be used in the past tense as in;-

ผมได้สัญญากับเมียว่าจะไม่ดื่มเบียร์อีกต่อไป แต่ ไม่ไหว

How would you say "cannot keep your promise"

Many thanks

[wasabi]

Can you use ภายหน้า and ภายหลัง in exactly the same way or is there a difference?

ภายหลัง, ทีหลัง, วันหลัง any difference between these? If yes when should each be used.

[In the Rai!]

ผมได้สัญญากับเมียว่าจะไม่ดื่มเบียร์อีกต่อไป แต่ ไม่ไหว

How would you say "cannot keep your promise"

Many thanks[/size]

How about....

ผมได้สัญญากับเมียว่าจะไม่ดื่มเบียร์อีกต่อไป แต่ ทำตามสัญญาไม่ได้ or just แต่ ทำไม่ได้ would work on the end of this example. But if you just wanted to say cannot keep a promise

then ทำตามสัญญาไม่ได้ and obviously add who it is relating to (your promise or my promise etc).

ITR

[meadish_sweetball]

I would use อดไม่ได้ instead of ไม่ไหว in your last example, although ไม่ไหว also works.

As for ผมได้สัญญากับเมียว่าจะไม่ดื่มเบียร์อีกต่อไป it is all correct.

Some variations for keep one's word/promise - more comments welcome as I am not 100% sure about all of them:

รักษาคำสัญญา = keep one's promise

มาตามสัญญา = come as promised

รักษาคำพูด = keep one's word

ทำตามที่พูดไว้ = do as promised

[Tywais]

รักษาคำสัญญา = keep one's promise

มาตามสัญญา = come as promised

รักษาคำพูด = keep one's word

ทำตามที้พูดไว้ = do as promised

Also to give one's word (make a promise) ให้สัญญา so maybe ไม่ไดให้สัญญา "I can't make a promise" would be a useful addition.

[loong]

I tend to use ไม่ไหว for situations where I am too lazy or lack the physical power to do something, so that is why I considered it's use here.

ไม่เป็น when I am physically unable to, lack the knowledge or would be harmful;- พูดภาษาไทย ไม่เป็น ; สูบบุหรี่ ไม่เป็น

ไม่ได้ almost universal, I guess

อดไม่ได้ is new to me and I can see how it fits perfectly here. I imagine that you can use it so;- ผมอยากจะ เลิก สูบบุหรี่ แต่ อดไม่ได้ is that right?

[Rinnam]

To Loong,

I think ทีหน้า can't be used it the first situation you spoke. It should be คราวหน้า (krow naa = 'next time') . You can also say ภายหน้า (paai naa/pie naa = next time but literally close to "in the future") but it will sound too formal.

I think you understand ทีหลัง quite correctly. As for ทีหน้า i think it is often used along with other words and it will better make sense.

To wasabi,

ภายหลัง, ทีหลัง, วันหลัง

They have a few differences. All means sth about later on. ภายหลัง sounds most formal. ทีหลัง and วันหลัง sounds are pretty much in the same level of formality which is quite casual and colloquial. Look at the word by word, ที means time and วัน means day. So ทีหลัง means next time, later time, some time in the future while วันหลัง means later day, next day or some day in the future. Think about those meaning in English I think you know that they are interchangable when speaking. So, it similarly applies to Thai pretty much in the same way you speak English.

Note that คราวหน้า is also similar to above words. Literally means next chance, later chance, next time, and later time. The formality of คราวหน้า is probably in the between ภายหลัง and ทีหลัง/วันหลัง but it is colloquial. I often use it even to my friends.

To All,

Thai ppl often speak sth which not literally means that but it gives similar meaning. It's like indirectly speaking sth. Not sure whether you can understand. Pls see the examples

เรากินเบอร์เกอร์ไม่เป็น literally means I can't eat berger.

Actually, it means 1) I don't like burger. Or maybe it could mean 2) I have never eaten berger. Well, in fact, everyone can eat berger...just bite, chew it and swollow. Ok, in some cases, it could mean that I can't eat berger (because I don't know to eat it properly). But it often actually means the first or the second meanings.

กินหนอนทอดเป็นหรือเปล่า literally means Can you eat fried worm?

similar to the first example, it usually means 1) Would you like to have fried worm? Or 2)Have you ever eaten fried worm? Again everyone can guess how to eat. But ppl ask whether you can eat because you will reply that you can. But if you they ask, would you like to eat or do you want to eat? You have to say yes, you want to eat and in the culture, it sounds like you are greedy to eat someone's food. So they invite you in the way that you can say yes without embarrasing yourself. Little complicated but hope you can understand.

เราไม่ชอบกินอาหารตอนกลางคืน Literlly means I don't like eating at night

This example can interpret to many meanings. But i would like to point out that ไม่ชอบ for Thai ppl oftens mean มักจะไม่ = hardly do, rarely do, not often do. And vice versa, sometimes ชอบ means 'often do'.

I'm not sure whether ชอบ and เป็น have this of kind of above meanings in English or not. If yes, i think you can easily understand.

[meadish_sweetball]

ขอแสดงความยินดีในการต้อนรับ คุณ รินน้ำเข้ามาสู่ Thaivisa Thai Language Forum นะครับ และ ณ โอกาสนี้ขอขอบคุณมากดว้ย ที่มาช่วยเพิ่มความรู้ภาษาไทยให้ทุกๆ คน

Excellent post, and very interesting points about the double meaning and cultural context of using เป็น. Hope to see more of your posts in the future.