ที่ไหน

[loong]

I know that ที่ไหน means where? but also can mean everywhere.

There are, I believe many other question phrases that have similar qualities. (sorry, there is probably a grammatical way of putting this , but I have no idea)

I believe that the following is an example, please correct any mistakes.

เวลานี้ที่ผัทยาี่จะมองไปทางใหนก็มีแต่สิ่งก่อสร้างคอนกรีต

way-laa née têe-pàtayaa- jà mong bpai taang năi gôr mee dtàe sìng gòr sâang kon-grèed

Nowadays, in Pattaya every way I look I see only concrete constructions.

I would like to see some other examples of what seems to be a question phrases assuming this other role.

Many thanks to ผู้รูู้้

Edited February 7, 2007 by loong

[boxig]

As far as I know ที่ไหน has only one meaning: Where ?

Everywhere is ทุกหนแห่ง (Tuk Hon Heng) or ทุกหนทุกแห่ง (Tuk Hon Tuk Heng)

Anyplace is ที่ไหนก็ตาม (Ti Nai Go Tam)

Noplace, Nowhere is ไม่มีที่ไหน (Mai Mi Ti Nai) while ที่ไหนก็ได้ (Ti Nai Go Dai) is "Anywhere will do".

Othere words for "every place":

ทุก ๆ แห่ง (Tuk Tuk Heng), ทุกแห่ง (Tuk Heng), ทุกที่ (Tuk Ti)

Notice that Everywhere, Anyplace, Every place have a different meaning in English.

B

[aanon]

I know that ที่ไหน means where? but also can mean everywhere.

There are, I believe many other question phrases that have similar qualities. (sorry, there is probably a grammatical way of putting this , but I have no idea)

I believe that the following is an example, please correct any mistakes.

เวลานี้ที่ผัทยาี่จะมองไปทางใหนก็มีแต่สิ่งก่อสร้างคอนกรีต

way-laa née têe-pàtayaa- jà mong bpai taang năi gôr mee dtàe sìng gòr sâang kon-grèed

Nowadays, in Pattaya every way I look I see only concrete constructions.

I would like to see some other examples of what seems to be a question phrases assuming this other role.

Many thanks to ผู้รูู้้

hi loong,

my feeling is that

...จะมองไปทางใหนก็...

comes from shortening

...ไม่ว่าจะมองไปทางใหนก็...(regardless of which direction you look)

similarly you can have a sentence like

ผมเดินทางไปทั่วโลกแล้ว ถึงได้รู้ว่า ที่ไหน ๆ ไม่ดีเท่าบ้านเกิดตัวเอง

i've travelled all over the world and therefore know: there is nowhere as good as one's home country

here again, ที่ไหน is being used like ไม่ว่าจะที่ไหน (regardless of which place you're talking about). in other words, it means everywhere.

or, another example, i ask where can i find batteries for my walkman. the answer comes back:

ที่ไหนก็หาได้ (you can find them anywhere)

all the best.

[Richard W]

I would like to see some other examples of what seems to be a question phrases assuming this other role.

ไม่มีใคร functions pretty much as English 'no-one'. The use of an interogative as an indefinite is by no means unique to Thai - it also occurs in Latin, e.g. Cicero's si te in iudicium quis adducat 'if anyone should take you to court' (Philippicae Orationes 2.34)

[loong]

ไม่มีใคร functions pretty much as English 'no-one'. The use of an interogative as an indefinite is by no means unique to Thai - it also occurs in Latin, e.g. Cicero's si te in iudicium quis adducat 'if anyone should take you to court' (Philippicae Orationes 2.3

Thanks Richard, interrogative and indefinite, those are the words

ไม่มีใคร is a phrase that is used so often that it feels natural so cannot be confused with a question.

Same with ที่ไหนก็ได้ têe năi gôr dâai, เมื่อไหร่ก็ได mêua-rài gôr dâai, อะไร ก็ได à-rai gôr dâai; these just trip off the tongue as are used regularly.

As for "Anybody will do", it's not something that I say too often and have to think first ใครก็ได Krai gôr dâai, is, I believe the correct way but can you say คนไหนก็ได้ Kon năi gôr dâai ??

ผม เดินทาง ไป ทั่วโลก แล้ว ถึง ได้ รู้ว่า ที่ไหน ๆ ไม่ดี เท่า บ้านเกิด ตัวเอง

pŏm dern taang bpai tûa lôhk láew tĕung dâai róo wâa têe năi ๆ mâi dee tâo bâan gèrt dtua eng

Thanks Aanon.

Yours is a good example to highlight the difficulties that I have with the structure of sentences. It is easy for me to misunderstand.

เพราะเช่นนั้น prór chên nán is how I would normally say "Therefore", but you use ถึง ได, I think that I get the gist of that. But, ไม่ดี เท่า บ้านเกิด ตัวเอง is not so straightforward for me. I tend to think of ไม่ดี as one word meaning not good or bad so I can easily misunderstand your statement and interpret it as "equally as bad as my home country".

Any suggestions to help me with misunderstandings like this?

Edited February 8, 2007 by loong

[In the Rai!]

As for "Anybody will do", it's not something that I say too often and have to think first ใครก็ได Krai gôr dâai, is, I believe the correct way but can you say คนไหนก็ได้ Kon năi gôr dâai ??

Hi loong,

I usually use คนไหนก็ได more than the other but that is just me.

I guess the difference is

ใครก็ได anybody

คนไหนก็ได anyone

ผม เดินทาง ไป ทั่วโลก แล้ว ถึง ได้ รู้ว่า ที่ไหน ๆ ไม่ดี เท่า บ้านเกิด ตัวเอง

pŏm dern taang bpai tûa lô

Edited February 8, 2007 by In the Rai!

[loong]

Thanks ITR

Is the end of your post missing?

If you tend to use คนไหนก็ได and it is understood, then it must be OK. That's good, because it means that I won't have to stop and think if they are interchangeable.

[In the Rai!]

Thanks ITR

Is the end of your post missing?

If you tend to use คนไหนก็ได and it is understood, then it must be OK. That's good, because it means that I won't have to stop and think if they are interchangeable.

Yes Loong, sorry I dont know what happened to the rest of my post?

I was playing around with the quote and I lost the end.

Oh well. i was just saying that เพราะเช่นนั้น prór chên nán is how I would use as because.

ถึง ได้ รู้ว่า you could use as therefore but its just like saying " I have reached a level of knowing" Not good English I know, and would never use it like this in English.

ไม่ดี เท่า is just like saying "not as good as" so as per Aanons example I would say "nowhere is as good as the place I was born" or (hometown or home country)

cheers ITR

[meadish_sweetball]

Informal ถึง and its more formal cousin จึง can both be used as conjunctions with the approximate meaning 'thus; accordingly; consequently'.

[loong]

Thanks for the explanation ITR.

I'll have to try to remember ไม่ดี เท่า is used in this way.

When it is used as "not as good as" , I assume that you never use กับ or กัน with เท่า ???

[aanon]

ไม่มีใคร functions pretty much as English 'no-one'. The use of an interogative as an indefinite is by no means unique to Thai - it also occurs in Latin, e.g. Cicero's si te in iudicium quis adducat 'if anyone should take you to court' (Philippicae Orationes 2.3

Thanks Richard, interrogative and indefinite, those are the words

ไม่มีใคร is a phrase that is used so often that it feels natural so cannot be confused with a question.

Same with ที่ไหนก็ได้ têe năi gôr dâai, เมื่อไหร่ก็ได mêua-rài gôr dâai, อะไร ก็ได à-rai gôr dâai; these just trip off the tongue as are used regularly.

As for "Anybody will do", it's not something that I say too often and have to think first ใครก็ได Krai gôr dâai, is, I believe the correct way but can you say คนไหนก็ได้ Kon năi gôr dâai ??

ผม เดินทาง ไป ทั่วโลก แล้ว ถึง ได้ รู้ว่า ที่ไหน ๆ ไม่ดี เท่า บ้านเกิด ตัวเอง

pŏm dern taang bpai tûa lôhk láew tĕung dâai róo wâa têe năi ๆ mâi dee tâo bâan gèrt dtua eng

Thanks Aanon.

Yours is a good example to highlight the difficulties that I have with the structure of sentences. It is easy for me to misunderstand.

เพราะเช่นนั้น prór chên nán is how I would normally say "Therefore", but you use ถึง ได, I think that I get the gist of that. But, ไม่ดี เท่า บ้านเกิด ตัวเอง is not so straightforward for me. I tend to think of ไม่ดี as one word meaning not good or bad so I can easily misunderstand your statement and interpret it as "equally as bad as my home country".

Any suggestions to help me with misunderstandings like this?

ผม เดินทาง ไป ทั่วโลก แล้ว ถึง ได้ รู้ว่า ที่ไหน ๆ ไม่ดี เท่า บ้านเกิด ตัวเอง

thinking about it, i've decided i want to add a ก็

ผมเดินทางไปทั่วโลกแล้ว ถึงได้รู้ว่า ที่ไหน ๆ ก็ไม่ดีเท่าบ้านเกิดตัวเอง

as for the ambiguity, i know what you mean. all i can suggest is try breaking up the words differently:

instead of ไม่ดี เท่าบ้านเกิด

think of it as ไม่ ดีเท่า บ้านเกิด (not...as good as...home)

perhaps it is the frequency with which ไม่ดี appears in thai that makes you immediately think of the 'bad' meaning. but think of ไม่...เท่า as a separate construction. the middle word might be เก่ง, สูง, สวย, แพง etc.

and the meaning with be 'not as (some adjective) as'.

i think if a thai person wanted to say "equally as bad as... " they would go directly for "แย่เท่า ๆ กับ...".

all the best.

[loong]

Thanks for that Aanon, I will try to remember that ไม and ดี are 2 separate words and consider what the ดี is associated with.

Another small step forward in my comprehension of sentence structure.