Why do they say "bpen marang ( มะเร็ง )" instead of "mee marang" when someone has cancer? Does the same apply to all illnesses or only cancer? So, for instance, if some had TB, would bpen be used instead of mee?

I'm going to take a guess until Meadish, our Thai guru, comes on board.

Mee means 'have' while bpen means has (in this context). Such as bpen waht - has a cold, bpen kai - has a fever, bpen marang - has cancer (rather then have a cancer if you used mee).

You say "bpen wat" as well for "have a cold"

Beat me to it Tywais

Edited February 8, 200719 yr by ashacat

True, hadn't even thought of "bpen wat". makes sense I guess.

Some also use ฉัน หวัดกิน (wat kin), for saying they have a cold.

I also think it funny that the word หาย is used for recovered from an illness.

When you think of หาย in it's usual sense "to lose" it seems funny to "Lose an illness"

เป็น when used with a sickness translates as "to be inflicted with"

Edited February 8, 200719 yr by loong

It really is just a matter of convention, and nothing that can be analysed that deeply.

เป็น is used for all types of illnesses and diseases.

In French and Thai, you 'have' your age, and in English and Swedish you 'are' X years.

In Swedish you say 'Jag är förkyld' (I am "encoldened") and in English you 'have a cold' and before you have it, you have to 'catch' it first (which to a Swede hearing it for the first time, sounds like it was running away and you had to hunt it down).

Lots of these things to ponder when it comes to language. They become formalized and once you have used them enough times you stop thinking about them.

They become formalized and once you have used them enough times you stop thinking about them.

Good point. The terms above I've always thought as effectively one word and never considered the use of 'bpen' as separate to it.

Ill give this a try...never did the proper thai learning....

when I try to translate the use of 'bpen' I think of it as 'to be' (not very well explained..but maybe the below is a clearer explanation of what Im thinking....)

but to say 'mee' would equate with 'to have' in the sense of 'to own'. I wouldnt think of owning a cold, or any other illness, hence 'bpen wad' instead of 'mee wad'

Why do they say "a running nose" in English, when it is not the nose that is running ...

Addendum to "bpen wat": among colleagues we used to joke "What? You are a WHOLE pagoda? GOSH!"

Edited February 8, 200719 yr by sutnyod

It really is just a matter of convention, and nothing that can be analysed that deeply.

And on the other hand, one says here: Mee loc ... (i have sickness...), such as a doctor asking a patient: 'mee loc pbajam toah mai?'

I was just asking my wife, she does not speak perfect Thai though, and she said that instead of 'bpen wat' (i have a cold), one can also say: 'mee wat', while the latter - 'mee wat' is a more polite form, and 'bpen wat, colloquial, and better to use in a common setting if one does not want to appear snotty.