ไหม And หรอ

[jaithai]

My tilac recently used หรอ at the end of a question. When I tried to get her to explain the difference between using หรอ and using ไหม to indicate a question, she gave some examples but I couldn't understand when one uses one and when one uses the other. Can someone please explain the difference and when to use each?

[wasabi]

I think you mean หรือ you forgot the vowel. It depends on the context it can mean or, but placed at the end of the sentence I think it's the same as ไหม

[aanon]

My tilac recently used หรอ at the end of a question. When I tried to get her to explain the difference between using หรอ and using ไหม to indicate a question, she gave some examples but I couldn't understand when one uses one and when one uses the other. Can someone please explain the difference and when to use each?

hi there,

use ไหม to form a question in general

use เหรอ or หรือ (or หรอ is another variant in the spoken language) to express mild surprise that something is the case (or sometimes to form a rhetorical question when you already know the answer)

eg.

จะไปไหม = are you going?

จะไปเหรอ = you're going, are you? (or in english we might say "oh, you're off?"

แม่มาแล้วเหรอ = mum's here, is she? (mildly surprised)

มาแล้วเหรอ = oh, you're here?

all the best.

Edited April 23, 2007 by aanon

[jaithai]

I think you mean หรือ you forgot the vowel. It depends on the context it can mean or, but placed at the end of the sentence I think it's the same as ไหม

Actually, I did forget the vowel. The word she used is: เหรอ

[meadish_sweetball]

Fully concur with aanon's explanation.

[jaithai]

Thanks, aanon & meadish. That makes it much clearer.

[bangsue]

yes, my gf uses it like aanon has explained.

another thing is, i often get questions asked that are formed like 'reu xxxx' , you know the usual 'gin khao reu yang?' or 'ja bpai reu bplao?'.

i thought that sometimes it may be a shortened version of those types of questions; eg. i have it in phrase books and think i occassionally hear - 'sabai dee reu?'

i guess in english it could be like shortening 'are you going or not?' to 'are you going, or?'

is that another usage?

[jaithai]

I think 'sabai dee mai?' is used as a polite form of inquiry -- like the English 'How are you?' You don't expect more than a cursory response, such as 'Fine.'

'sabai dee reu?' is used when you sincerely want to know what is happening with the person. Be prepared to hear details regarding health, etc.