i've always wanted to know how to ask this question, like, when do you start work? my dictionary gives me this word เริ่มต้น rerm-dton, for begin / start. (forgive my sloppy transliteration, i can only read a little) but as in that other excellent thread, i'm not sure if it's this word coming out of a foreign face, or maybe it's not a word thais commonly use, making the understanding more difficult. but whenever i've tried this i only get blank expressions. any suggestions on better word choice or an easily understandable phrase? i'm really only at the survival thai level, so simple phrases where it's difficult to miss-pronounce are better, what do the veterans think?

I'd say คุณเริ่มทำงานกี่โมง

To ask "What time do you finish work?" you could say คุณเลิกทำงานกี่โมง

thank-you for your reply withnail,

คุณ เริ่ม ทำงาน กี่ โมง

koon rêrm tam ngaan gèe mohng

yes, i'd been getting around this problem by asking time questions also. i think that word "ruhm" is correct, i guess a falling tone, i had a girl pronounce it for me a few times. the specific example i had trouble with was when i was trying to ask someone when school began (as now it's summer for thais). my pronunciation is probably the key problem. that is a most excellent phrase you gave though, hard to misunderstand.

โรงเรียนเปิดเมื่อไหร่ rohng rian bpèrt mêua-rài - When school begin?

For คุณเริ่มทำงานกี่โมง you can say it short as คุณเริ่มงานกี่โมง - koon rêrm ngaan gèe mohng

คุณเลิกทำงานกี่โมง is better to say คุณเลิกงานกี่โมง - koon lêrk ngaan gèe mohng

yes, yoot i think you nailed it.

โรงเรียนเปิดเมื่อไหร่ rohng rian bpèrt mêua-rài - School open when?

i know this word เปิด (bpèrt ) as to "turn-on" like a light but i'm

understanding it can also be used as "open". simple phrases,

economical word choice and at least an attempt with the tones

seems to get better results until i can read/write more.

Yes you should take the word ทำ out of both my examples, after reading Yoot's examples it occured to me that that's actually what I would have said anyway. Don't know why I put it in really.

Another example you might like to use is คุณเลิกเรียนกี่โมง What time do you finish studying?

Edited May 12, 200719 yr by withnail

thank-you for your reply withnail,

??? ????? ????? ??? ???

koon rêrm tam ngaan gèe mohng

yes, i'd been getting around this problem by asking time questions also. i think that word "ruhm" is correct, i guess a falling tone, i had a girl pronounce it for me a few times. the specific example i had trouble with was when i was trying to ask someone when school began (as now it's summer for thais). my pronunciation is probably the key problem. that is a most excellent phrase you gave though, hard to misunderstand.

I had a hard time with that for awhile, not in the context of ""what time do to start work?", but rather "when did you start working there?" It didn't make any sense when I tried asking it that way, and understandably so.

Then I finally realized that I should ask - the same as in English - "how long have you been working there?" (khun tam tii nan naan thao rai?)

"Naan" is an important word that I learned far too late in the game; it means "duration," and is often used for "how long?"

Farangs usually hear it when Thai people say: "Khun yuu meuangthai naan laeow," (have you been in Thailand long?") or, "Yuu meuangthai naan thao rai?" (how long have you been in Thailand?).

Edited May 12, 200719 yr by mangkorn