Why Thai people think that Farang only get Thai wifes?

[GinBoy2]

16 minutes ago, scorecard said:

Is that because:

 

1. Plenty of Americans are not aware that there are other languages, or

2. Are aware that other languages exist but assume that every person in the world speaks English (as their first language).

 

 

Maybe I should re think what I said since thinking about it, it does happen.

I'm Hispanic, and I have encountered the situation where people assume I speak Spanish, which I do, but the assumption was all based on how I look.

 

One of my biggest regrets is I didn't teach my son Spanish as a baby. We had a plan I only spoke English and Mandarin, Mom only spoke Thai and Lao so the kid ended up with all four languages. 

But how cool if he could speak Spanish as well?

 

That would truly screw with peoples minds! LOL

Edited January 27, 2021 by GinBoy2

[recom273]

23 minutes ago, GinBoy2 said:

The reason that funny little vid jives me is personal experience. 

 

I can speak fluent Thai and Lao, yet with my wife there I can speak and it's like I'm invisible, everything is directed to her

 

Now that is a question - Why is it that if you are on your own, for example at the hardware or motorbike spares shop, and you can have a decent conversation in Thai - firstly about buying something, followed by the usual inquisitive questions - get compliments about how you speak Thai so well and you can pass a pleasant 10 mins before bidding farwell? Not that my Thai is amazing, but I people seem to be willing to decipher my incorrect tones and sentences when i'm alone.

 

 Yet, like you say, as soon as the wife is there, you may aswell be the invisible man speaking Russian.

 

I do understand why, but both myself and my wife just think its a ridiculous scene sometimes especially when staff will look to your wife for a translation of the Thai you have just spoken.

[Surelynot]

Just now, recom273 said:

I can speak fluent Thai and Lao

Wow.....I can only just manage English...so jealous.

[GinBoy2]

1 minute ago, recom273 said:

 

Now that is a question - Why is it that if you are on your own, for example at the hardware or motorbike spares shop, and you can have a decent conversation in Thai - firstly about buying something, followed by the usual inquisitive questions - get compliments about how you speak Thai so well and you can pass a pleasant 10 mins before bidding farwell? Not that my Thai is amazing, but I people seem to be willing to decipher my incorrect tones and sentences when i'm alone.

 

 Yet, like you say, as soon as the wife is there, you may aswell be the invisible man speaking Russian.

 

I do understand why, but both myself and my wife just think its a ridiculous scene sometimes especially when staff will look to your wife for a translation of the Thai you have just spoken.

It's quite bizarre. Because I had struggled to learn Mandarin a couple of decades before moving to Thailand, the tonal thing came easy, so it's not like there is any real struggle to understand me, but like you said if I have a Thai stood next to me I might as well be speaking Russian

[spidermike007]

When we were traveling in Vietnam, Malaysia, and even in Bali, some would speak the local language to my Thai wife. It is natural to presume she is local. Same would apply here, of most any Asian woman, unless she was clearly NOT Thai in appearance. I don't consider this particularly odd. 

 

And the presumption that your wife is Thai, may be based on the significant number of wise foreign men here, who do hook up with a Thai woman! 

[1FinickyOne]

I might be going out on a limb here, but probably for the same reason that when I am in the USA people just assume I speak English... 

 

This is Thailand, she looks Thai whether you are with her or not, so people speak to her in Thai... 

 

 

[1FinickyOne]

1 hour ago, 2530Ubon said:

why on earth does she always get the change?

maybe she looks like she deserves it? 

[CrunchWrapSupreme]

My lovely Issan wife ???????????????? has been mistaken for Filipina ???????? by the lovely Filipino staff at Sunrise Tacos ???? in Mega Bangna. ????

[ctxa]

2 minutes ago, CrunchWrapSupreme said:

My lovely Issan wife ???????????????? has been mistaken for Filipina ???????? by the lovely Filipino staff at Sunrise Tacos ???? in Mega Bangna. ????

You really love ❤️  Mexican ???????? food ????????????

Edited January 27, 2021 by ctxa

[2530Ubon]

2 minutes ago, CrunchWrapSupreme said:

My lovely Issan wife ???????????????? has been mistaken for Filipina ???????? by the lovely Filipino staff at Sunrise Tacos ???? in Mega Bangna. ????

How are they working as restaurant staff? I thought that was on the list of forbidden jobs for aliens.

[CraigInBangkok]

15 minutes ago, 2530Ubon said:

How are they working as restaurant staff? I thought that was on the list of forbidden jobs for aliens.

sounds like a job for the immigration super BMW's

[LoliLoso]

3 hours ago, Pravda said:

Such a cutting edge thought provoking topic. 

 

BTW, my wife is Chinese and she speaks Thai. 

 

 

You have the best of both World mate ????

[Encore]

When with my Filipina GF in Thailand the first thing I taught her to say in Thai was 'I am sorry but I do not understand.  I am from the Philippines'.  Many Thai did not believe her and continued to talk to her in Thai until I interceded and spoke in Thai, to their chagrin.  When I had a Thai GF she would say to them in Thai  'You should talk to my husband' ... lol

[ChipButty]

I joke with my wife "Luck GI" if you know you know

[ChristianBlessing]

7 hours ago, ctxa said:

Sure, I mean like I said by the look it would be almost impossible for them to tell apart Chinese and Thai. 
 

But what surprises me, and always make me laugh is that Thais prefer to believe that we are cheating them and that she is actually a Thai who doesn’t feel like speaking Thai, rather than believing she simply is not Thai. Amuses me ????

If neither you nor your wife speak or understand Thai, how exactly are you drawing this conclusion?

[ericthai]

6 hours ago, scorecard said:

Is that because:

 

1. Plenty of Americans are not aware that there are other languages, or

2. Are aware that other languages exist but assume that every person in the world speaks English (as their first language).

 

 

Has it been a awhile since you were in the USA?  Half the country speaks Spanish!

allot places in the USA you still have to press 1 if you want English!! 

[ctxa]

2 hours ago, ChristianBlessing said:

If neither you nor your wife speak or understand Thai, how exactly are you drawing this conclusion?

Because that policeman which I talk about in my first post, didn't stop talking in Thai to my wife until she showed him her passport cover. Then he nicely asked us in English to go. So I am completely sure that the policeman was thinking we were hiding something and I had told my wife to seem like a foreigner to avoid questions ????

 

And when it comes to other people, what is the sense in keep talking Thai to her after she has already told them 1 or 2 times that she doesn't speak Thai. Must be that they think they're being lied to! 

Edited January 27, 2021 by ctxa

[RichardColeman]

9 hours ago, ctxa said:

Question is, why do Thai people seem to think that Farang in Thailand only get Thai wives when their wives look Asian? ????

Better question is why do people in our home countries always assume our Asian wives are ex hookers ? 

[ctxa]

1 hour ago, RichardColeman said:

Better question is why do people in our home countries always assume our Asian wives are ex hookers ? 

 

The people in farangland who ask that question have a history of coming to Asia in the past? If so, there's your answer ????

 

We have a saying in Spanish: "Se cree el ladron que son todos de su misma condición", something like "A thief believes everyone else also steals"

Edited January 27, 2021 by ctxa

[GinBoy2]

5 hours ago, ctxa said:

 

The people in farangland who ask that question have a history of coming to Asia in the past? If so, there's your answer ????

 

We have a saying in Spanish: "Se cree el ladron que son todos de su misma condición", something like "A thief believes everyone else also steals"

Obviously as an Hispanic I speak Spanish and totally get the phrase.

But my translation in to English would be more along the lines of; 

 

It takes one to know one!

[GinBoy2]

15 hours ago, recom273 said:

 

Now that is a question - Why is it that if you are on your own, for example at the hardware or motorbike spares shop, and you can have a decent conversation in Thai - firstly about buying something, followed by the usual inquisitive questions - get compliments about how you speak Thai so well and you can pass a pleasant 10 mins before bidding farwell? Not that my Thai is amazing, but I people seem to be willing to decipher my incorrect tones and sentences when i'm alone.

 

 Yet, like you say, as soon as the wife is there, you may aswell be the invisible man speaking Russian.

 

I do understand why, but both myself and my wife just think its a ridiculous scene sometimes especially when staff will look to your wife for a translation of the Thai you have just spoken.

I've long since given up trying to understand it.

 

My Thai, tonally is as good as anyone. My vocabulary of course isn't as good as a native, but it's certainly as good as the farangs you see on Thai TV shows.

 

But all that means nothing as soon as a Asian face is standing next to me

[Pravda]

20 hours ago, 2530Ubon said:

How are they working as restaurant staff? I thought that was on the list of forbidden jobs for aliens.

 

Actually, now that the other guy has mentioned it, at every single Sunrise Taco branch I visited there are only Filipinos employed. It's like they have a wholesale deal with this country. 

 

Also a lot of Filipinos work in Paragon.... probably has to do with their English ability. 

[ctxa]

59 minutes ago, Pravda said:

 

Actually, now that the other guy has mentioned it, at every single Sunrise Taco branch I visited there are only Filipinos employed. It's like they have a wholesale deal with this country. 

 

Also a lot of Filipinos work in Paragon.... probably has to do with their English ability. 

I’ve been to Sunrise Tacos in Terminal 21 Sukhumvit, and I don’t know if they were filipino or not. BUT, their English proficiency seemed lower to me than many other places where the waiters are Thai. 
 

I know many people say Thai people have a very low level of English. But me living in China, I think Thais speak very nice English most of them, btw. Guess everything is relative...