Initiation phrases

[rak sa_ngop]

An easy remedy to this, as I do often find myself in places where most Thais don't expect farangs to be able to speak Thai, I offer some quick pleasantries, and perhaps even a bit of "poot-len," to establish right off that they need not be afraid that their English is insufficient to deal with this farang.

I agree completely with the above about how important it is to establish that you - the farang - has a bit of Thai and would like to (try and) converse in Thai.

Apart from the common sa wat dii krap/ka, sabaai dii mai/reu what other favourite phrases or greetings do people use to initiate this contact.

I have some but they are based on Laos greetings, so sometimes I get a laugh if they understand. I would like to learn a few more Thai phrases so if there are any suggestions out there.........?

Thanks

[meadish_sweetball]

Split from another thread to keep topics separated.

[jdinasia]

Pretty much the same things you'd do in any language ... if it is a transaction .. stick to that ...

if it is social .. exchange names ask age etc

By now you have to know the 5 standard discussions ... so branch away from those ... ask about things you might want to know etc

[soundman]

An easy remedy to this, as I do often find myself in places where most Thais don't expect farangs to be able to speak Thai, I offer some quick pleasantries, and perhaps even a bit of "poot-len," to establish right off that they need not be afraid that their English is insufficient to deal with this farang.

I agree completely with the above about how important it is to establish that you - the farang - has a bit of Thai and would like to (try and) converse in Thai.

Apart from the common sa wat dii krap/ka, sabaai dii mai/reu what other favourite phrases or greetings do people use to initiate this contact.

I have some but they are based on Laos greetings, so sometimes I get a laugh if they understand. I would like to learn a few more Thai phrases so if there are any suggestions out there.........?

Thanks

Wait for the Thai person to ask you another question (or make a statement) in English & answer that in Thai. Speak slowly at first because quite often the Thai person is not expecting the answer in Thai, & will simply miss hear you whilst their brain is actually waiting for an answer in english.

Cheers,

Soundman.

[OxfordWill]

I have one easy reply to this which works 99% of the time for me.. if you know the phrase "leo kor" sort of like "and then..", you can just shorten it to "..kor.." so you start your sentence/reply with a falling tone as if you are thinking about what to say.. "..KOR.." and then the listener seems to always switch intuitively to listening for Thai language.

If listening to Thai people you will often hear this word used to break up sentences and particularly to start answers/replies to questions.

Hope that helps..

[rak sa_ngop]

Most of these replies are not really what I am looking for. I was thinking of different ways to greet people in a jokey Thai familiar way which were less common and more colloquial than the standard "sa wat di khrap" (which even non-Thai speakers know).

For example in English you could say: How you're going, How you're doing, What's up, What's new, How's it going How's it hanging, How's things etc etc.

A colloquial Laos greeting could be " Ju di mi heeng bo?" i.e roughly translated into Thai "Mi (kwaam) reeng mai?" or into English " are you strong/fit?"

Any suggestions for other Thai greetings?

[soundman]

Most of these replies are not really what I am looking for. I was thinking of different ways to greet people in a jokey Thai familiar way which were less common and more colloquial than the standard "sa wat di khrap" (which even non-Thai speakers know).

For example in English you could say: How you're going, How you're doing, What's up, What's new, How's it going How's it hanging, How's things etc etc.

A colloquial Laos greeting could be " Ju di mi heeng bo?" i.e roughly translated into Thai "Mi (kwaam) reeng mai?" or into English " are you strong/fit?"

Any suggestions for other Thai greetings?

Gin kao yung - Literally - have you eaten yet?

Polite & informal way of inquiring about someone's state of affairs ie. personal wellbeing, health etc.

Will be really appreciated by thai people of chinese background.

Cheers,

Soundman.

[soundman]

Most of these replies are not really what I am looking for. I was thinking of different ways to greet people in a jokey Thai familiar way which were less common and more colloquial than the standard "sa wat di khrap" (which even non-Thai speakers know).

For example in English you could say: How you're going, How you're doing, What's up, What's new, How's it going How's it hanging, How's things etc etc.

A colloquial Laos greeting could be " Ju di mi heeng bo?" i.e roughly translated into Thai "Mi (kwaam) reeng mai?" or into English " are you strong/fit?"

Any suggestions for other Thai greetings?

Amongst close friends:

ว่าไง or เป็นไง - wah ngai or bpen ngai - how's it going.

Cheers,

Soundman.

[OxfordWill]

You might get thought badly of if you use these with the wrong person though. Better not to try to be informal, it's not always seen as harmless like it is in English

[soundman]

You might get thought badly of if you use these with the wrong person though. Better not to try to be informal, it's not always seen as harmless like it is in English

Good point for the novice thai speaker.

Unless you are very sure of the social position you are communicating within, better not to speak informally or in slang.

The better your thai language becomes, the more times you will be likely to put your foot in your mouth in the eyes of the thai people & you will get looks implying that you should know better than to talk like that.

Learn to speak & be comfortable with the correct way first so as to avoid sticky situations down the track.

Cheers,

Soundman.

[jdinasia]

Most of these replies are not really what I am looking for. I was thinking of different ways to greet people in a jokey Thai familiar way which were less common and more colloquial than the standard "sa wat di khrap" (which even non-Thai speakers know).

For example in English you could say: How you're going, How you're doing, What's up, What's new, How's it going How's it hanging, How's things etc etc.

A colloquial Laos greeting could be " Ju di mi heeng bo?" i.e roughly translated into Thai "Mi (kwaam) reeng mai?" or into English " are you strong/fit?"

Any suggestions for other Thai greetings?

Not for use with strangers ..

Polite is the way to go when meeting people for the first time

re:" kin khao yung?" ---- not a question ... try 'kin khao rue yung' instead

a common greeting question around here is pai nai maa?

Edited May 26, 2007 by jdinasia

[soundman]

re:" kin khao yung?" ---- not a question ... try 'kin khao rue yung' instead

JD you are quite correct, however, I would point out that in spoken thai the "reu" is dropped nine times out of ten, especially in an informal but polite setting, say with your parents in law.

Cheers,

Soundman.

[jdinasia]

Sorry ... have never heard the question marker dropped.

The initial post seems to be referring to people that don't know you speak any Thai so I'd assume that making yourself as clear as possible would be kind of important.

[mangkorn]

Most of these replies are not really what I am looking for. I was thinking of different ways to greet people in a jokey Thai familiar way which were less common and more colloquial than the standard "sa wat di khrap" (which even non-Thai speakers know).

For example in English you could say: How you're going, How you're doing, What's up, What's new, How's it going How's it hanging, How's things etc etc.

A colloquial Laos greeting could be " Ju di mi heeng bo?" i.e roughly translated into Thai "Mi (kwaam) reeng mai?" or into English " are you strong/fit?"

Any suggestions for other Thai greetings?

I think it's a matter of style much more than substance, don't you?

Whatever one might say, I think it's important to produce the "musicality" that Thai people will recognize (and to present yourself in a friendly manner). Many farangs may learn a lot of words but don't manage to communicate them well because of atrocious accents and/or horrible pronunciation of consonants and vowels, as well as the tones. It vital when learning any new language to be a parrot - to listen well - in order to replicate words and phrases in the manner that the local people do. In Spanish, people from Argentina and people from Puerto Rico can barely understand each other, unless they too make a point of listening well when they find themselves in a different country. And in a tonal language, the musicality is even more important.

I'd say that making greetings in a light-hearted manner depends on the given situation (even how silly you want to be). I go to a fish-seller that sometimes has smoked snowfish, which I prefer. The first time, I inquired in Thai if it was snowing. Two of the women thought I was totally nuts, but the other one got it and she found it to be quite funny; ever since, whenever I show up, they all say that it has either snowed or it hasn't. I know it's silly, but now we all have a relationship beyond the simple cash transaction.

One thing that often works like a charm, even in Krung Thep, is to use the Lao phrase for "a-roi mai?" when you see people eating who are from Isan (that's pretty easy to suss out; even in Chinatown, they are the vast majority of the population, these days). When I walk down any street in the city and say in passing "saeb baw" - if reasonably certain they are from Isan - I invariably get invited to sit down with them. Have made a lot of friends that way. It's just a simple two-word expression, but many people say "oh, you speak Isan - you are welcome with us..."

The suggestion from another poster to ask if someone has eaten yet is a good all-purpose greeting, although I think it is actually "Gin kao reu yung" - have you eaten (or not) yet.

Once, I went into a chemist's shop and asked if they sold "yaa baa" - which horrified a couple of people, but greatly amused a couple of the others. So we bacame pals, and I a regular customer. Another day, someone new behind the counter sold me some medication at a price I was sure was wrong, but I held my tongue. Returned a few days later, bought the same thing and got the right price. Then I asked the owner if they had farang/Thai dual prices, to which she said, "not for you, because you speak Thai so well." I told her I was charged a farang price the other day, just to let her know, but didn't want to make a big deal out of it. I was halfway out the door when she called me back and handed me 60 baht from the till.

Now, whenever I go into any chemist's shop, I ask if they sell "yaa baa" - of course making it absolutely clear that it's just a joke, and then continuing on with unambiguously non-threatening banter. Even buying aspirin can be fun, if you want it to be.

I believe that Asia and Latin America (whence I hail) are similar in the sense that the market - and marketing in general - has an important social funtion, beyond just the commercial function. That seems to be lacking or non-existent in Europe and the USA, I believe. It is much more fun to make some kind of minor human connection in addition to the transaction, albeit just small talk. Thai people love to chat with you, if you can speak Thai. In my experience, most of them simply assume that you don't, which - considering that the vast majority of farangs don't - is a very reasonable assumption.

During my first months here, I thought all of that "land of smiles" stuff was a load of <deleted>, at least in my neighbourhood. But I finally realized that I am the one who must initiate a conversation. Otherwise, people assume I don't speak Thai, and since they don't speak English, they just figure: what's the point of even initiating what will probably be an awkward and ultimately unsatisfying encounter; better to just ignore the farang. And that makes a lot of sense. Ah, but when you inititate the conversation, you do enter into a different place.

Again, in the market one day, I needed to buy an electrical gizmo, a simple and cheap thing. The price was written on it, and so I paid it. Then the vendor started chatting with me, and we had a nice time of it for about two minutes, whereupon she pulled a 20-baht note out of her apron and handed it to me, saying, "because you speak Thai so well I will give you the fairer price." That was astonishing to me, because we were not bargaining; the transaction was already completed. She literally took money out of her pocket, and I believe that was because of the aforementioned social function of the market.

Well, that's my two satangs. May be all it's worth, too, but there ya have it.

Oh, and thanks for the "Ju di mi heeng bo?" Can't wait to use that on my next trip to Lao.

Cheers.

[mangkorn]

Sorry ... have never heard the question marker dropped.

The initial post seems to be referring to people that don't know you speak any Thai so I'd assume that making yourself as clear as possible would be kind of important.

I agree. One may not hear it clearly, but it is said.

When I first began hearing the phrase, I thought it was "...rian" - which made no sense. It took awhile before I could "hear" it properly.

[rak sa_ngop]

A more formal way to say 'Enjoy" or "Bon apetite" when you see people eating in Laos is to say 'Soen Seep'.

ie. invite + tasty. (In Thai this would be equivalent to เชิญ + อร่อย i.e choen + a-roi).

What can you say in Thai (apart from a-roi mai?)

[mangkorn]

A more formal way to say 'Enjoy" or "Bon apetite" when you see people eating in Laos is to say 'Soen Seep'.

ie. invite + tasty. (In Thai this would be equivalent to ???? + ????? i.e choen + a-roi).

What can you say in Thai (apart from a-roi mai?)

I would love to know if there is a Thai phrase for "bon apetit." I rather doubt it, though.

In Spanish language, it is a cultural imperative to say the linguistic equivalent whenever you see someone eating.

But, perhaps because Thai people are always eating, it surely would be a bit too much to have everyone saying that to each other all the time...

[meadish_sweetball]

I would love to know if there is a Thai phrase for "bon apetit." I rather doubt it, though.

thaan/kin hai aroi na (kha/khrap)

..but just like you say, it isn't said nearly as often as the same type of phrase in some other languages.

Probecho!

[mangkorn]

I would love to know if there is a Thai phrase for "bon apetit." I rather doubt it, though.

thaan/kin hai aroi na (kha/khrap)

..but just like you say, it isn't said nearly as often as the same type of phrase in some other languages.

Probecho!

Thanks, Meadish. But that would be (buen) provecho, with a /v/. And even though too many latinos themselves screw up the spelling distinctions between the /v/ and /b/, there is a difference - when pronounced properly, that is.

Cheers (or however you say that in Sverige)

Edited May 26, 2007 by mangkorn

[mangkorn]

Not exactly a greeting, but I have had great loads of fun with this reply to the inevitable "tham-mai poot thai keng" - which was suggested to me by a funny and delightful teacher I once had, and apparently comes from a song that was once somewhat popular:

"poot mai khawy keng dtae rak mot jai..."

That usually provokes raucous laughter and appreciation (or, sometimes, a visceral reaction that may or may not include the verbalization of "dtor lae," depending on the level of familiarity...)

As ever, apologies for not writing in Thai script: one needs Unicode UTF-8 to be activated in order to read Thai script in my posts, and I gather that most people don't use it (sigh).

Edited May 26, 2007 by mangkorn

[CSS]

Most of these replies are not really what I am looking for. I was thinking of different ways to greet people in a jokey Thai familiar way which were less common and more colloquial than the standard "sa wat di khrap" (which even non-Thai speakers know).

For example in English you could say: How you're going, How you're doing, What's up, What's new, How's it going How's it hanging, How's things etc etc.

A colloquial Laos greeting could be " Ju di mi heeng bo?" i.e roughly translated into Thai "Mi (kwaam) reeng mai?" or into English " are you strong/fit?"

Any suggestions for other Thai greetings?

I think it's a matter of style much more than substance, don't you?

Whatever one might say, I think it's important to produce the "musicality" that Thai people will recognize (and to present yourself in a friendly manner). Many farangs may learn a lot of words but don't manage to communicate them well because of atrocious accents and/or horrible pronunciation of consonants and vowels, as well as the tones. It vital when learning any new language to be a parrot - to listen well - in order to replicate words and phrases in the manner that the local people do. In Spanish, people from Argentina and people from Puerto Rico can barely understand each other, unless they too make a point of listening well when they find themselves in a different country. And in a tonal language, the musicality is even more important.

I'd say that making greetings in a light-hearted manner depends on the given situation (even how silly you want to be). I go to a fish-seller that sometimes has smoked snowfish, which I prefer. The first time, I inquired in Thai if it was snowing. Two of the women thought I was totally nuts, but the other one got it and she found it to be quite funny; ever since, whenever I show up, they all say that it has either snowed or it hasn't. I know it's silly, but now we all have a relationship beyond the simple cash transaction.

One thing that often works like a charm, even in Krung Thep, is to use the Lao phrase for "a-roi mai?" when you see people eating who are from Isan (that's pretty easy to suss out; even in Chinatown, they are the vast majority of the population, these days). When I walk down any street in the city and say in passing "saeb baw" - if reasonably certain they are from Isan - I invariably get invited to sit down with them. Have made a lot of friends that way. It's just a simple two-word expression, but many people say "oh, you speak Isan - you are welcome with us..."

The suggestion from another poster to ask if someone has eaten yet is a good all-purpose greeting, although I think it is actually "Gin kao reu yung" - have you eaten (or not) yet.

Once, I went into a chemist's shop and asked if they sold "yaa baa" - which horrified a couple of people, but greatly amused a couple of the others. So we bacame pals, and I a regular customer. Another day, someone new behind the counter sold me some medication at a price I was sure was wrong, but I held my tongue. Returned a few days later, bought the same thing and got the right price. Then I asked the owner if they had farang/Thai dual prices, to which she said, "not for you, because you speak Thai so well." I told her I was charged a farang price the other day, just to let her know, but didn't want to make a big deal out of it. I was halfway out the door when she called me back and handed me 60 baht from the till.

Now, whenever I go into any chemist's shop, I ask if they sell "yaa baa" - of course making it absolutely clear that it's just a joke, and then continuing on with unambiguously non-threatening banter. Even buying aspirin can be fun, if you want it to be.

I believe that Asia and Latin America (whence I hail) are similar in the sense that the market - and marketing in general - has an important social funtion, beyond just the commercial function. That seems to be lacking or non-existent in Europe and the USA, I believe. It is much more fun to make some kind of minor human connection in addition to the transaction, albeit just small talk. Thai people love to chat with you, if you can speak Thai. In my experience, most of them simply assume that you don't, which - considering that the vast majority of farangs don't - is a very reasonable assumption.

During my first months here, I thought all of that "land of smiles" stuff was a load of <deleted>, at least in my neighbourhood. But I finally realized that I am the one who must initiate a conversation. Otherwise, people assume I don't speak Thai, and since they don't speak English, they just figure: what's the point of even initiating what will probably be an awkward and ultimately unsatisfying encounter; better to just ignore the farang. And that makes a lot of sense. Ah, but when you inititate the conversation, you do enter into a different place.

Again, in the market one day, I needed to buy an electrical gizmo, a simple and cheap thing. The price was written on it, and so I paid it. Then the vendor started chatting with me, and we had a nice time of it for about two minutes, whereupon she pulled a 20-baht note out of her apron and handed it to me, saying, "because you speak Thai so well I will give you the fairer price." That was astonishing to me, because we were not bargaining; the transaction was already completed. She literally took money out of her pocket, and I believe that was because of the aforementioned social function of the market.

Well, that's my two satangs. May be all it's worth, too, but there ya have it.

Oh, and thanks for the "Ju di mi heeng bo?" Can't wait to use that on my next trip to Lao.

Cheers.

I just wanted to say I completely agree about the social function of markets in Thailand and Latin American. As you said, it's being able to make these human encounters while doing seemingly mundane transactions that I like so much while in Thailand or Central America. One of my favorite things actually.

[CSS]

A more formal way to say 'Enjoy" or "Bon apetite" when you see people eating in Laos is to say 'Soen Seep'.

ie. invite + tasty. (In Thai this would be equivalent to เชิญ + อร่อย i.e choen + a-roi).

What can you say in Thai (apart from a-roi mai?)

In this context I'll sometimes say น่ากินจังเลย nâa gin jang loie or ถูกปากไหม tòok bpàak măi

In some contexts I also say กิน ก็ อยู่ทอ้งไหม yòo tóng măi Basically asking them if their full. I guess I use that phrase more often in response to whether the food was good(in certain contexts) ก็ อร่อยแต่ไม่อยู่ท้อง (I may like the phrase because I'm constantly hungry) It's a way to say I'm still hungry but as a consequence of the food being "light" rather than not eating enough. People from the Essan will often say this about white rice, preferring the more sustaining (in their minds and mine) sticky rice. กินข้าวสวยไม่อยู่ท้องเลย

[sutnyod]

I have some but they are based on Laos greetings, so sometimes I get a laugh if they understand. I would like to learn a few more Thai phrases so if there are any suggestions out there.........?

That would be either "sabidai" or "you daeng me h..." (moderators, please have mercy)

But I would not recommend to use them in Thailand. Thais are much more formal.

Back to the original question: very often Thais hear how you pronounce a word. Was asked at the railway station where I was going and answered curtly 'Ubon'. Got raised eyebrowns and 'wow, your Thai is very good'.

Some initiation phrases would be fill-words, such as

thua thip thua daen

phileuk philam

maloong toongting

etc.

[stonybonytony]

Mangkorn,

I learnt how to enable UTF 8 on my PC just so I could read your posts! Please don't stop posting in Thai characters, I find it much more useful than the transliterations.

[mangkorn]

I just wanted to say I completely agree about the social function of markets in Thailand and Latin American. As you said, it's being able to make these human encounters while doing seemingly mundane transactions that I like so much while in Thailand or Central America. One of my favorite things actually.

Here's one for ya, CSS (and it's probably just one of thousands): on the big weekly market day in one Guatemalan town, an indigenous woman who had trudged down from her mountainside home managed to sell nearly all of her tomatoes by mid-morning. For most of the rest of the day, she refused to sell the last dozen to anybody. When I observed that, I asked her why not? She explained that she would feel compelled to go back home when she sold out completely, and it was still too soon.

It was market day, after all. And that's a special day...

Cheers.

[mangkorn]

Mangkorn,

I learnt how to enable UTF 8 on my PC just so I could read your posts! Please don't stop posting in Thai characters, I find it much more useful than the transliterations.

Thanks. You might be the only one. From now on, I'll write: "Warning: Unicode UTF-8 Alert" - whenever I post in Thai script.

[Doggsy]

i second that. Please don't stop writing in thai script. I find it very difficult to work out other people's transliteration and find it much easier when i can just read the thai script. Helps me remember it as well.

[stateman]

Amongst close friends:

ว่าไง or เป็นไง - wah ngai or bpen ngai - how's it going.

Soundman.

I feel ว่าไงครับ or เป็นไงครับ would do.

It shows you are more at ease with using Thai than at the redimentary level.

Adding Krub at the end also makes it polite and should work in a general situation.

The usage may be a bit different for the two phrases.

ว่าไงครับ roughly equates to "What do you say?", "What do you think?" Or just for a plain intro phrase.

เป็นไงครับ roughly equates to "How goes?"

[TheChiefJustice]

I feel ว่าไงครับ or เป็นไงครับ would do.

It shows you are more at ease with using Thai than at the redimentary level.

Adding Krub at the end also makes it polite and should work in a general situation.

This is indeed a rather interesting discussion. Both of these expressions are frightfully informal and, in my opinion, should not be used to greet people with whom you are not very familiar. I would generally never use these expressions, even if I were familiar with the person to whom I was speaking.

In any event, under no circumstances should one use these expressions at a business meeting or in any situation where you were greeting a ผู้ใหญ่. Even the addition of the ครับ would do little to lessen the impression in the eyes of some Thai listeners that you were perhaps educated in the Thai language while sitting on a bar stool.