Learn to speak Thai in Pattaya - Where did you go and how long before conversational

[Longwood50]

I am looking for information from someone who has actually learned to speak Thai in Pattaya. 

Where did you go to learn and how long did it take you. 

As much as other stories may be interesting  about how difficult it is to learn Thai. How you learned from your Thai GF.  
How you use google translate, I am only interested in those who have actually taken formal Thai language courses and where they went and how long it took before they felt they were conversational 

[carlyai]

AUA Bangkok for 6 months straight. Reading, writing, speaking, listening.

Hard to say when you are conversational as there are always new words and where I live now they speak Isaan Thai or Lao and Phu Tai.

You never stop learning.

Good idea reading so you can practice with street signs etc.

Some places have full on Structured Approach learning which gives you a boost start.

 

 

 

[doctormann]

I went to AUA for a whole year but, sadly, didn't make a lot of progress.  I just can't differentiate the tones.

I would say that learning to read/write the Thai script is absolutely essential to getting a grasp on the language.

Anyway, I can do the basics but as for holding a conversation, no chance!

AUA Pattaya are now located here <https://vymaps.com/TH/Aua-Language-Center-Pattaya-487642217994144/>

[1FinickyOne]

16 hours ago, carlyai said:

You never stop learning.

Yes siree, that's the truth. 

[Longwood50]

15 hours ago, doctormann said:

AUA Pattaya are now located here

 

[doctormann]

1 hour ago, Longwood50 said:

 

Oh dear, I hadn't realised that they have closed.  Another COVID victim I suppose.

[PeachCH]

Well, years back I learned intensively for 2 years with books, tapes and a private teacher. 

After I was able to speak more or less fluently (with a terrible accent) and to read or write a little. Was helpful when I got the job in one of Khun Thaksin's company. 

[bradiston]

I went to a school whose name escapes me, on Pattaya Klang, close to Big C Extra, in a sort of lay by next to Bangkok Bank. The teacher was great and the other members of the class, there were only 6 of us, were good. It closed for COVID but I think has reopened. It involved reading, writing and speaking.

 

I went to AUA in Bangkok and hated almost every minute of it. In those days you weren't supposed to use dictionaries nor write anything down. Just listen while sometimes one, sometimes 2, Thais chatted away. I had taught myself to read Thai, and the tone system - yes, there is a system, but you need to learn to read Thai to understand it. AUA steadfastly refused to do either of these things. At least, until I left, frustrated and angry. I told the school principle what I thought of their totally passive teaching method. A complete waste of time for me. But, I will say, some of their teachers were exceptional. Odd, that.

[carlyai]

52 minutes ago, bradiston said:

I went to a school whose name escapes me, on Pattaya Klang, close to Big C Extra, in a sort of lay by next to Bangkok Bank. The teacher was great and the other members of the class, there were only 6 of us, were good. It closed for COVID but I think has reopened. It involved reading, writing and speaking.

 

I went to AUA in Bangkok and hated almost every minute of it. In those days you weren't supposed to use dictionaries nor write anything down. Just listen while sometimes one, sometimes 2, Thais chatted away. I had taught myself to read Thai, and the tone system - yes, there is a system, but you need to learn to read Thai to understand it. AUA steadfastly refused to do either of these things. At least, until I left, frustrated and angry. I told the school principle what I thought of their totally passive teaching method. A complete waste of time for me. But, I will say, some of their teachers were exceptional. Odd, that.

Yes, but you didn't have to do the Natural Approach. They had structured as well.

The Natural Approach takes years. 

I did the same when Dr Brown was still there. Must be 30 years ago.

[jacko45k]

59 minutes ago, bradiston said:

I went to a school whose name escapes me, on Pattaya Klang, close to Big C Extra, in a sort of lay by next to Bangkok Bank

PLC? https://maps.app.goo.gl/gaAJAb2NK9ALcVKz6

[bradiston]

1 hour ago, jacko45k said:

PLC? https://maps.app.goo.gl/gaAJAb2NK9ALcVKz6

That's it! Thanks. Recommended from the 3 months or so I went there, prior to COVID closure.

[bradiston]

1 hour ago, carlyai said:

Yes, but you didn't have to do the Natural Approach. They had structured as well.

The Natural Approach takes years. 

I did the same when Dr Brown was still there. Must be 30 years ago.

I didn't see structured as an option when I was there, until the very last. Then I noticed classes reading and writing Thai. Without that, all disciplines, just forget it. You'll learn more out and about. Most of the useful phrases I learnt came from every day situations. Like "I'll think about it". "Can't think". "Too much hassle". But I haven't progressed beyond that probably through living in Pattaya.

[thecyclist]

23 hours ago, doctormann said:

I went to AUA for a whole year but, sadly, didn't make a lot of progress.  I just can't differentiate the tones.

I would say that learning to read/write the Thai script is absolutely essential to getting a grasp on the language.

Anyway, I can do the basics but as for holding a conversation, no chance!

AUA Pattaya are now located here <https://vymaps.com/TH/Aua-Language-Center-Pattaya-487642217994144/>

I wouldn't say that reading and writing is absolutely essential. It certainly helps, but you can manage without, at least I did. Get a girlfriend that can't speak English, so you are forced to speak it all day, and you will be able to learn it fast. That is the most natural approach of all. 

[bradiston]

43 minutes ago, thecyclist said:

I wouldn't say that reading and writing is absolutely essential. It certainly helps, but you can manage without, at least I did. Get a girlfriend that can't speak English, so you are forced to speak it all day, and you will be able to learn it fast. That is the most natural approach of all. 

Writing Thai is a near impossible task for me. With multiple versions of a variety of consonants, you'd have to learn every word. But reading Thai has numerous benefits. It teaches you pronunciation and spelling irregularities in the language, of which there are many. You can practice your tones, and just have fun with anglicisation. And find your way round without needing English translations. And really start to understand the language.

Edited October 7, 2023 by bradiston

[Caldera]

1 hour ago, bradiston said:

Writing Thai is a near impossible task for me. With multiple versions of a variety of consonants, you'd have to learn every word. But reading Thai has numerous benefits. It teaches you pronunciation and spelling irregularities in the language, of which there are many. You can practice your tones, and just have fun with anglicisation. And find your way round without needing English translations. And really start to understand the language.

I agree. Being able to read Thai script is essential, being able to write it isn't.

[expat_4_life]

@Longwood50Regretably I've no recommendations for Pattaya specifically, I'm in Bangkok - but alas the 2 schools I attended long ago were both victims of Covid (no longer in business).  Seems based on the replies so far, that many schools in the Pattaya area also met a similar fate.

 

I was in a similar situation as (it seems) yourself 20 years ago - wanted to do some formal Thai language learning.  When I looked at this back when I arrived I had decided to make a real effort to develop some Thai language skills that went likely well beyond what most foreigners considered adequate.

As I looked around I found out about the Union Language School (still in Bangkok) - using a curriculum/method developed in the 50's to teach missionarys.  The thing that attracted me to this teaching method was the final goal of passing the grade 6 exam.  I considered this an attainable goal, and hey if it was enough for missionarys to be unleashed in a non English speaking environment back in the 50's, it should do for my purposes.

 

The grade 6 exam tests your listening, reading/writing, comprehension and ability to converse.

At the time I looked around at many schools and found that there were several that used this method and eventually attend 2 of them.  I was determined to set my goals high and see how far I could go.

 

I did eventually pass the Grade 6 exam after about 14 months of study during a 20 month period.  Classes were monthly (80 hours) and modular - so you could take breaks anytime.  I've certainly no regrets for the time I invested long ago.

Anyway, set your goals, visit as many schools in your locale as you can, talk to the teachers/staff, explain to them your goals,  take a good look at their curriculum and roll the dice.

Hopefully you get some good recommendations and good luck on your journey learning Thai.

 

[thecyclist]

7 hours ago, bradiston said:

Writing Thai is a near impossible task for me. With multiple versions of a variety of consonants, you'd have to learn every word. But reading Thai has numerous benefits. It teaches you pronunciation and spelling irregularities in the language, of which there are many. You can practice your tones, and just have fun with anglicisation. And find your way round without needing English translations. And really start to understand the language.

How do you separate reading from writing? You learn how to read a language, you learn how to write it at the same time ,at least to some extent. 

Edited October 7, 2023 by thecyclist
Error

[thecyclist]

5 hours ago, Caldera said:

I agree. Being able to read Thai script is essential, being able to write it isn't.

Essential for what?To learn how to read a language is essential for reading the language, obviously. It's helpful, but not essential to converse with Thai people. 

I have met lots of people who were able to do that ,but couldn't read a word. 

There might be individual differences in how to best approach a tonal language like Thai. In all my years in Thailand I have come across two Farangs who mastered Thai with a native proficiency. One said it is absolutely essential to first master the tones. The other said the exact opposite, don't bother with the tones. 

[bradiston]

11 hours ago, thecyclist said:

How do you separate reading from writing? You learn how to read a language, you learn how to write it at the same time ,at least to some extent. 

Because, as I said, in order to write Thai, you need to know how a word is spelt. Sounds obvious, but there are many consonants (s, p, t, f, h, for instance) that have different characters. So 's' could be one of 3 or 4 different characters. Not simple at all. You'd need to memorise the spelling of each word in order to write it. With reading, it's there in front of you.

[bradiston]

11 hours ago, thecyclist said:

Essential for what?To learn how to read a language is essential for reading the language, obviously. It's helpful, but not essential to converse with Thai people. 

I have met lots of people who were able to do that ,but couldn't read a word. 

There might be individual differences in how to best approach a tonal language like Thai. In all my years in Thailand I have come across two Farangs who mastered Thai with a native proficiency. One said it is absolutely essential to first master the tones. The other said the exact opposite, don't bother with the tones. 

If you learn the alphabet, the consonant classes, and the tone rules, you can work out and apply the correct tone to any syllable. Otherwise you have to learn the correct pronunciation of every Thai word you encounter. Sure, it can be laborious, but it speeds up with practice.

[1FinickyOne]

12 hours ago, thecyclist said:

One said it is absolutely essential to first master the tones. The other said the exact opposite, don't bother with the tones. 

They are both correct... everyone learns differently... I am pretty conversational - can read a little - and I have no idea what tone I am using. The words just sound different to me. KHAOOOW - does not sound like Khao

[Mike Teavee]

20 hours ago, thecyclist said:

I wouldn't say that reading and writing is absolutely essential. It certainly helps, but you can manage without, at least I did. Get a girlfriend that can't speak English, so you are forced to speak it all day, and you will be able to learn it fast. That is the most natural approach of all. 

Lol, my GF (has a degree in IT so speaks English very well) is the absolute worse teacher of Thai that I've ever met & if she isn't deliberately sabotaging me from learning Thai she's doing a very good job of it.

 

She's from Satun (Way down South) so whilst she can speak & understand "Central Bangkok" Thai, she tends to speak the Southern dialect... E.g. instead of "Nit Noi" (a little bit) she will say "Nit Neiow" (obviously phonetic), when we visit her family they give me blank stares when I say "Nit Noi".   

 

Still laugh at the time on Koh Samui when the Thai Restaurant owner asked me to translate for her ???? 

 

 

[bradiston]

9 minutes ago, 1FinickyOne said:

They are both correct... everyone learns differently... I am pretty conversational - can read a little - and I have no idea what tone I am using. The words just sound different to me. KHAOOOW - does not sound like Khao

Yes, but that's vowel length, not tone, if I read your transcript correctly. Vowel length plays an essential part in determining tones. As your example illustrates, khao, short vowel, falling tone, is entrance, long vowel falling tone is rice. It looks impossibly complicated until you figure out the tone system. For me it was a challenge like code breaking.

[1FinickyOne]

1 hour ago, bradiston said:

Yes, but that's vowel length, not tone, if I read your transcript correctly. Vowel length plays an essential part in determining tones. As your example illustrates, khao, short vowel, falling tone, is entrance, long vowel falling tone is rice. It looks impossibly complicated until you figure out the tone system. For me it was a challenge like code breaking.

It is not that complicated if you listen and hear - - entrance, and rice just don't sound the same to me in both length and tone... identifying those tones is complicated for me... 

 

we each learn differently

Edited October 8, 2023 by 1FinickyOne

[bradiston]

1 hour ago, 1FinickyOne said:

It is not that complicated if you listen and hear - - entrance, and rice just don't sound the same to me in both length and tone... identifying those tones is complicated for me... 

 

we each learn differently

They're not the same in length or tone, that's why. It's possible to learn to speak Thai without knowing anything about tones I guess, if your ear can pick up and differentiate between them, and you can reproduce what you hear. I've had to ask Thais how they spell a word in order to figure out the tone. If you know how it's spelt, you'll know how it's pronounced. Might sound obvious, but it isn't. How many khao and ma and my do you know, some pronounced the same, some different, but each with a different meaning? I can't see the objection to teaching yourself the tone system, and the alphabet. Use a children's wall chart for the alphabet. I got the tone system from a very old linguaphone handbook, and rewrote it for my own use. It's a very simple table. Initial consonant class in the left hand column, live or dead syllable in each row, tone marker. We live in a country with a unique language.

[carlyai]

23 hours ago, bradiston said:

Writing Thai is a near impossible task for me. With multiple versions of a variety of consonants, you'd have to learn every word. But reading Thai has numerous benefits. It teaches you pronunciation and spelling irregularities in the language, of which there are many. You can practice your tones, and just have fun with anglicisation. And find your way round without needing English translations. And really start to understand the language.

I remember in the beginning trying to practice my Thai on the street. Then, I didn't realise Sukumvit Road went for a few hundred km so got strange answers when I asked how to get to Sukumvit Road and I was always on it.

Another time thought I'd start riding motorbikes again and hired one in Pattaya to drive to Bangkok. Had no idea where I was going, only Bangkok and didn't realise how huge it all was.

I was in a centre lane on an express way just coming up to a pay station and a policeman ran out furiously blowing his whistle. I said how do I get to Bangkok and he said I was there and to get off the expressway.

[Longwood50]

It is obvious that despite my best attempts to turn this post into a story telling forum my efforts were for naught.  Lots of stories and not one reccomendation that is still open.  

[1FinickyOne]

4 hours ago, bradiston said:

I can't see the objection to teaching yourself the tone system, and the alphabet. Use a children's wall chart for the alphabet.

oh, I have no objection to learning anything... I am conversational and speak in sentences so when I miss a tone, they probably pick it up in context... I can read, a little - my Thai friends message me in Thai... sometimes it takes a few minutes to get all the words... 

 

my biggest deficit is in comprehending - again, context helps but I do not always know every word that is used... almost no Thai person speaks to me in English. I enjoy the language and am always working at it, in my own way... 

 

I had a neighbor from England who could read Thai language - - he just didn't know what any of the words meant... and he never ddi learn. Seemed pretty useless to me, but... 

 

 

[1FinickyOne]

1 hour ago, Longwood50 said:

my efforts were for naught.  Lots of stories and not one reccomendation

Sure, we all have that experience... We have all had posts about the moon that devolved into fights about Pluto...

 

Maybe? Is this relevant?

 

I had a friend from Pattaya visit and he was stunned that I was conversing in Thai w/o a hitch - - - I asked if any of his friends in /Pattaya could speak Thai - - he said, "yes, they all do - but nobody understands them.' Which might be why people are telling stories. 

[Chris Daley]

You need about 300 words to start to enjoy a language.  So that's like 10 fruits, 10 animals, 10 flavors, 10 colors, 20 food, and so on.

 

Watch YouTube a lot.  This is great for listening practice.

 

Avoid all grammar, reading and writing.

 

The ''tones'' thing doesn't exist - do not fall for it.  All words are understood within context in all human languages.

 

I would cut the wood if Mr. Wood asked me.

Edited October 8, 2023 by Chris Daley