Minimum level of Thai knowledge and language for long term residents

[OneMoreFarang]

1 hour ago, Lacessit said:

I talk to my GF in Thai all the time.

I do the same. But actually, it isn't really Thai. 

We understand each other because we talk with each other since many years. But if other farangs listen or Thais listen then they often don't understand so much, because it isn't Thai and it isn't English.

[Ben Zioner]

Just now, MisterTee said:

Why not go back to one of those countries where you can hobnob with Nobel prizewinners and Fields' medalists while at the same time learning the local language for free?

Thailand doesn't seem to be your cup of tea.

Amazingly witty comment, that gets a lot of approval too...

[NickyLouie]

3 hours ago, phetphet said:

Bulls**t. It depends where you live in Thailand and how exposed you are to the language. 

 

 

 

So you can't speak any Thai, it's ok 

[PomPolo]

3 hours ago, Briggsy said:

This thread is based upon a false premise. That premise is that one-year extensions in Thailand are equivalent to 'further leave to remain' in the UK. There is NO equivalence.

 

In the UK, if you hold FLR, you can work in whatever field you like (one or two weird exceptions), set up your own business, access the National Health Service and stay as long as you like as long as you renew your FLR or obtain ILR. In addition there is a clear path to citizenship.

 

In Thailand, holding a one-year extension, you have very few rights. You have no right to work without a work permit and each change of employer will need a new work permit application. You cannot own a business or land. There is no path to citizenship. Each year, you need to resubmit documentation to extend your permission to stay.

 

You will require some Thai language skills to obtain Permanent Residence in Thailand or citizenship, particularly Permanent Residence.

 

Beware false equivalents.

Hi @Briggsy very good point and worded correctly, in the initial topic post I did say "Long term residents" if you I or anyone else stays in Thailand longer than 180 days in a year we are legally considered a resident.  Obviously not citizenship I could only imagine how difficult those hoops are to jump through!
Totally correct on the ILR in the UK I think my aim on this post was best was said by @NoDisplayName one of the previous posters it doesn't matter how much we know about this country, how many 'friends' we have Thai (authority or not) or Farang we are mostly all (there will be some exceptions) on an Annual renewable tourist visa.
 

23 hours ago, NoDisplayName said:

 

I consider my non-O (for retirement) nothing but an annual tourist visa.

 

Accordingly, I don't bother learning the language.  On a good day, I can recite 6 of the numerals in Thai.  As to writing, I can draw a fishhook.  The End.

 

If the locals want to speak with me, they can speak English.  Or German.  Or Mandarin.

[Straight-Beginning98]

On 1/25/2025 at 6:38 PM, NickyLouie said:

If you have lived here 10 years and cant speak adequate Thai, you're dumb AF.

 

 

 

Coming from a man who speaks more or less 9 languages. It is also important considering that language skills are not distributed equally. Some people have a talent for languages, some don't. It may be a question of paying attention, duly listening and having a stronger sense of curiosity.

Same goes for music and art in general. Some people are more inclined to financial matters, other prefer to create art, develop their bodies or pursue spiritual paths. They are not lesser of a human because they can't speak a second language proficiently in spite of living there for numerous years. 

[Thingamabob]

On 1/25/2025 at 6:39 PM, simon43 said:

If our attitude is that we should not learn Thai, then why should immigrants to the UK learn English?

 

I speak/read Thai to a good level because I consider it 'good manners' to speak the language (at least to conversational level) of the country that one lives in.  So I speak/read Thai, speak/read Lao and speak/read Burmese, with Thai being my most fluent language because that's the country that I've resided in for the longest time.

 

You refer to 'immigrants'. I suspect that most of us are described as non-immigrants by the Thai government and as such we are under no obligation to write, read or speak Thai. However, if we are living in Thailand it is common sense, and makes life easier for us, to learn to communicate in Thai to the best of our ability.

[BritManToo]

30 minutes ago, Thingamabob said:

You refer to 'immigrants'. I suspect that most of us are described as non-immigrants by the Thai government and as such we are under no obligation to write, read or speak Thai. However, if we are living in Thailand it is common sense, and makes life easier for us, to learn to communicate in Thai to the best of our ability.

I've never found any benefit in speaking central Thai.

And accept I'm just a long term tourist as there's no route for me to immigrate here. My family all speak English, and I have little desire to interact with other locals beyond simple commerce.

Sure, in 7-11, I can tell them I don't want a plastic bag, or want my meal heated, what more language skills would I need?

[CygnusX1]

14 hours ago, Lacessit said:

can speak Thai with reasonable fluency, and understand it 50% of the time. I can't get my head around the alphabet, so I can't read or write it. i know a few signs.

From my experience with attempting to learn Thai, if I were to study the language intensively for the next 5 years, I doubt if I could get anywhere near your level of proficiency in speaking and understanding it. In comparison, I found learning the alphabet to be trivial, and I can read simple Thai, even without always understanding what I’m reading. To me, you’re as surprising as if someone were to tell me “I have a reasonable grasp of the mathematics behind the derivation of Einstein’s field equations of general relativity, but I’ve never been able to figure out how the odds on a horse race work.”

[newnative]

Speaking Thai should not be a requirement to get a long-term visa.   

[recom273]

On 1/25/2025 at 7:54 PM, Ben Zioner said:

I think Thailand would have everything to gain by establishing English as an alternative official language. Therefore applicants for long term visa should have a good command of either one or the other.

 

I find it amusing to read that French posters on an Income Tax Facebook group are having issues in filling in an English tax form.

I think Thailand should enter into the 21st century, they are a country where a proportion of their money comes from tourists and expats. The university’s and schools are filled with kids that speak a variety of different languages, yet nothing changes. I don't know about anyone else’s experience and it’s not really necessary to me as I can conduct myself in Thai, but every year I process my visa and the only thing the immigration officer says is “sen .. here .. here”. Why are there not competent foreign language speakers working in key positions, at very least there should be a phone line where there is a Russian speaking Thai, for example.

 

Why is there not a government department, staffed by uni graduates who are proficient in other languages who can create and maintain websites, create coherent forms that both Thai and westerners can understand. How many times do you complete a form with the assistance of your wife and the clerk takes it and says “no, no, no” and rewrites it. Even Thai people don’t have a clue what info needs to go where. 
 

Like you say, how can retirees from European countries all be expected to speak English to complete critical financial forms, what about if that applicant ended up over paying 100s of USD because of his inability and the inability of the Thai government to communicate with him? 
 

This isn’t a rant that Thai government department should all speak English, it’s why don’t they use their human resources available to them and improve their services? Instead it’s the usual inherent laziness and nepotism. 

[brewsterbudgen]

It's perfectly possible to live here with only a minimum level of Thai.  I've managed it for 20 years.  I wish my Thai was better, but at nearly 65, that's unlikely to happen!

[brewsterbudgen]

On 1/25/2025 at 6:39 PM, simon43 said:

If our attitude is that we should not learn Thai, then why should immigrants to the UK learn English?

 

I speak/read Thai to a good level because I consider it 'good manners' to speak the language (at least to conversational level) of the country that one lives in.  So I speak/read Thai, speak/read Lao and speak/read Burmese, with Thai being my most fluent language because that's the country that I've resided in for the longest time.

 

Legal immigrants to the UK have to pass a variety of English language tests during the settlement process and a UK Culture test.

 

Most expats in Thailand are non-immigrants.  If you apply for Citizenship a minimal level of Thai language is required.

[DeaconJohn]

3 hours ago, Straight-Beginning98 said:

Coming from a man who speaks more or less 9 languages. It is also important considering that language skills are not distributed equally. Some people have a talent for languages, some don't. It may be a question of paying attention, duly listening and having a stronger sense of curiosity.

Same goes for music and art in general. Some people are more inclined to financial matters, other prefer to create art, develop their bodies or pursue spiritual paths. They are not lesser of a human because they can't speak a second language proficiently in spite of living there for numerous years. 

Exceptionally good post.

Perceptive and spot-on.

Some people seem to be born with an aptitude for learning languages.

I wasn't, but I overcame it to learn Thai because I didn't want my Thai wife and our two daughters to see me as an illiterate who couldn't speak the language.

[PomPolo]

3 hours ago, Straight-Beginning98 said:

Coming from a man who speaks more or less 9 languages. It is also important considering that language skills are not distributed equally. Some people have a talent for languages, some don't. It may be a question of paying attention, duly listening and having a stronger sense of curiosity.

Same goes for music and art in general. Some people are more inclined to financial matters, other prefer to create art, develop their bodies or pursue spiritual paths. They are not lesser of a human because they can't speak a second language proficiently in spite of living there for numerous years. 

 

6 minutes ago, DeaconJohn said:

Exceptionally good post.

Perceptive and spot-on.

Some people seem to be born with an aptitude for learning languages.

I wasn't, but I overcame it to learn Thai because I didn't want my Thai wife and our two daughters to see me as an illiterate who couldn't speak the language.

Me neither guys and on the mark with these posts.
I never had any intention of learning Thai either and consider myself a baby in the language in essence my family talk Thai around me all the time and I think that is what accelerates you more into wanting to understand what is being spoken about especially if you love the lady you are with (I think the moderator should remove this post for being too sloppy 🙂 🙂

[GammaGlobulin]

I enjoy viewing/observing long-term Farang who are too lazy to learn written and spoken passa Thai, of which there seems to be many.

 

If Farang were forced to learn these language skills, then I would lose this pleasure.

 

So, I say, keep them barefoot and pregnant down on the farm.

Or, meaning keep them uneducated, because they are bad enough already.

 

 

[AnnaBanana]

22 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

I enjoy viewing/observing long-term Farang who are too lazy to learn written and spoken passa Thai, of which there seems to be many.

 

If Farang were forced to learn these language skills, then I would lose this pleasure.

 

So, I say, keep them barefoot and pregnant down on the farm.

Or, meaning keep them uneducated, because they are bad enough already.

 

 

Thanks for that.

Funniest post on the thread... and so true.

 

[Presnock]

On 1/25/2025 at 6:38 PM, NickyLouie said:

If you have lived here 10 years and cant speak adequate Thai, you're dumb AF.

 

 

 

I fortunately assigned here 50+ years ago, learned Thai fluently most of which by now is fading.  I also after assigned here studied many other languages and had to re-learn my Thai when I retired here but like I said, it is fading.  I think that 50 years ago speaking some Thai (not fluently) was necessary for one to get around as few people spoke adequate if any English.  Now though Englsh is "taught" in most schools (poorly in my opinion) but adequate for many types of businesses, especially anything with foreigners so unless one is in a more remote area where few tourists roam, then I think that foreigners can easily survive for a long time here without speaking much Thai.  I though do enjoy the occasional chat with a neighbor or someone I meet on a walk around the mooban or even in the shopping areas.  I can still watch Thai news and understand what the news is about but I also realize that some of the vocabulary that I once knew well, has faded behind a lot of those other languages too.  I also find myself occasionally filling in a word of the same meaning as the Thai word, but a Thai listening would query me as they wouldn't recognize that word but to my brain of course it wa all correct in meaning and I would laugh to myself just how dumb that must seem to the Thai listemer.  With the current available Thai language at just about any level using computers or translators, one could easily learn or suvive with those translators, probably more easily than me.  Best of luck to anyone wishing to study foreign languages - Americans are noted for being too lazy and willing to put forth much effort.  Even the education system dropped a foreign language requirement around 1980 or so.

[BangkokReady]

18 hours ago, Briggsy said:

This thread is based upon a false premise. That premise is that one-year extensions in Thailand are equivalent to 'further leave to remain' in the UK. There is NO equivalence.

 

In the UK, if you hold FLR, you can work in whatever field you like (one or two weird exceptions), set up your own business, access the National Health Service and stay as long as you like as long as you renew your FLR or obtain ILR. In addition there is a clear path to citizenship.

 

In Thailand, holding a one-year extension, you have very few rights. You have no right to work without a work permit and each change of employer will need a new work permit application. You cannot own a business or land. There is no path to citizenship. Each year, you need to resubmit documentation to extend your permission to stay.

 

You will require some Thai language skills to obtain Permanent Residence in Thailand or citizenship, particularly Permanent Residence.

 

Beware false equivalents.

 

And even if you do have the highest level of Thai citizenship available to a foreigner, speak fluent Thai, have a Thai wife and Thai kids, you will still be treated like a tourist and discriminated against by most.

 

Hardly a great motivation to attempt to assimilate.

[Dickp]

After reading almost all the language replays on this subject I did not see anyone mention the inability to learn Thai do to a hearing problem, I don't hear the change in tones. I have lived around the world, in the 31 years that I was in the US military. I was able to learn enough of the local languages mostly because they were in the Greek alphabet and tones were not a major part of the languages, which let get close to sounds need. I have lived in thailand for last 34+ years and do not even come close to saying that I speak or understand Thai. And for reading Thai, very hard as it is in sandscript. I work in Bangkok for 15 years and had 47 Thai employees four who spoke English to some degree. We work find together in all those years we never had any major misunderstandings. As some said that some people are just better at learning a language, my middle son reads and speaks 5 languages and speaks and understands another 10. My daughter is flumed in 2 and speaks and understands 3 others. At 81+ I'm not about feel that I missed out on anything living in Thailand and not speaking the language. I did try and took Thai lessons with aThai instructor and tried self taught language courses but never came any reveal of proficiency in Thai.

[No Forwarding Address]

On 1/25/2025 at 1:38 AM, NickyLouie said:

If you have lived here 10 years and cant speak adequate Thai, you're dumb AF.

 

 

 

Ouch.............didn't take me more than a couple years, but working with 15 Thai's and only a few of them speaking English threw me into the mix so yo speak.   Anyone serious about learning any language needs to get immersed and out of the classroom(unless you want to learn to read/write).........I found I would be a very hungry man if I couldn't speak enough Thai to order what I wanted.        Cheers

[No Forwarding Address]

4 hours ago, newnative said:

Speaking Thai should not be a requirement to get a long-term visa.   

But it should be for a Residency............

[No Forwarding Address]

4 hours ago, brewsterbudgen said:

It's perfectly possible to live here with only a minimum level of Thai.  I've managed it for 20 years.  I wish my Thai was better, but at nearly 65, that's unlikely to happen!

Don't sell yourself short, necessity is the mother of invention.........

[brewsterbudgen]

10 minutes ago, No Forwarding Address said:

But it should be for a Residency............

It is, isn't it?

[KhunLA]

18 minutes ago, No Forwarding Address said:

But it should be for a Residency............

Why ?

 

I've been here 24+ years, and very far from fluent, conversational, or reading & writing.  Realized the other day, I forgot how to write my name in Thai script.

 

Conversational, I know the numbers, and enough to get by, but no way could have a conversation with a local, except for the very basics.  And not even sure about that now, as I've seemed to have forgotten more than I remember.

 

Don't need help doing my visa extension.  Or banking, setting up.  Can do driver's license, car registration renewal (yearly tax) with no problem.  Easily negotiate a govt hospital by myself.

 

Residency would only give my more rights, which I don't need.

 

One of the reasons I've stayed here so long, it's simply too easy to, with minimal or no effort.  

 

If I didn't have daughter, or present wife, I'd probably leaned a lot more Thai.  Not sure about fluent in conversation, maybe if the talk real slow.

 

I could read & write Spanish, but holding a conversation in Mexico was near impossible.  They talk so fast, my brain can't compute that fast.  By the time I was done thinking about the first sentence, they were on their third, and left my brain in the dust 

 

Same with French & Latin, though never got a chance to use French, and I try to avoid priests  

[simon43]

4 hours ago, brewsterbudgen said:

Legal immigrants to the UK have to pass a variety of English language tests during the settlement process and a UK Culture test.

 

Most expats in Thailand are non-immigrants.  If you apply for Citizenship a minimal level of Thai language is required.

Yes, most expats are non-immigrants, but they maybe stay here for 5, 10, 20 years or more, renewing their non-immigrant visa each year 🙂

 

I think once you're on your 5th annual renewal, you should be required to take a spoken Thai language test.  That shouldn't be too difficult now, should it?

[brewsterbudgen]

2 minutes ago, simon43 said:

Yes, most expats are non-immigrants, but they maybe stay here for 5, 10, 20 years or more, renewing their non-immigrant visa each year 🙂

 

I think once you're on your 5th annual renewal, you should be required to take a spoken Thai language test.  That shouldn't be too difficult now, should it?

It would be for me!  Unless it's just stuff like numbers, days, food, directions.  

[CygnusX1]

1 hour ago, KhunLA said:

I could read & write Spanish, but holding a conversation in Mexico was near impossible.  They talk so fast, my brain can't compute that fast.  By the time I was done thinking about the first sentence, they were on their third, and left my brain in the dust 

Yes, that’s one reason why I think learning to read Thai, or any other language that uses an alphabet, is SO much easier than trying to understand speech. When reading, you have as much time as you like to figure things out.

[DaddyWarbucks]

4 hours ago, BangkokReady said:

 

And even if you do have the highest level of Thai citizenship available to a foreigner, speak fluent Thai, have a Thai wife and Thai kids, you will still be treated like a tourist and discriminated against by most.

 

Hardly a great motivation to attempt to assimilate.

If you can't - or won't - assimilate in a few basic ways, then bag-out... the sooner the better.

Not speaking the language is a sensory impairment akin to being deaf and dumb. You don't know what's going on around you.

Living long-term in the expat bubble results in the kind of chronic irritation that is on full display in the forums day after day.

Constant complaining and the nasty denigration of Thais become a familiar refrain.

It isn't confined to Thailand alone.

Wherever large numbers of people go for a "better life" is where you can see this disillusioned bitterness show itself among them.

 

[Caldera]

I think every longterm foreign resident should make an effort to learn Thai, well enough to "survive" in places where only Thai is spoken and signposted.

 

Not sure if Thailand should require this though - it's mostly the foreigners themselves who benefit. I know I do.

[youreavinalaff]

On 1/25/2025 at 11:44 AM, PomPolo said:

Hear you on that one - same as me but all UK immigrants seem to know is I don't have a passport I am 15 years old (even though I am 40) and my boat is sinking so please pass me on to Social Services give me food, money, a house and regular handouts as its OK PomPolo has paid his taxes for 30 years so that should cover it

It's taken you several posts to get the subject where you wanted it. All that time, and you are so out of touch.

 

Brush up on your knowledge of immigration in UK, then come back with a sensible, accurate comment.