Why haven't you learned Thai even after several years as an expat in Thailand?

[StandardIssue]

I've lived in Bangkok and Pattaya on and off for the last 12 years. 

 

Most all the long term expats I've met don't know much Thai at all even before the use of Google Translate which many now rely on.

 

I never really asked why. I decided to learn early on and tooks some classes at the local library.

 

Question: As an expat in LOS why did you decide to not learn Thai and why?

 

ready set go. From a curious expat

[Keep Right]

I have been studying Thai for the last twenty years but still find it difficult to converse in Thai. I have tinnitus and cannot hear high tones. Thai being a tone language makes it very difficult for me to differentiate between certain words.

[BritManToo]

11 minutes ago, Keep Right said:

I have been studying Thai for the last twenty years but still find it difficult to converse in Thai. I have tinnitus and cannot hear high tones. Thai being a tone language makes it very difficult for me to differentiate between certain words.

Use full sentences then the tones don't matter!

[BritManToo]

1 hour ago, StandardIssue said:

Question: As an expat in LOS why did you decide to not learn Thai and why?

I spent two years learning central Thai (speaking, reading and writing).

It was completely pointless because.

1. Most Thais we encounter don't speak central Thai (Southern Thai, Lao, Lanna are more popular).

2. Many Thais are too stupid to realise a foreigner is speaking Thai.

3. They hate you for knowing too much.

 

Obviously I only speak with low class Thais, and don't know any Bangkok CEOs like the rest of you.

Lots of tribal girls hanging about Chiang Mai, most of them can barely speak any Thai language, Akha, Lissu, Hmong, Arabic all fairly common.

[Keep Right]

4 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Use full sentences then the tones don't matter!

So very true but the Thais like to shorten their sentences using classifiers. I just find it so difficult to learn these.

[StandardIssue]

7 minutes ago, Keep Right said:

So very true but the Thais like to shorten their sentences using classifiers. I just find it so difficult to learn these.

 

Yea, this was a bit difficult for me but I got used to it after awhile. 

Two Cats= Meaow Song Tua (classifier rough translation Tua = body)

Two bags: Grabpow song bai ( bai here = piece )

 

Of course English doesn't have classifiers like this so it was a bit confusing at first but daily speaking to Thais helps. Shopping at 7-11 whatever.

[BritManToo]

10 minutes ago, StandardIssue said:

Of course English doesn't have classifiers like this so it was a bit confusing at first but daily speaking to Thais helps. Shopping at 7-11 whatever.

Yeah it does, but mainly about groups of animals.

flock of geese, murder of crows, herd of cows, pack of dogs, etc.

[jas007]

If I ever moved into the "real Thailand" parts of the country, I'm sure I would eventually pick it up. But I've never done that. No matter where I've stayed, it's always in the middle of a tourist area. And all the Thai people I usually come into contact with seem to know at least some English.  Hotel desk clerks, condo receptionists, the people working the condo juristic office, Bolt drivers, the people in the convene stores and grocery stores, and so on.  A little English works for me, as I'm probably not going to engage in any deep conversation with any of them anyway.  So I never tried to learn much Thai.

 

What was really surprising to me is how well some of the bar girls know English.  No official English classes, but they do well.  

 

Sure, I know some Thai words, but if I start to talk Thai, then they might think I can actually converse in Thai, even though I can't. 

 

Maybe someday I'll try some Thai lessons.  

[bunnydrops]

18 minutes ago, Keep Right said:

I have been studying Thai for the last twenty years but still find it difficult to converse in Thai. I have tinnitus and cannot hear high tones. Thai being a tone language makes it very difficult for me to differentiate between certain words.

It's the same here. I can read quite a bit and speak enough to get by. However, I can't understand them most of the time due to my tinnitus and the fact that most people where I live speak Essan and Korat.

[Hellfire]

2 minutes ago, jas007 said:

 

 

What was really surprising to me is how well some of the bar girls know English.  No official English classes, but they do well.  

 

 

 

Usually, these are worn-out, life-hardened prostitutes who’ve already spent some time living in the West with their client-turned-husband.

[Hellfire]

For the most part, a new language is best learned out of necessity. That’s why many foreigners lack sufficient motivation to learn this language, which is quite difficult for any Westerner.

[Photoguy21]

I have a pretty good understanding of Thai and can understand taxi drivers and talk with locals. In order to learn any language you have to want to learn and most expats here think it is for the Thais to learn English. It isn't, we are in their country.

[Harrisfan]

22 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Most Thais we encounter don't speak central Thai (Southern Thai, Lao, Lanna are more popular).

Every Thai speaks central Thai.

[StandardIssue]

4 minutes ago, Photoguy21 said:

I have a pretty good understanding of Thai and can understand taxi drivers and talk with locals. In order to learn any language you have to want to learn and most expats here think it is for the Thais to learn English. It isn't, we are in their country.

 

Yea, this is evident on this board. There is a bit of a discussion going in another topic regarding the Thai's use of the word "Farang" .. I maintain that you can gain a bit of respect at least knowing the local language and practicing customs .. simple stuff like understanding how to Wai or not putting your shoes in a high place in a room. Not pointing at someone using your hand/finger. Remembering to at least say "krub" at the end of even English thank you's etc.

[Harrisfan]

23 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Many Thais are too stupid to realise a foreigner is speaking Thai.

What? Only if they can't speak it 

 

I speak Thai all over Thailand. They understand me.

 

 

[Hellfire]

7 minutes ago, Photoguy21 said:

I have a pretty good understanding of Thai and can understand taxi drivers and talk with locals. In order to learn any language you have to want to learn and most expats here think it is for the Thais to learn English. It isn't, we are in their country.

If they want your money - the Thais will learn any language of your choice. If you do not have money to offer to them - you could speak the best Thai possible - none of the Thais will be interested in you (they have enough of their own beggars speaking perfect Thai). So better spend your time earning money than learning the exotic local language.

[StandardIssue]

1 minute ago, Harrisfan said:

What? Only if they can't speak it 

 

I speak Thai all over Thailand. They understand me.

 

 

I have some problems once in awhile but usually most all understand me in Bangkok.

[BritManToo]

10 minutes ago, Harrisfan said:

Every Thai speaks central Thai.

Well, my MiL is definitely Thai, and she only speaks some village language.

When she comes and says (rarely) there are only three other old ladies in our gated village (250 households) that can chat with her.

 

Now there might be a majority of Thais that can speak Central Thai as a second language, generally they don't, and they won't.

[Photoguy21]

1 minute ago, StandardIssue said:

 

Yea, this is evident on this board. There is a bit of a discussion going in another topic regarding the Thai's use of the word "Farang" .. I maintain that you can gain a bit of respect at least knowing the local language and practicing customs .. simple stuff like understanding how to Wai or not putting your shoes in a high place in a room. Not pointing at someone using your hand/finger. Remembering to at least say "krub" at the end of even English thank you's etc.

Exactly. A few basic words of Thai and the locals look favourably on you. A total rejection and you are down the list and quite understandably.

[MalcolmB]

3 minutes ago, Harrisfan said:

Every Thai speaks central Thai.

Nearly, some of the elderly in Issan and Deep South etc don’t.

No schooling and can’t even read Thai.

 

 

[jas007]

8 minutes ago, Hellfire said:

Usually, these are worn-out, life-hardened prostitutes who’ve already spent some time living in the West with their client-turned-husband.

That may be true for some, but I've run across a few that were only 21 and were fluent.  You could close your eye and listen to them talk and you'd swear you were listening to a a college girl from a Big 10 university in the midwest.  

[MalcolmB]

1 hour ago, StandardIssue said:

Question: As an expat in LOS why did you decide to not learn Thai and why?

Laziness and arrogance 

[sqwakvfr]

36 minutes ago, Keep Right said:

I have been studying Thai for the last twenty years but still find it difficult to converse in Thai. I have tinnitus and cannot hear high tones. Thai being a tone language makes it very difficult for me to differentiate between certain words.

Same problem here. I can't get the tones just right so the locals many times do not seem to understand what I am saying.  I live in Chiang Mai and I once said to a driver "Nimman Soi hoke".  He gave me a puzzled look.  Then he smiled and said "neeemaan Soieee hoooke".  I guess "same, same but different".  I gave up years ago on learning the tones of this language. On the otherhand whenever I go to S. Korea I have no problem in communicating in the local language. In essence I will never be able to master any tonal language like Thai. 

[Harrisfan]

3 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Well, my MiL is definitely Thai, and she only speaks some village language.

When she comes and says (rarely) there are only three other old ladies in our gated village (250 households) that can chat with her.

 

Now there might be a majority of Thais that can speak Central Thai as a second language, generally they don't, and they won't.

Only the uneducated can't speak it. It's the national language taught in all schools.

[Hellfire]

3 minutes ago, jas007 said:

That may be true for some, but I've run across a few that were only 21 and were fluent.  You could close your eye and listen to them talk and you'd swear you were listening to a a college girl from a Big 10 university in the midwest.  

By 21 many of them have a rich  experience with selling their body for money. Richer than you can imagine.

[Harrisfan]

3 minutes ago, MalcolmB said:

Nearly, some of the elderly in Issan and Deep South etc don’t.

No schooling and can’t even read Thai.

 

 

Some of them who dropped out of school age 10 but anyone who went to school til age 14 can.

 

 

 

[bunnydrops]

8 minutes ago, Harrisfan said:

Every Thai speaks central Thai.

CAN speak central Thai but not in their day-to-day.

[Photoguy21]

10 minutes ago, Hellfire said:

If they want your money - the Thais will learn any language of your choice. If you do not have money to offer to them - you could speak the best Thai possible - none of the Thais will be interested in you (they have enough of their own beggars speaking perfect Thai). So better spend your time earning money than learning the exotic local language.

The airport is waiting if you want to leave. Have a good trip.

[Harrisfan]

2 minutes ago, bunnydrops said:

CAN speak central Thai but not in their day-to-day.

Depends where they live. Many go to Bangkok to work and speak it. In the country they mix and match.

 

 

[KhunLA]

So I don't repeat myself ...

 

https://aseannow.com/topic/1324427-speaking-thai-is-it-necessary-these-days-for-an-expat/

 

https://aseannow.com/topic/1308492-does-it-make-a-lot-of-sense-to-learn-more-thai-after-knowing-the-basics/

 

https://aseannow.com/topic/457190-what-level-of-speaking-and-writing-thai-are-you-at/

 

https://aseannow.com/topic/668641-speaking-thai-in-thailand-is-useless/

 

https://aseannow.com/topic/1246116-did-you-try-to-learn-thai-how-did-you-get-on-how-old-were-you-was-it-worth-it-regrets/page/4/

 

https://aseannow.com/topic/1212744-permanent-residence-thai-language-ability/