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

[matta01]

why learn the language if you only get a residence permit for a year, this can be extended but here you never know

[CM Dad]

On 4/22/2025 at 12:41 PM, StandardIssue said:

 

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.

 

On 4/22/2025 at 12:41 PM, StandardIssue said:

 

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.

English does not have classifiers like Thai, but there are partitives in English for many words.  An example is two heads of lettuce - not two lettuces.

[Equatorial]

32 minutes ago, CM Dad said:

English does not have classifiers like Thai, but there are partitives in English for many words.  An example is two heads of lettuce - not two lettuces.

 

What is the difference between a classifier and a partitive? I always thought of the the Thai classifiers as what you describe as English partitives. Two boxes of cereal. Three loaves of bread. Four flocks of seagulls. Etc. In fact, that parallel helped me learn to use the Thai classifiers... 

[radiochaser]

On 4/22/2025 at 2:00 AM, 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.  

A few years back when I was taking classes at Chulalakorn, I spoke with a young lady for a few minutes before I asked her what southern

state in the U.S. of A. she was from.   

 

Her English was very fluent and she spoke with an Arkansas accent!  She had never been outside of Thailand.

[CygnusX1]

I

1 hour ago, CM Dad said:

English does not have classifiers like Thai, but there are partitives in English for many words.  An example is two heads of lettuce - not two lettuces.

I don’t know about partitives, but I’ve read that there are 2 main types of classifier, one being for countable things and the other for non-countable things. English uses classifiers for non-countable things in much the same way as Thai . For example, water is non-countable, so the phrase “‘three water” is meaningless. It needs a classifier such as glass, bottle, jug, barrel to be added.

Unlike English , Thai also uses classifiers for countable items, such as chairs and dogs, so in Thai we can’t say “three dogs”, we have to say “dog three body”. There are rare exceptions in English - a pedant might say that “‘three cattle” is grammatically incorrect, it should be “three head of cattle”, where “‘head” is the same as a Thai classifier for a countable thing.

 

[gejohesch]

On 4/23/2025 at 3:04 PM, Harrisfan said:

Farang talk

 

How are you?

Yeah ok

What you been doing?

Not much

Farang people I interact with might start with such platitudes - that's normal - but most of the time we follow up with some more substantial discussions. Sometimes on light subjects, sometimes about more serious subjects. It does not matter what, the important thing is that there is a "real" exchange, moving beyond endless and repetitive platitudes.

[Hatari fan]

Years ago when new in Thailand I made a big attempt to learn Thai but on speaking found the Thais didn't understand what I was trying to say and often stood there in amazement not even seeming to know I was  attempting to speak their language. 

I gave up realising I would never master the different tones that are important in the Thai language. 

I now have my own private interpreter and if she's not around there's always Google. 

[NickyLouie]

Que the low IQ people who've been here more than 5 years and only know 5 Thai words.

 

[StevieAus]

On 4/22/2025 at 12:59 PM, 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.

You are spot on there, I live in the North and the majority of the Thais speak Lana plus their own “ slang” then of course the various ethnic groups including the Burmese speak their own languages.

My nine year old daughter who speaks fluent English openly states that she prefers to speak Lana rather than Central Thai which she is required to speak at the non government school she attends.

[Photoguy21]

On 4/22/2025 at 12:59 PM, 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.

Pretty much the same as every other country, including your home country wherever that is.