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

[steven100]

1 hour ago, StandardIssue said:

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

 

none of your god damn business   !!        

[Packer]

Most around here don't, which is fair enough, the only people they come into contact with that aren't fluent English speakers are the family nannies and maids. And they mostly speak Lao or Khmer dialects anyway.

[Harrisfan]

9 minutes ago, MalcolmB said:

Laziness and arrogance 

 

15 minutes ago, Photoguy21 said:

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.

Easier to pick up real women too. The plonkers who can't speak it have to buy them.

[BritManToo]

13 minutes ago, Harrisfan said:

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

High schools, so they have 11 years speaking the local language first, and nearly 80% of Thais never attended high school.

[Harrisfan]

2 minutes ago, steven100 said:

 

none of your god damn business   !!        

Are you drunk daily?

[Harrisfan]

Just now, BritManToo said:

High schools, so they have 11 years speaking the local language first 

Pretty retarded dropping out of school age 11 

[KannikaP]

23 minutes ago, Harrisfan said:

Every Thai speaks central Thai.

Yeh, like every Englishman speaks the King's English. 

[atpeace]

I'm a loner and have my hobbies that keep me engaged with life.  If I felt semi fluency could be obtained by sacrificing 5-10 hours a week I would do it but have made the effort a few times over the last 20 years with little success.  My hearing has never been great and for some reason can't pick up the tones nor the correct pronunciation even disregarding the tones.  I know enough to get by but definitely would not be able to even have a rudimentary conversation. 

 

How did those that are semi fluent pickup the tones?  

 

 

[norsurin]

42 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

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.

I speak thai well..my exwife learned me when we lived in surin.I also learned by listening and look what they doing.

I speak street thai..wery short sentence same many of thais speaking.Yes..some thais in ex Bangkok don't understand my thai but normally most of the people.Everytime im in Thailand i go visit my kids grandparents in surin and its good to sit down and talk with them in thai.

[KhunLA]

Just now, Harrisfan said:

Easier to pick up real women too. The plonkers who can't speak it have to buy them.

Yea ... what he said.  All one needs, is enough to talk to chickies, or whatever you preference is 

 

Know enough to get by, but not for an in depth conversation with a local.   Vocabulary is not that varied, or brain quick enough to translate.

 

Although, any intelligent local I'm going to have a conversation with, knows enough English to converse with me.

[BritManToo]

Just now, Harrisfan said:

Pretty retarded dropping out of school age 11 

School is free up to age 12, then the schools start changing, and many Thais just can't afford the high school fees.

My local government high school demands 4kbht/term, my son's government high school charges 5kbht/term.

 

I'm already paying another kids fees, but I can't afford to help everyone.

[KannikaP]

1 minute ago, norsurin said:

my exwife learned me when we lived in surin

But not English then !  555          Taught!

[MalcolmB]

1 minute ago, Harrisfan said:

 

Easier to pick up real women too. The plonkers who can't speak it have to buy them.

Very true. 
There is definitely a “scene” here with the expats that have married the hookers socializing together. After about the third drink in they all revert to “bar Thailish”, talk about “boom boom” etc.

 

I think most of the hookers that have married expats after the third drink kicks in think they are back at work.

 

[Airalee]

If you brag (as you did in the other thread) about knowing how to say “rent” and “apartment”….you don’t speak Thai.

 

 

[BritManToo]

Just now, MalcolmB said:

Very true. 
There is definitely a “scene” here with the expats that have married the hookers socializing together. After about the third drink in they all revert to “bar Thailish”, talk about “boom boom” etc.

 

I think most of the hookers that have married expats after the third drink kicks in think they are back at work.

 

I don't socialise with anyone. I prefer to stay at home with my rabbits!

[Purdey]

I found that learning Thai from a book doesn't help tonally but context allows Thais to understand. I used The Fundamentals of Thai Language (The Fundamentals of the Thai Language (Fifth Edition): Stuart Campbell, Chuan Shaweevongs: Amazon.com: Books) which is rather old now.

I still don't get the tones right but people understand me.

[bunnydrops]

11 minutes ago, Harrisfan said:

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

 

 

Yes, due to necessity. They would also try and speak Spanish if they went to work in Mexico.

[MalcolmB]

4 minutes ago, atpeace said:

How did those that are semi fluent pickup the tones?  

A very simple formula.

 

http://www.thai-language.com/ref/tone-rules

[proton]

Too difficult, and the wife teaches it

[Harrisfan]

5 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

School is free up to age 12, then the schools start changing, and many Thais just can't afford the high school fees.

My local government high school demands 4kbht/term, my son's government high school charges 5kbht/term.

 

I'm already paying another kids fees, but I can't afford to help everyone.

Charging not changing.

[steven100]

9 minutes ago, Harrisfan said:

Are you drunk daily?

I try my best  ....  

[tmd5855]

Been here 21 years, first 10 working offshore where I spent 30 minutes every evening learning phrases 'phonetically' moved up to my retirement home (Built 2012) in 2015 whose land is owned by a Thai company.  

Spending 38 years working overseas with various foreign nationals always learnt some phrases from the locals I worked amongst.

 

Retired from work 2014 aged 59 and can go builders merchants and with drawings and pigeon Thai always get what I need.  Police stop me on my bikes, smile and joke with them using Thai, 9 times out of 10 they let me off for speeding after they see my Thai bike licence.

 

Always good manners to understand the local lingo, helped me a lot since retiring in a village and meeting a lady who became wife 2 years later.  

You want to learn the language, but, not go school!!  Have phrase books at home and a little pocketbook to write down phrases 'Phonetically' 

 

Best of luck.

 

[spidermike007]

There are so many aspects to this rather complicated question. First of all Thai is a very difficult language to learn, with the tones and the multiple meanings of the same word. The second aspect of this is that in my opinion Thais don't have what I refer to as linguistic creativity. I speak Spanish relatively well I can travel to any number of 40 plus countries that speak Spanish and be understood and carry on a conversation even though the accents and the slang differ quite dramatically. Alot of this has to do with the fact that Latinos in general are very creative linguistically and they're able to intellectually dance around a question or statement that I may make and engage in trying to determine what it is that I'm asking or stating. Thais simply cannot do that, it's just not part of their intellect and that makes speaking Thai far more difficult.

 

You seem to get huge credit for trying to speak Spanish, even if it is very imperfect. I do not get any of that here. Nunca. Nada. Zero. You do not pronounce it perfectly here, we have no idea what you are saying! And there is no effort made to attempt to figure it out. Lame. Very lame. That gets very old. 

 

Many Thais just don't have an interest in trying to figure out what you're trying to say. Is it a lack of curiosity? A form of shyness? Who knows? 

[StandardIssue]

18 minutes ago, Airalee said:

If you brag (as you did in the other thread) about knowing how to say “rent” and “apartment”….you don’t speak Thai.

 

 

It's helpful to know your native language first, IMHO.

What I said is I can do business like rent an apartment from a Thai person who speaks very little English. In other words friend, I can speak that much Thai. I can also have a conversation with most Thais and get to know them, their work, family, friends, travel etc.

Most important. I know enough Thai to have them help me learn more. This I found to be very valuable.

[steven100]

also,  many Thais can't even understand other Thai's speaking on some occasions ....  especially far north and south,  but even some in Bangkok.

[Photoguy21]

45 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.

You obviously need to change the locations you hang out in.

[Airalee]

3 minutes ago, StandardIssue said:

It's helpful to know your native language first, IMHO.

What I said is I can do business like rent an apartment from a Thai person who speaks very little English. In other words friend, I can speak that much Thai. I can also have a conversation with most Thais and get to know them, their work, family, friends, travel etc.

Most important. I know enough Thai to have them help me learn more. This I found to be very valuable.

In other words….

 

You can’t speak Thai, but you like to denigrate those who might (or might not be) at a lower level than yourself.

[norsurin]

24 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

But not English then !  555          Taught!

My english is good.Been working as a seaman worldwide for decades.The workinglangue is english.

Im from a country where we learn english in early ages.

[KannikaP]

Just now, norsurin said:

My english is good.Been working as a seaman worldwide for decades.The workinglangue is english.

Im from a country where we learn english in early ages.

You didn't get it did you. You said that your wife 'learned' you, where it should have been 'taught'. She did the teaching, you did the learning. OK?

[Chris Daley]

I have worked in English schools since they day I arrived.  I never need to speak Thai to anyone.