What Percent Of Long Term Farang Can Speak/read Thai

[meadish_sweetball]

There's no super panacea that'll have you speaking Thai in no-time.

But it's equally true that if you put yourself in a situation where nobody will understand your English and you won't understand anybody else, you will be forced to learn to communicate in Thai, and quickly at that.

I'd recommend a good theoretic base any day. That way you'll get a blueprint to the tone system, Thai speech sounds and basic grammar/word order. Once you understand these basic building blocks, you'll have a framework for learning new vocab and expressions.

But I know theoretical studies or a classroom is not everyone's cup of tea, so for those who have tried classroom courses and self studies and just despaired, a 6-month stint in a small Central Thai town without any reading or listening material in English would no doubt give you a good nudge in the right direction.

If you can't do that, well, try two words a day (or one small useful sentence per day) like Neeranam suggested.

Learn how to ask for new vocab:

"an nee ree-ag waa a-rai?' '[classifier] this call [clause linker] what' = What do you call this?

Getting to a level where you can have a reasonable conversation takes time, and it's putting in the effort every day that'll see you develop.

[Solosiam]

this after all is Thailand, and if you can't speak Thai after living here for more than a couple of years you should be down right ashamed of yourself - thats pathetic!

What a daft thing to say, some people just aren't very good at picking up new languages, or don't need to.

I'm sure I would speak perfect Thai if I spent a couple of hours a day on it, but it's just not that important to me. I'd rather spend time with my family and on my successful business.

[OxfordWill]

I work with farangs and English speaking Thais, so my immersion into Thai isn’t very complete. However I understand a lot and carry on many low level conversations.

I just finished reading a book in Thai. It’s about a big cat and a little cat that go fishing. The big cat only wants to catch big fish but the little cat isn’t fussy. The climax comes at the end of the day when the little cat decides to share his fish after the big cat realizes he acted foolishly out of pride. Quite an extraordinary account really, I had no idea cats could fish let alone understands complex issues like pride and mercy. My world is opening up.

The book was 8 pages and it took me half an hour to read it. The big pictures were helpful.

Love it!

[fasp]

I'm a norwegian and english is not a problem for me, german is also ok. But thai is very difficult. Maybe I'm tone deaf because I find it extremely difficult to hear the difference between an egg and a di.. . I've been married for almost 5 years and have lived here for 8 months. I've tried to learn thai and I pick up some words every day (or maybe every week?) But I find it hard. I can make myself understood in some settings . My hope is to understand thai roughly and be able to speak it, in maybe 2 or 3 years.

But speak thai fluent ? In my dreams maybe

By the way, even many thais speak thai poorly and many of them read and write slowly.

[garro]

Learning Thai for me has been a long and difficult process. I study everyday, watch Thai Tv, read Thai books and magazines and only speak Thai with my wife and try to speak the local dialect with my neighbors. I have been doing this for five years and can see that I have made a lot of progress. I still wouldn't say I'm fluent though.

I am amazed when I see people on Thai Visa say they are fluent after three years. Am I doing something wrong or am I just stupid?

[Old Man River]

Learning Thai for me has been a long and difficult process. I study everyday, watch Thai Tv, read Thai books and magazines and only speak Thai with my wife and try to speak the local dialect with my neighbors. I have been doing this for five years and can see that I have made a lot of progress. I still wouldn't say I'm fluent though.

I am amazed when I see people on Thai Visa say they are fluent after three years. Am I doing something wrong or am I just stupid?

Fluency is all relative. For some, fluency is getting around a city in a taxi while for others it is being able to have a philosophical discussion in Thai. For me, I am not fluent, but I can get around in a taxi without problems. My goal is the latter, but probably in the next life.

[TexasRanger]

I am by no means fluent, but converse in Thai every day and very rarely have to resort to a dictionary, however as others have said, when you can read Thai you realise how many errors you have been making with pronunciation, not a real problem though becuase the locals also make those mistakes.

I remember having a chat with a phd student in UK and she was one of the few Thais' I have met who pronounces the "R" properly and could say Central like a Westerner. When we commented on it she said that it was the correct way to say Central but when she gets a taxi here she has to say it the Thai way or they don't understand her.

It is not so bad speaking Thai here as so many Thais' butcher their own language as do those in the West, take Geordies, scousers etc.

in the UK or the coon asses in Louisianna.

I agree that it may be laziness on the part of many ex pats who don't learn Thai but there are indeed those who just cannot learn languages very well, it doesn't make them pathetic.

[bernie66]

i have only been in and out of thailand for 2 years. I have come to the conclusion that i am going to learn and tell noone not even my wife that i can speak or read thai. I found in japan that you can learn an incredible amount of things when everyone thinks your oblivious to what they are saying.

[Old Man River]

It is not so bad speaking Thai here as so many Thais' butcher their own language as do those in the West, take Geordies, scousers etc.

in the UK or the coon asses in Louisianna.

You forgot to mention those in the Hill country.

[chinthee]

I am by no means fluent, but converse in Thai every day and very rarely have to resort to a dictionary, however as others have said, when you can read Thai you realise how many errors you have been making with pronunciation, not a real problem though becuase the locals also make those mistakes.

I remember having a chat with a phd student in UK and she was one of the few Thais' I have met who pronounces the "R" properly and could say Central like a Westerner. When we commented on it she said that it was the correct way to say Central but when she gets a taxi here she has to say it the Thai way or they don't understand her.

It is not so bad speaking Thai here as so many Thais' butcher their own language as do those in the West, take Geordies, scousers etc.

in the UK or the coon asses in Louisianna.

I agree that it may be laziness on the part of many ex pats who don't learn Thai but there are indeed those who just cannot learn languages very well, it doesn't make them pathetic.

This is an excellent post. I grew up speaking two languages fluently and natively. I then became fluent in a third at University. Throughout my life I had the chance to live in a further several countries with completely different languages, and characters/alphabets and learned those very well too. With Thai, I'm fairly conversational, but completely illiterate, as I'm just too lazy to learn yet another damm language the proper way. As an illiterate, I know that I must be committing many mistakes with pronunciation, yet, every Thai is able to understand me in every situation. Maybe this is because of my linguistic abilities to hear languages, I don't know. I have no plans to learn the language better. I'm happy where I am, and as I said, lazy.

Everyone who knows me says I have a penchant for languages. That may be true. But, Tonal languages in Asia with characters or script are difficult to learn. And, as has been pointed out, learning Thai, when you are really only assured of a year-to-year visa renewal, and considering it has among the least usefulness in the world of any language can be de-motivational.

However, it's quite easy to learn in a few years enough to get you through most everyday situations conversationally, and I highly encourage that level of language for expats living in Thailand. Having said that, I certainly don't deride people who have trouble learning Thai or any other language. I think the more languages you speak, the more forgiving you are because you understand the discipline and perhaps God-given inclinations it takes.

[Gary A]

I know one guy very well who is fluent in Thai and I know another, but not that well, who is also fluent. They only THINK they are fluent. I have heard both get very angry and rant and rave that the Thais are stupid and don't even understand their own language. I'd NEVER want to become THAT fluent. I'm quite embarrassed to be around either of them. My wife is a simple country girl who is no one's fool. She has told me that neither of them speak good Thai in any dialect. I have been here many years and speak enough Thai to only get by. I can't carry on a conversation and really don't want to. I'm content to be a hermit.

[jing jing]

I've lived here full time for about 2 1/2 years and am far from fluent, but get by in almost all day-to-day situations living in an area where absolutely nobody except my wife and I can speak english. If I need to know a very specific word (such as for the bacteria used in a septic tank) I'll call my wife and ask her the thai word for what I want. After that the word will become part of my vocabulary.

My goal is to be nearly fluent within 5 years. I did start with 6 weeks of classes in Bangkok, 15 hours a week, which got me started reading and writing as well as speaking. IMHO reading is essential to learning how to speak thai properly, for reasons already stated by others. Writing thai - as in any other language - is much more difficult than reading, and it's hard to believe that someone could actually write better than they can read... that just doesn't seem plausible.

If someone is so busy working that they have absolutely no time to study is about the only scenario I can fathom a person living here full time for several years and not becoming reasonably proficient in the language. Not ever being able to understand what people around me are saying would drive me nuts -- sooner rather than later.

[dclaryjr]

When I first joined the U.S. Air Force some 35 years ago, I took a test designed to test language learning aptitude. I had already been picked for the intelligence career field which consisted of both linguists and analysts. My scores we abysmal. I ended up spending six years in Berlin and picked up a little bit of Deutsch (I could order up to 100 beers and ask where the restroom was), but that was about it. I don't expect that I'm going to have a whole lot of success learning Thai once I move there full time.

[steve73]

Well after reading all these post's I don't feel half as useless as I did before....

I've been visiting Thailand for only 2 years, but have made 9 visits, and spent over 300 days here in this time. In my first trip (9 days) I'd managed to speak the basic Sawadee Krap, Korp Khun Krap, etc, could order beer, and get my room key (i.e count 0-9), and perhaps a little more. Now I know a few more words but still can't string a sentence together unless I practice it over and over in my head first (or write it down as a Transliteration), and I still can't understand much at all, just about managing to understand the bill when asked.

Unfortunately I'm not only tone deaf, but starting to suffer significant hearing loss, to the point that I struggle to understand natives back in the UK (especially the Jock's where I'm living), and in a noisy environment such as a bar I've no hope, unless I'm facing them directly and partially lip-reading.

As far as languageability goes, I managed to get an "unclassified" French O level after 7 years of studing when I was at school, and despite NEVER having used it since (~30 years), I find I can now speak better French than I can Thai. It's as if trying to learn Thai has unlocked my Franch ability - probably uses a similar part of the brain.

But this is no excuse.... I've just bought a small rural place for my g/f (with lease of course) and am planning to spend even more time here before committing to full time retirement, and I really want to learn so that I can better interact with the locals. My g/f speaks and reads passable English, but as the daughter of a Thai language teacher, she speaks "proper" thai, correctly pronouncing "r" for example, but we end usuallyt up defaulting to English, with a dictionary for the words she dosen't know. Understandably her English is improving in leaps and bounds.

I find I learn things better if I write them down, so this leads me to the frightening conclusion that I'll need to learn to read and write Thai if I am to progress much more with speaking it, (although I did learn to write my name on trip 3 but can't remember now). I'm not sure what facilities there will be for formal study in my rural part of the country though...

But as I said at the start - I'm a lot happier now that I feel that I'm not that far behind many others. And for those who manage to grasp languages easily, and say it's pathetic not to learn, I'd like to see you learn the intracies of Organic Chemistry.....

[BlackArtemis]

I have been here for about 2 years, my thai friends say I speak 60-70% But I feel its closer to 50-60, though a 3hr or so conversation isn't something I can't handle. Now I have been lazy about reading and writing and can only do the basics...

In my travels I have met people here for a year who speak as well or better than me and can read quite a bit. I have also met people who have been here for 10+ years and have a hard time ordering food... I notice I meet a lot more of the latter.

As for the fluency, I agree quite a bit, as I said my Thai friends and wife say my Thai is good, but I feel that I have grammatical mistakes, forget a classifier etc, so yeah maybe I know all the vocab words, but I mess up fluency and being farang I will always make some mistakes. The word fluent is a really lofty title to be had...

[cutter007]

When Thais quit telling you how good your Thai is, you know that it is finally pretty good. I learned to read and write as well but really never had much need to use it outside of reading menus and signs and the like. I find Farangs that use literary words to an excess are very annoying. Spoken and written language can be quite different.

This is so true, I realized this also, once my Thai was at a certain level, people stopped telling

me I spoke good Thai, they didn't need to, they knew that I knew it was better than the average foreigner.

I can remember times when I only said sawadii to someone and they complemented me on my

Thai...............thats how rediculous it is.

So if people are still telling you, you speak good Thai, than you are a long way from speaking well.

I started to read the Divinci Code thai version about 3 months ago, I am about at page 40, reading off and on when I get time.

So if you want to know how good your reading skills are pick up a book like that and see how long it takes you,

...................40 pages in 3 months...........I know I am a long way from being fluent.

[tracer5050]

I have been learning to speak thai for 3 years I have found that most Thais know what i am trying to say . They don t laught in my face anyway. Would like to learn to read it , may start that next after reading this here.

would be good to walk in to a place and be able to read the menu.

[Andrew Hicks]

what do you think are the %'s for farang in thailand for

3 yrs

5 yrs

7 yrs

10 yrs

that can speak thai / read thai

There's a lot of farang who speak no Thai at one year and will have learned nothing more after five years. It surprises me frankly.

I've heard it said that some wives like this as it gives them more control over their man as they are the sole conduit between him and Thailand!!

I can get by in Thai but would love to do a course. Living in Surin the opportunities are limited!

Up to now I've relied on the books of author James Higbie as my teacher. Most other books I've looked at are awful.

How does one find a decent course in Bangkok? Preferably a group as I find this more stimulating... and cheaper!

[Andrew Hicks]

When Thais quit telling you how good your Thai is, you know that it is finally pretty good. I learned to read and write as well but really never had much need to use it outside of reading menus and signs and the like. I find Farangs that use literary words to an excess are very annoying. Spoken and written language can be quite different.

This is so true, I realized this also, once my Thai was at a certain level, people stopped telling

me I spoke good Thai, they didn't need to, they knew that I knew it was better than the average foreigner.

I can remember times when I only said sawadii to someone and they complemented me on my

Thai...............thats how rediculous it is.

So if people are still telling you, you speak good Thai, than you are a long way from speaking well.

I started to read the Divinci Code thai version about 3 months ago, I am about at page 40, reading off and on when I get time.

So if you want to know how good your reading skills are pick up a book like that and see how long it takes you,

...................40 pages in 3 months...........I know I am a long way from being fluent.

I picked up the Da Vinci Code in English and that's about the same progress I made with it.

I hand it to you struggling through it in Thai!

[Tim207]

....and don't forget that a lot of Thais don't want or like farangs speaking THEIR language!

In my experience, Thais are very happy to see a farang that can speak and or read Thai. Those that are unhappy about it are better avoided because the only good reason I can see for someone not liking farang understanding Thai is that they are trying to hide things or being deceitful.

[cmsally]

I speak I guess OK Thai and Northern Thai dialect but wish I was more proficient in writing. But it's so slow to write and I am so impatient! Does anyone think in Thai - I do often. Speak to the dog in Thai too sometimes; she seems to understand OK

[TexasRanger]

I can speak, read and write Thai, but then I have been here a couple of years now. It comes in handy to read but I almost never need to write in Thai, thank god.

I do wonder why people find it so hard, most other countries I go to people seem to pick up a fair bit of the language after a short while, not sure why Tailand is so different. I know some people are just lazy, some have trouble with languages and some say they are busy, but I am sure most people could spare an hour a day, more than enough to pick up a good level.

As long as people understand you, and more importantly for me, I understand them, then that is good enough.

Edited August 28, 2007 by TexasRanger