Thai Language School In Pattaya

[ZZZ]

I know it has been discussed before but things change. Any resent recommendation for a Thai language school i Pattaya. I would like to do the whole bit, read, write and talk?

[farangtingtong]

I know it has been discussed before but things change. Any resent recommendation for a Thai language school i Pattaya. I would like to do the whole bit, read, write and talk?

Try PLC - Pattaya Language and Computer School on Pattaya Central Road between Foodland and Carrefour.

English/Thai management.

Thai course; 20 hours; private; THB 5,000

ask for Ms. Sutthida, a nice teacher.

[PattayaParent]

I know it has been discussed before but things change. Any resent recommendation for a Thai language school i Pattaya. I would like to do the whole bit, read, write and talk?

Try PLC - Pattaya Language and Computer School on Pattaya Central Road between Foodland and Carrefour.

English/Thai management.

Thai course; 20 hours; private; THB 5,000

ask for Ms. Sutthida, a nice teacher.

I can recommend my Thai teacher but she's THB 10,000 for 20 hours.

Soi VC next to Y2K Boys.

PM me for 'phone number if you're interested.

[ThaiBob]

I know it has been discussed before but things change. Any resent recommendation for a Thai language school i Pattaya. I would like to do the whole bit, read, write and talk?

A.U.A. (Pataya branch) offers Thai language courses besides English. 36 hours; 3900 THB. They do not offer their total immersion class at the Pattaya branch, only Bangkok.

http://aua.buu.ac.th/pattaya/thai_en.html

[piker]

One of the best and least expensive is Pro Language School directly across from Carrefour. Private classes are very inexpensive.

Edited October 18, 2007 by piker

[tuky]

What will 20 hours do for you? it doesn't sound like a long time.

Does anyone have a rough idea of how many hours would be needed to become semi literate and reasonably conversational?

[philliphn]

I strongly recommend that if you are a man. You should get a man as a Thai language teacher. The reason for this is that men use tones in a different way than a woman does. If you get a female Thai language teacher, you may find that the way you use tones, will sound more femnine. "Up to you".

[philliphn]

What will 20 hours do for you? it doesn't sound like a long time.

Does anyone have a rough idea of how many hours would be needed to become semi literate and reasonably conversational?

I have a friend who has been studying the Thai language seriously for over 3 years. He initially went to a school in Bangkok. For most of this time he has been studying privately with a male Thai language teacher. He meets with his teacher 5 days a week. My friend is a very intelligent man. He has studied diligently. After this peroid of time he has a vocabulary of about 800 words. He is just now begining to be able to read Thai script. He continues to study the language. He says that it is very difficult to learn.

One other advantage is that the study of the language keeps his mind active and supple.

So you can figure that 20 hours is only a brief introduction.

Edited October 18, 2007 by philliphn

[ZZZ]

I strongly recommend that if you are a man. You should get a man as a Thai language teacher. The reason for this is that men use tones in a different way than a woman does. If you get a female Thai language teacher, you may find that the way you use tones, will sound more femnine. "Up to you".

Good point. I was set to have a female teacher but thinking about it most of my friends that can speak Thai sound very feminine to me when they speak Thai and they have learned from females.

[njpski]

With a female teacher you certainly won't get the right tone and also the polite participle is different, for the woman "ka" and for a male "Krap" - men need to hear it said frequently so that it becomes natural.

[PattayaParent]

What will 20 hours do for you? it doesn't sound like a long time.

Does anyone have a rough idea of how many hours would be needed to become semi literate and reasonably conversational?

I have a friend who has been studying the Thai language seriously for over 3 years. He initially went to a school in Bangkok. For most of this time he has been studying privately with a male Thai language teacher. He meets with his teacher 5 days a week. My friend is a very intelligent man. He has studied diligently. After this peroid of time he has a vocabulary of about 800 words. He is just now begining to be able to read Thai script. He continues to study the language. He says that it is very difficult to learn.

One other advantage is that the study of the language keeps his mind active and supple.

So you can figure that 20 hours is only a brief introduction.

After 20 hours I could read Thai competantly enough and was able to use a dictionary to look up the meanings of words. I could also write basic Thai but didn't keep up any practice in that area.

My speaking ability was improved out of class hours by having a girlfriend that only spoke Thai, no English, so she was able to help me a lot.

20 hours puts you at the level of a 7 year old Thai schoolkid according to my teacher.

[Jareddiving]

What will 20 hours do for you? it doesn't sound like a long time.

Does anyone have a rough idea of how many hours would be needed to become semi literate and reasonably conversational?

I have a friend who has been studying the Thai language seriously for over 3 years. He initially went to a school in Bangkok. For most of this time he has been studying privately with a male Thai language teacher. He meets with his teacher 5 days a week. My friend is a very intelligent man. He has studied diligently. After this peroid of time he has a vocabulary of about 800 words. He is just now begining to be able to read Thai script. He continues to study the language. He says that it is very difficult to learn.

One other advantage is that the study of the language keeps his mind active and supple.

So you can figure that 20 hours is only a brief introduction.

800 words in 3 years isnt that much.. 3 years is about 1100 days so he lerns less then a word per day.

i've been here 2 years and i am sure i know more.

Just by studying myself.

[ZZZ]

So I will be looking for a male teacher, preferable someone who has training and experience in language teaching. As I intend to use a private teacher it does not matter what school he is attached to or if he is private. Anyone with suggestions of a good, male, teacher?

[leosmith]

What will 20 hours do for you? it doesn't sound like a long time.

Does anyone have a rough idea of how many hours would be needed to become semi literate and reasonably conversational?

FSI (foreign service institute) says it takes about 1000 hours for a native english speaker to become fluent.

I strongly recommend that if you are a man. You should get a man as a Thai language teacher. The reason for this is that men use tones in a different way than a woman does. If you get a female Thai language teacher, you may find that the way you use tones, will sound more femnine. "Up to you".

Not true. Tones are the same for male and female. The politeness particle is different, and there are some expressions biased to the sexes, but these are minor issues. Also, a female teacher will be aware of the differences, and will make sure a male student won't talk like a girl. I recommend a female because they generally speak clearer, and there are a lot more available.

[Kees5]

I also use Pro Language school, and am satisfied with them.

[Sapillyder]

20 hours of study wouldn't get you anywhere. You would forget most of it within a month. Constant practice is necessary - preferably with a non-English speaking partner or either sex - and IMHO, with diligence, a fair degree of fluency can be acheived with a vocabulary of about 1200 words under your belt. I think it would take a minimum of 100 hours of serious study to acheive that. The crux of the matter is the tones. Without proper pronounciation of those 1,200 words, you might as well not have bothered.

In a more direct answer to the original post, AUA in North Pattaya is probably one of the best values around and can be a lot of fun in a 6 - 10 person group environment.

[BugJackBaron]

How about that lady who gives the "one word a day" on pattaya people TV?

I really want to know how it is there....

Too bad there are no "free beginner lessons for language exchange" as in Japan or Korea.

Too money oriented here...

[leosmith]

20 hours of study wouldn't get you anywhere. You would forget most of it within a month. Constant practice is necessary - preferably with a non-English speaking partner or either sex

Agreed

and IMHO, with diligence, a fair degree of fluency can be acheived with a vocabulary of about 1200 words under your belt.

I guess it depends on what you consider "a fair degree of fluency". If you could produce 1200 words in conversation, at normal speeds, then you could probably converse about most subjects without too much trouble. 2000 - 3000 words is where most linguists say one hits the 95% mark, which is said to be the point that you have enough context to learn efficiently from native materials. With 1200 words, you certainly won't be able to understand TV or newspapers. And even with 3000 words, Thai requires a lot more idioms than the average language.

I think it would take a minimum of 100 hours of serious study to acheive that.

You might be able to cram 1200 words in 100 hours, but getting to the point where you're using them comfortably and properly in conversation will probably take more time. But maybe you're saying 100 hours of class time, and a lot more hours outside class.

In a more direct answer to the original post, AUA in North Pattaya is probably one of the best values around and can be a lot of fun in a 6 - 10 person group environment.

I've read other posters say AUA is too easy. In other words, after taking a student to a basic level, they need to go somewhere else or take private lessons. Are your experiences different? I'd rather go to AUA, because it's convenient to my favorite part of town. I have pretty good conversation skills, but very basic reading skills. I'd like to find a school that teaches reading/writing/grammar, taught in Thai medium. I'll get my most of my conversation practice outside of class.

[alaninkarachi]

How about that lady who gives the "one word a day" on pattaya people TV?

I really want to know how it is there....

Too bad there are no "free beginner lessons for language exchange" as in Japan or Korea.

Too money oriented here...

Prince of Wales School is the one you are refering to. I went and was impressed. If you want ot learn and are prepared for strict dicipline she is the best. I only managed to go for a short time due to work commitments. But she is very through and you will for sure learn to read and write with her.

[SoCa9346]

Doesn't the Pro Language School qualify you for an education visa as does ThaiWalen

[oMega69]

Doesn't the Pro Language School qualify you for an education visa as does ThaiWalen

Yes both of them if u go 180 lessions per year !

[jb4446]

20 hours of study wouldn't get you anywhere. You would forget most of it within a month. Constant practice is necessary - preferably with a non-English speaking partner or either sex - and IMHO, with diligence, a fair degree of fluency can be acheived with a vocabulary of about 1200 words under your belt. I think it would take a minimum of 100 hours of serious study to acheive that. The crux of the matter is the tones. Without proper pronounciation of those 1,200 words, you might as well not have bothered.

In a more direct answer to the original post, AUA in North Pattaya is probably one of the best values around and can be a lot of fun in a 6 - 10 person group environment.

Ill go along with that,get the pronounciation right or forget it.Flash cards are good,carry a few,pull them out every hour or so,just bang away at it.It is a difficult language to pick up compared to European

Edited February 17, 2010 by jb4446

[philliphn]

What will 20 hours do for you? it doesn't sound like a long time.

Does anyone have a rough idea of how many hours would be needed to become semi literate and reasonably conversational?

6 years of daily hard work.

[WaatWang]

What will 20 hours do for you? it doesn't sound like a long time.

Does anyone have a rough idea of how many hours would be needed to become semi literate and reasonably conversational?

6 years of daily hard work.

I think it's hard to answer this question because we all learn at a different pace and have different experiences.

When I was thinking about moving here I started learning at home - just using Pimsleur / Rosetta Stone products, and practicing with the people at the local Thai restaurant once a week. I have been here for five months now and would say I am 'reasonably conversational', but I spend most of my time with native Thai speakers, listen to Thai music and like going to Thai movies. Every little bit helps!

If you are a farang but stay pretty much isolated from native speakers, it will take a lot longer. It also depends on how easily you learn foreign languages. It's easier for some people than others. So only you will be able to know how long it will take *you*. I don't think any of us can answer this for you precisely.

[Rimmer]

Post deleted.

[Kohdam]

I strongly recommend that if you are a man. You should get a man as a Thai language teacher. The reason for this is that men use tones in a different way than a woman does. If you get a female Thai language teacher, you may find that the way you use tones, will sound more femnine. "Up to you".

so if you have learnt thai language from your girlfriends or wife is it the same I think

Edited April 27, 2010 by Kohdam