Is It Just Me Or Is This Language Too dam_n Hard?

[Wizzard of Oz]

I don't get where the 'gaw' is meant to go or what i means.

As far as I know, it means 'also' and can be used to link sentences. I don't get how to use it in these though:

- phro man mai waan thawrai leew suan maak gaw cham duay

I get that it says 'because they're not very sweet, and most are bruised too'. I just don't get the 'gaw' bit =/

- khraaw naa thaa seu gap khao meuarai gaw hai seu phonlamaai duay

I get that it says 'In the future, whenever I go buy food, I will get you to buy fruit too'. I just don't get the 'gaw' bit (again) =/

- meua-chaaw-nii gumlang ja glap baan fon gaw tok phaw dii

I get that it says 'Ealier this morning just as I was about to go home, it started raining right then' I don't understand the 'gaw' bit (as usual) =/

Can anyone help out with understand when I should use 'gaw' ?

Cheers

Edited November 27, 2007 by Wizzard of Oz

[stateman]

Comments in red:

I don't get where the 'gaw' is meant to go or what i means.

As far as I know, it means 'also' and can be used to link sentences. I don't get how to use it in these though:

- phro man mai waan thawrai leew suan maak gaw cham duay

I get that it says 'because they're not very sweet, and most are bruised too'. I just don't get the 'gaw' bit =/

gaw = also

- khraaw naa thaa seu gap khao meuarai gaw hai seu phonlamaai duay

I get that it says 'In the future, whenever I go buy food, I will get you to buy fruit too'. I just don't get the 'gaw' bit (again) =/

gaw = then, also

- meua-chaaw-nii gumlang ja glap baan fon gaw tok phaw dii

I get that it says 'Ealier this morning just as I was about to go home, it started raining right then' I don't understand the 'gaw' bit (as usual) =/

gaw = then (also)

Can anyone help out with understand when I should use 'gaw' ?

Cheers

[T_Dog]

I am a new to the language, and I learned it as le gaw. (also, or and) Does the le make it more proper?

[meadish_sweetball]

T_Dog, you probably mean แล้วก็ [HL]laew [FL]kaw - แล้ว has a tendency of being shortened in spoken Thai so it will come out as ละก้อ or และก้อ.

ก็ 'kaw' is one of those words you just have to get a feel for by exposure. After you've read and heard enough sentences you will start to know where it fits in.

It's not a word that contains a whole lot of meaning by itself, it is often just a parsing word to make it easier to separate the clauses in a sentence from each other.

I've seen Thai translation teachers (in the 'translate it' section of Bangkok Post) comment that there is a trend of overusing the word in translations. Many times it can be removed without any actual change in meaning.

[Big A]

The word ‘ก็’ is pronounced very short in a falling tone. It has no direct translation and probably not only one meaning but it is used a lot and has the task of not only making the sentence sound better but also giving the meaning that you want to express by what you say. Sometimes it replaces other words just because it sounds better and the sentence can still be understood. It also helps to separate two sentences that are combined into one (see example 36). When ‘ก็’ is said at the beginning of a sentence, it is usually to soften the reply or to express a thought or idea or an uncertain answer as in:

Q. How many temples did you visit ?

A. ก็……ประมาณสิบ → Well....about ten.

or

Q. Is it nice ?

A. ก็……อร่อย → Well.....it's nice.

Below are many examples of different uses of ก็

Examples 1-2:

Q. เอาไหม? → Do you want ?

A. ก็……ไม่เอา → Well.....I don't want.

If you say only "ไม่เอา" then you are very direct and decisive that you "Don't want. Full stop" You definitely "Don't want". But if you add ‘ก็’ at the beginning of what you are saying, then it is like you say:

Well, I'm not so sure about it. I think I don't want, ... but..."

อะไรที่ไม่ดีก็ไม่เอา → I don't want anything which is not good.

Example 3 :

ผมเป็นนักเรียน แม่ผมก็เป็นนักเรียน → I am a student. My mother too is a student.

Here we have two sentences combined together:

1). I am a student

2). My mother is a student.

1+2) I am a student and my mother is a student too.

When we make one sentence, the ‘ก็’ replaces the and and the too.

Examples 4-5 :

Q. คุณหิวไหม? → Are you hungry ?

A. ก็หิว → Yes I'm hungry.

The way you pause after the ‘ก็’ may change the answer. Before we had an answer saying:

ก็…..อร่อย → Well... it's nice (the ‘ก็’ includes hesitation)

But in: ก็หิว → Yes, I'm hungry the ‘ก็’ includes affirmation - Yes, I am.

Q. จะไปกินไหม → Shall we go to eat ?

A. ก็ไปถ้ามีรถ → We'll go if we have a car. (We'll go, but only if we have a car)

Example 6 :

Q. เขาอยู่หรือยัง → Is he (still) there or not ? ("yang" is "Yet" but... "ru yang" is "or not ?")

A. ก็อยู่ or เดี่ยวนี้ก็อยู่ or ตอนนี้ก็อยู่ → Yes, he is still there (now)

Examples 7-8 :

Person A: ผู้หญิงนี้สวย → This girl is beautiful.

Person B: ผู้หญิงนี้ก็สวย → This girl is beautiful too (pointing at another girl)

อะไรเขาซื้อก็ถูก → Anything he buys is cheap. (‘ก็’ replaces the 'is')

Example 9 :

Here is another version of the previous sentence:

Person A: เสื้อนี้ถูก → This dress is cheap.

Person B: เสื้อนี้ก็ไม่แพง → This dress is not expensive either (pointing at another dress)

Example 10 :

Man: ผมไม่มีรถ → I have no car

Woman: ดิฉันก็ไม่มี → I don't have (one/a car) either. (‘ก็’ replaces the 'either')

Example 11 :

Person A: ที่นอนมีดอกไม้ → There are flowers there.

Person B: ที่นี้ก็มี → Here there are too.

Example 12 :

When someone is saying something about someone, and you want to say that "you too" then:

Woman: ดิฉันเป็นครู → I am a teacher.

Man: ผมก็เหมือนกัน → Me also (the same).

Example 13-14 :

เมื่อไหร่จะเสร็จ? → When it will be ready/finished ?

สองวันก็เสร็จ → In two days (finished/ready) or สองวันจะเสร็จ

คุณจะไปเมื่อไหร่? → When you will go ? (The จะ can be omitted).

อีกสองวันก็ไป → In (more) two days (will) go

Example 15 :

In this sentence ก็ replaces the ‘but’:

ผมมาก็ไม่อยู่ → I came but (he/she) was not (there).

Example 16 :

ผมไปซื้อก็ไม่สวย → I went to buy it, but it was not beautiful.

Example 17 :

Q. When will you come ?

A. กินก็มา → I'll finish eating and I'll come.

Example 18 :

ถ้ากินก็ไม่หิว → If you eat, you will not be hungry. (If……, then….)

Example 19 :

เขาเขียนอะไรก็ไม่รู้ → I don't know what he wrote/writes

Examples 20-23 :

กินก่อนแล้วก็เล่นได้ → Eat first, then you can play.

ผมไปวัดแล้วก็จะกลับบ้าน → I'm going to the temple and then I will return home.

กินเสร็จแล้วก็ไป → I will go after I finish eating or I will eat and then I will go.

Notice: The two words ‘แล้วก็’ are translated as "and then". This is a very frequently used expression. But as you can see from the last sentence, a Thai sentence can be translated in many ways, because of the Thai habit of omitting words while speaking. In this sentence we know that we are talking about the future but we don't know who is eating and who will go. It can be translated also as:

Let me finish to eat and then you can go.

We will finish to eat and then we shall go.

I will wait till you finish to eat and then I will go.

Example 24 :

คิดว่าเขาไม่มาแต่เขาก็มา → I thought that he would not come, but he came.

Example 25 :

เมื่อไหร่ก็ว่าง → Anytime I’m not busy.

Example 26 :

บางครั้งก็ไป → Sometimes I go.

Examples 27-29 :

เมื่อไหร่ก็ได้ → Any time will do

เขาอาจจะมาก็ได้ → He might come.

อาทิตย์หน้าก็ได้ → Next week will be fine.

Examples 30-33 :

Notice the structure of these sentences:

เขาหล่อก็ไม่หล่อ รวยก็ไม่รวย → He is not handsome and not rich.

Or: Handsome he is not (and) rich he is not (either).

More examples with the same use:

กินก็กินเยอะ → When I eat, I eat a lot.

กินเหล้าก็ไม่กิน บุหรี่ก็ไม่สูบ → He doesn't drink (alcohol) and doesn't smoke (cigarettes).

Example 34 :

พันบาทก็แล้วกัน → 1,000 Baht is enough or Let's close the deal on 1,000 Baht.

It is difficult to translate ‘ก็แล้วกัน’ but it has the meaning of : Let's get over with it and agree on this matter.

Example 35 :

คุณให้เท่าไหร่ก็ได้ → How much you give will be fine. (Whatever you give is fine with me)

Example 36 :

หนังสือแบบนี้ที่บ้านก็มี → I have a book like this at home A book like this (also) I have at home

[wasabi]

Wow great post Big A. Interestingly ก็ was the first of many things that frustrated and confused me about Thai language. I am able to use Gaw in my Thai now but have not yet mastered all it's uses. I mostly use it when I want to say ...well or consequently.

[stateman]

I am a new to the language, and I learned it as le gaw. (also, or and) Does the le make it more proper?

T_Dog, you probably mean แล้วก็ [HL]laew [FL]kaw - แล้ว has a tendency of being shortened in spoken Thai so it will come out as ละก้อ or และก้อ.

ก็ 'kaw' is one of those words you just have to get a feel for by exposure.

T_Dog's Q is well answered by meadish_sweetball.

le gaw แล้วก้อ or ละก้อ means "then". Usage typically has a causal phrase, follows by "le gaw" and then the "effect" clause.

Say your friend tells you a story where she was upset someone cursed at her this morning, so she left quickly.

You say:

ถ้าเป็นผม ละก้อ ผมเตะะขาเลย

It if were me (getting sworn at), (then) I would have kicked him.

[Wizzard of Oz]

Great explination Big A.

Unfortunantly I think that as swedish said:

"ก็ 'kaw' is one of those words you just have to get a feel for by exposure. After you've read and heard enough sentences you will start to know where it fits in.

Or maybe it can be taught and i would need a lot of examples per each useage. I dunno. but going by this, I'm gonna throw it in the 'WAY too hard basket' for now.

Thanks for the help tho, and appreciate the big effort particularly by Big A.

[meadish_sweetball]

The first step could be to learn Big A's sentences by heart - perhaps 4 a day would be a good goal. That way you'll have a great starting point towards understanding and using ก็ correctly.