How To Learn Thai

[jezchesters]

Hi,

I was wondering whether anyone could offer me some specific advice about the best way for me to learn Thai? I've checked the forum and found varying useful pieces of advice, but I was hoping that someone with some experience could maybe offer me some personal advice...

I've been living in Thailand for a couple of years, and lhave earnt some very basic spoken Thai: ordering in restaurants, giving directions to taxi drivers, shopping, basic conversations etc. At the moment, I'm working in a fairly hectic job where I finish work around 7.00-7.30 in the evening, and have been putting off my further education because 'I can't find the time'...

I gues the options open are group lessons, individual lessons, online lessons, self teaching or even a combination of methods - I would really like some advice on the best way for me to progress. Some background information - I have taught English before, right through to having managed an EFL school in the UK, so I am fairly aware of certain methodologies of language teaching/learning. I have lived in various places around the world, and have found that I am a quick learner when it comes to learning languages. I would also like to learn Thai 'properly' - learning reading, writing and grammar, so I can see how the language is put together (as opposed to learning an interminable amount of phrases parrot fashion without learning what the individual words and sentence structures are about)

I know that learning any language takes time and effort, but as it is my free time is valuable to me. I understand that interaction with native speakers is essential, but if I were to go for one evening lesson per week, I am afraid that I might be bored for the first few weeks covering things I already know, and then be frustrated with the progress after that. Alternatively, if I were to have private lessons 3 times a week, I may not have sufficient time between each lesson to absorb and practice, and would also be putting severe limits on my free time.

I guess what I am asking is this: is there any way of combining lessons and self-study (which I could do in lunch hours or on the weekends) that would allow me to speed things up when possible, and slow things down if needs be? Are there any online courses which would cater to people in my situation, which would also teach the Thai language, rather than a list of Thai phrases?

Well, anyone that could be bothered to read this - thanks a million, and any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Cheers!

[meadish_sweetball]

It's really impossible to say.

The important thing is that you choose a schedule and stick to it. In other words, some progress is always better than none at all.

I think one lesson per week is too little to really progress, and just as you say, three would be too much given your busy schedule. So then I suggest two would be good - obviously you should have homework to complete in between sessions to make learning effective. To progress well I think it would be a good idea to go with this schedule and then do a 'booster immersion' course once every 6 months, of for example 5-10 days.

Another point would be to find a renowned teacher or language school to study at. You want a solid base and it seems you have plenty of experience of studying since before, which means you should be receptive to a traditional, theoretical course.

Getting a solid base also means you have to repeat, correct, and solidify what you know. See repetition as an asset instead of something boring. Without repetition you cannot internalize what you have learned; it will be forgotten.

[jezchesters]

Cheers Meadish!

A further question - if I were to schedule 2 lessons per week, do you think I would make faster progress going to a school, or with a good private tutor? I have a few friends that are in the same boat as me, and we could form a small group. In either case, do you have any recommendations for reputable schools/tutors in central Bangkok?

One final question, if I may - if I were to take a course either with a private tutor or with a school, would it be beneficial to use suplementary study aids (such as CDs, internet etc) or would it have a negative effect?

Cheers!

[meadish_sweetball]

It's probably best to stick with the learning material for that particular course. The teacher will be prepared to answer most questions pertaining to it so it means your precious lesson time will be utilized more effectively.

Not that it hurts with several sources of information per se, but my experience is that one's learning can become less focused - i.e. instead of really learning what's required to keep up with the course, you spend time learning other things, and instead of really acquiring new solid knowledge you scratch on the surface of several things.

[jezchesters]

It's probably best to stick with the learning material for that particular course. The teacher will be prepared to answer most questions pertaining to it so it means your precious lesson time will be utilized more effectively.

Not that it hurts with several sources of information per se, but my experience is that one's learning can become less focused - i.e. instead of really learning what's required to keep up with the course, you spend time learning other things, and instead of really acquiring new solid knowledge you scratch on the surface of several things.

OK, makes sense...

Any opinion on the school vs private tuition?

Cheers!

[meadish_sweetball]

I don't live in Bangkok myself so I will leave that question to Bangkokians.

I know the Union based schools are generally regarded to be among the best and based on the people I know who have studied there, it seems to be true.

As for which is better between the two, it really depends more on the quality of instruction. I imagine with a private tutor it'd be more a case of hit and miss than with a school that has a proven track record - but obviously, the right private tutor could be a great choice too.

Just make sure it is somebody who either speaks very good English, or has the ability to explain things clearly in very simple Thai.

[kriswillems]

I don't live in Bangkok myself so I will leave that question to Bangkokians.

I know the Union based schools are generally regarded to be among the best and based on the people I know who have studied there, it seems to be true.

As for which is better between the two, it really depends more on the quality of instruction. I imagine with a private tutor it'd be more a case of hit and miss than with a school that has a proven track record - but obviously, the right private tutor could be a great choice too.

Just make sure it is somebody who either speaks very good English, or has the ability to explain things clearly in very simple Thai.

The school were I go (piammitr) offers private teaching based on the union method. The teachers can't speak English, but I think in the long run that's better than having a teacher that can speak English. I guess the other union based schools also offer private teaching (the income of the teachers is not very high, so they'll be happy to do some extra teaching).

If you can only study 3 hours per week you'll need to study very long. The fact that you've a background in teaching or English might help a bit but will do no miracles. Most of the other students in the higher classes in my school are pretty smart people (most of them have university degree), some even study major Thai in Korea. Still, they need many months of full time studying to reach a pretty good level.

The union based method starts with the phonetical script. I didn't like this that much. But probably that's the easiest way to see some immediate results, especially if you can't study that much.

If you choose a private teacher, I would choose somebody that has experience teaching foreigners in a school. Most Thai people that have no experience teaching foreigners or that have no education about teaching foreigners are bad teachers, even though they might be perfect in Thai.

[phibunmike]

I once learnt some basic Greek with just a CD in the car. I am now using a similar CD to learn Mandarin. If you can find a CD course designed for that approach, it works very well. For example, the Mandarin course I am using does not require the booklet provided. It builds up each phrase one word at a time, so that you understand each word. And repeats each word/phrase in Mandarin, English, and literally translated English (e.g. "good morning" = "zao an" = "morning peace").

Cheers,

Mike

[mangkorn]

Three hours a week isn't much for formal instruction, but let's face it: most of your studying will have to be done on your own time in any case. There are a good many farangs who go through lots of formal study, but their Thai is terrible - either because they don't do enough independent study outside the classroom, or don't interact enough with Thai people.

As with all education, the school can only guide you down the path. Learning is a personal responsibility.

Edited December 1, 2007 by mangkorn

[mangkorn]

As for which is better between the two, it really depends more on the quality of instruction. I imagine with a private tutor it'd be more a case of hit and miss than with a school that has a proven track record - but obviously, the right private tutor could be a great choice too.

Just make sure it is somebody who either speaks very good English, or has the ability to explain things clearly in very simple Thai.

I agree with that. Sometimes you need to take a shortcut: "So, how do you express this concept in Thai?" Class time is very valuable, and should be used efficiently, especially for asking all the questions that will constantly occur to a serious student outside the classroom.

I also think that practicing how to write "gor gai" while the teacher just sits there patiently is a huge waste of time and expertise, not to mention money. That should only be done on one's own time. The teacher is there to teach - not to watch over a kindergarten exercise.

Cheers.

[Ave]

I've been learning Thai by myself using phrasebooks and by listening, asking and noting down words including the tones. One or two words a day are enough as I don't have a good memory nor much time to study. I've heard that the best way to increase your learning pace is through cassettes/cds, as already advised before. If you have a good hear for tones you should stand a chance of making some speedy progress.

[Ieyuhrah]

An important aspect already touched on is practice (practice, practice, and more practice). We came back to the States in 1967. I have tried to stay up ever since. I speak Thai with my mother (who is non-Thai & it is handy in public for privacy). While at university I was an associate member of the Thai Student Association. I attend Thai only Churches, currently & over the years. I go to restaraunts where they will converse with me (no Thai, no buy). The lady who cuts my hair is Thai as are the couple who do my film processing & prints. I attend Songran & Lio Krathong celebrations at the local wats. (Here they scatter holidays over two or three weekends so as not to be in direct competition for the donations & attendence. Some will attend them all.) With the exception of the two restaraunts I avoid (they do not seen to want to talk to anyone in any language) I have yet to meet a Thai who was not willing to help me. I have sometimes been told that I use the correct words but do not proprerly phrase them (yes, you will learn to think like a Thai). Most commonly they will simply repeat it back to me with the proper words or phrasing. Since my vocabulary is still stunted in many areas (I was 13 when we came back) I carry a small notebook at all times to write down new words or phrasing. I have also developed a shorthand for spelling & tones. Because of the tight schedule, when I was in Chiang Mai I used a micro cassette recorder and transcribed in the evenings. Get out and use what you do know as often as you can! Do not be afraid to mess up. With a tonal language there are some real vocabulary land mines but should you step on some they will be sources of laughter later. I know several who goofed up in the beginning (including Mom) but they survived & so will you. Good for you to take this on!!! To communicate with the nationals in their own language is a novel idea for some in many parts of the world. [And much easier on all than yelling English slowly & louder. :>) ] Get the schooling but do get out into the 'real world' and practice (practice, practice, practice,.....)

[jezchesters]

All great advice - thank you all for taking the time to reply!

Can anyone explain a little more about 'Union Based Schools'? Also, if anyone has any recommendations for tutors/schools around central Bangkok, I would love to hear them...

Cheers!

[withnail]

Union is the name of a language school established around 40 years ago designed to teach foreign missionaries to learn Thai over a short period of time. Over the years many teachers have broken away from Union and started their own schools, all of which use the same basic structure. I have only studied in one of these so I don't know how identical the materials are but the titles are basically the same for each unit.

Some of these schools are Union, UTL, Piammitr, AAA (there are more but I don't know them all).

I've been meaning to reply to your OP since you posted it here but I've been busy. I was once in an identical situation to you so I thought I'd mention my experience.

When I decided to pull my finger out and learn Thai, I too was working full time and so could only really manage a couple of hours private tuition a week. I also had a string of private teachers with no experience and found that whilst they could help me with certain things they were for the most part hopeless. I had one or two who were quite good but even with those they found it difficult to teach me for a long period of time, and often had busy schedules.

After a couple of years of basically teaching myself by buying and downloading every Thai learning resource I could get my hands on I could read and write (to a basic level) and felt that my pronunciation was pretty good. I have always had a problem retaining new vocab and basically needed a lot of practice.

I decided that my learning was moving too slowly and that I wanted to study full time so I saved some money and gave up work (apart from some evenings and weekends) for 6 months. I went to UTL and started at level 5. I did level 5 and 6 then some of the advanced topic based modules.

So basically in the 2 years or so I had been working I had covered the equivalent of 4 months full time study (although I felt that my pronunciation and my reading speed were better than most people who started 4 months previously.)

I've since gone back to work and for the last 6 months or so been studying one day a week with a private teacher from UTL in preparation for the government P. 6 exam which I took last Saturday. There was a preparation course for this which I would have loved to have taken but I had to work.

I would therefore personally recommend studying full time if you can to save yourself some time as once your Thai is of a certain level you should be able to keep it going with only a few hours a week, if you don't do that expect your Thai to improve but slowly.

Edited December 3, 2007 by withnail

[realthaideal]

Alot of this post also seems like working out your own issues with time and learning Thai. Unfortunately there are no magic pills, and even with official courses you still have to actually achieve. Each of us is on our own personal timeline of competency. If you're really strapped for time, you may just have to take your learning where you can. As Withnail says, you may progress muuuuuch more slowly than if you took a class, but oh well. Whaddaya gonna do ? If you can dedicate the time, do it. Your situation - one many of us find ourselves in - is alot like those exercise videos and articles that tell you how to keep burning fat and keeping fit while at the office or on a long flight. You just gotta do the little things you can where you're at.

[jezchesters]

Great - thanks again for all of your advice...

I would love to be able to take a sabbatical to study Thai full time - however, my job will not permit this. I guess I'll have to start with a couple of lessons per week and studying in lunch-hours/weekends. I'm sure I shall revisit this sub-forum for further advice along the way...

Thanks again!