Can anybody explain to me the difference between ไหม, มั้ย and เหรอ? How do I know when to use which one and just how many "question words" are there in the Thai language?

Thanks again for the help!

I really appreciate this site...

Just a short answer, because I's surely not entitled to give you a defintive answer:

ไหม or มั้ย (the second one being an informal colloquial form with High tone instead of Rising but with the same meaning) are used end of a statement to indicate a question. When you speak you can use both of them, but formaly ไหม is the correct one.

เหรอ (รึ in an informal colloquial way) is used end of a statement to indicate a question of which the answer is presumed... So you use it when in your question or in the sentence before the answer was already stated.

Sorry, english is not my language so better to wait someone's other expelnation and examples. Just to give you an idea

How are you doing? สบายดี ไหม or มั้ย

Really? จริง ๆ หรือ

djayz,

for me it depends on the question being asked, who i am asking it of and the degree of politness required.

i tend to use chai mai or ruu plaw.

other examples could be if i was asking my wife it the food was ready, i would ask, ahaan set laew ruu yang, sometimes shortened to ahann set yang.

other examples would be the polite version of khun sabai dee mai, khun sabai dee ruu (plaw).

i tend to follow the way i hear thai being spoken rather than what i read in books.

where is the mighty ms today, on holiday? normally he would have given us the guidance most of us need by now.

I have thought about this in the past, and came up with the following rule of thumb using the example delicious:

Suppose you go for a burger with your friend. You watch their reaction after they take a bite:

1.They remain poker-faced after the first bite.

You might ask:

อร่อยมั้ย - Does it taste delicious/Do you like it? (you don't know if they like it or not).

2. You see a look of satisfacton on their face:

อร่อยเหรอ - So it's delicious, is it?/So you like it, do you? (you have an idea of their answer already)

3. อร่อยเนาะ/อร่อยเนอะ/เน้อ - It's delicious, isn't it? (here you seek confirmation that the other person's opinion agrees with yours.).

So เหรอ anticipates the answer, มั้ย is when you have no idea of the answer.

Sometimes เหรอ is also used without any real meaning I can see, eg its sometimes tacked onto ทำไม (why?) to give ทำไมเหรอ, which is more colloquial than just ทำไม on it's own.

However, I'm not sure if the above is correct. Maybe there are no hard and fast rules and it can't be simplified like this. Anyone else care to comment?

3. อร่อยเนาะ/อร่อยเนอะ/เน้อ - It's delicious, isn't it? (here you seek confirmation that the other person's opinion agrees with yours.).

I have heard the word tag "เนาะ" generally used by Northeasterners but I do not know whether it is a feature of their dialect. "เนอะ" and "เน้อ" I have never heard. Are they dialectical variations of a single word or perhaps personal variations? Is this a Central Thai or standard Thai word, and if not, what is the Central Thai equivalent? Thanks.

I do agree with the usage as to seeking confirmation.

The first time I heard เนาะ it was from someone from Buriram speaking Central Thai. Although I guess it could have slipped in from Isan dialect.

As for เนอะ look on Google, you should find examples.

เน้อ...i'm not so sure now, so will leave that one for the minute.

I think เนอะ and เนาะ are used in Central Thai and are colloquial variants of นะ, but am willing to be corrected.

Did you agree with the มั้ย/เหรอ explanation given above. Can you add anything to it?

Thanks a million - am finally getting a grasp of the "question words". Some good tips. I picked up (yet another) question word today on the net, one I hadn't seen before: บ้างไหม (bâang măi).

บ้างไหม (bâang măi).

บ้าง at the end is used when you ask for and expect a list of answers.

For example,

คุณทำอะไรบ้างวันนี้ - What did you do today?

มีบ้างไหม - Do you have any?

รู้บ้างไหมว่า... - Do you have any idea...

อยากจะฟังบ้างไหม - Do you want to listen to anything I have to say?

เคยเป็นอย่างนี้บ้างไหม - Have [you] ever been like this before? / Has it ever been something like this before?

Compare this with

เคยเป็นอย่างนี้ไหม - Has it ever been [exactly] like this before?

Edited March 28, 200818 yr by Edward B

บ้างไหม (bâang măi).

บ้าง at the end is used when you ask for and expect a list of answers.

For example,

คุณทำอะไรบ้างวันนี้ - What did you do today?

มีบ้างไหม - Do you have any?

รู้บ้างไหมว่า... - Do you have any idea...

อยากจะฟังบ้างไหม - Do you want to listen to anything I have to say?

เคยเป็นอย่างนี้บ้างไหม - Have [you] ever been like this before? / Has it ever been something like this before?

Compare this with

เคยเป็นอย่างนี้ไหม - Has it ever been [exactly] like this before?

Thank you Edward! A couple of very good examples and useful sentences there. James

บ้างไหม (bâang măi).

บ้าง at the end is used when you ask for and expect a list of answers.

For example,

คุณทำอะไรบ้างวันนี้ - What did you do today?

มีบ้างไหม - Do you have any?

รู้บ้างไหมว่า... - Do you have any idea...

อยากจะฟังบ้างไหม - Do you want to listen to anything I have to say?

เคยเป็นอย่างนี้บ้างไหม - Have [you] ever been like this before? / Has it ever been something like this before?

Compare this with

เคยเป็นอย่างนี้ไหม - Has it ever been [exactly] like this before?

I just noticed by "คุณทำอะไรบ้างวันนี้" that "ไหม" was not included in the sentence / question. Is this right or is it an exception to the rule? Thank you in advance.

I just noticed by "คุณทำอะไรบ้างวันนี้" that "ไหม" was not included in the sentence / question. Is this right or is it an exception to the rule? Thank you in advance.

No, is sot an exception. It's correct to write the question without "ไหม" because the sentence contains the adverb ทำอะไร which indicate already that the sentence is a question.

As a beginner in thai study I always prevent other members that what I post could be partially incorrect

Well, I'm back again with more questions relating to "question words"... Can some one please explain the difference between / and when to use:

ทำไม

ทำไมกัน

ทำไมถึง

ทำไมล่ะ

I know they all mean "why" - but I don't know if there is a different "why" for certain situations.

Also, what's the difference between:

กี่

กี่มากน้อย

เพียงไร

all meaning "how much?" or "how many?".

I'm finding it very difficult to understand why there are so many question words in Thai... is there a good internet site I can check these on?

Thanks!

I just gave a quick explanation of those words on your other thread: (more) Question Words

In this short sound file (central Thai), can anyone with a good ear make out whether the girl says:

สวยจังเลยเนาะ or สวยจังเลยเนอะ?

http://rapidshare.com/files/111465779/na.wma.html

Edited April 30, 200818 yr by katana

สวยจังเลยเนาะ

Thanks Meadish, that's what I hear too.

Sounds like เนาะ (rhymes with the Thai fruit, เงาะ).

But I asked a couple of Thais, they say it's เนอะ (rhymes with the particle เถอะ).

So I'm confused.

แปลกเนอะ

The vowel is rather obvious, I only needed to listen to the clip once to become certain.

Which is the native dialect of your friends, and what education level do they have?

I listened to the clip, I heard she said "สวยจังเลยเนอะ".

Well, that is puzzling. I listened again and the vowel sound is still a clear and obvious เอาะ to me.

ไปกินข้าวกันป่ะ ?

ไปกินข้าวกันมะ? [มั้ย]

สวยจังเลยอ่ะ

or น่ารักจังเลย ง่า~ lol

"เนอะ" ...I have never heard....Is this a Central Thai or standard Thai word, and if not, what is the Central Thai equivalent?...

The implication of your post appears to be that because you haven't heard it, it can't exist.

You might do well to remember that as a non-native speaker of the language, there may be quite a lot in the Thai language you haven't heard before.

Why so defensive, merck? David just posed a question based on his personal experience. I don't think any criticism was intended.

Since the post wasn't addressed to you, not quite sure why you replied.

DavidHouston wrote:

"...[เนอะ] I have never heard ..[is it]...a personal variation?"

So the implication was there. Anyhow, not too bothered, since I know my Thai is pretty basic at the best of times.

Anyhow, on a lighter note:

The vowel [เนาะ] is rather obvious, I only needed to listen to the clip once to become certain.

Which [sic] is the native dialect of your friends, and what education level do they have?

Yoot, native Thai Speaker:

I listened to the clip, I heard she said "...เนอะ".

Perhaps not quite so obvious after all, is it Meadish lol

The first time I heard เนาะ it was from someone from Buriram speaking Central Thai. Although I guess it could have slipped in from Isan dialect.

As for เนอะ look on Google, you should find examples.

เน้อ...i'm not so sure now, so will leave that one for the minute.

I think เนอะ and เนาะ are used in Central Thai and are colloquial variants of นะ, but am willing to be corrected.

Did you agree with the มั้ย/เหรอ explanation given above. Can you add anything to it?

เนาะ เนอะ เน้อ are colloquial variants (as Merk mentioned) of นะ.

They can be translated something like - you see ? isn't it ? ok ?

Let's have some examples;

คุณอ่านภาษาไทยได้ เก่งเนาะ You can read Thai. Skillful eh?

ดีมาก เนอะ Very good, isn't it?

น่าสงสาร เน้อ That's a pity, isn't it?

I believe all three are used in Central Thai.

Since the post wasn't addressed to you, not quite sure why you replied.

This is an open forum.