meadish_sweetball is the literal translation expert so perhaps you should ask him but I think I can answer this.

yin dee = hear good (I relate it to the english expression music to my ears) if some one thanks or compliments you you could say yin dee khrap

dee jai = good heart/mind i.e. happy

I think yin dee might be slightly more formal but I don't think it would matter which one you used.

I would suggest

Yin Dee= Happy

De Jai= Pleased.. a bit more visceral, perhaps

But it ain't my language either

dee jai = good heart

I think you're thinking if Jai Dee= Good heart(ed)

I was trying to give the literal translation of the individual words, your right dee jai doesn't mean good heart(ed) in the same way we say it in English which would definately be dee jai as you've said.

Not sure about your pleased/ happy translation there perhaps someone else could clarify this.

I'm sure there are plenty of farangs who can quote their Thai wives quite well , so I'm sure you'll get all your questions answered. And there are a couple of very clued in Thai folks here, like snowleopard, to help. I'm single now, so I have to rely more on myself, which isn't nearly as reliable with Thai language issues, even after a number of years here. I come here to learn, too...

I was trying to give the literal translation of the individual words, your right dee jai doesn't mean good heart(ed) in the same way we say it in English which would definately be dee jai as you've said.

Not sure about your pleased/ happy translation there perhaps someone else could clarify this.

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I always think of ดีใจ as 'good in the heart', i.e. feeling good in the heart, rather like เศร้าใจ 'sad', where the ใจ adds little to the meaning.

ยินดี generally conveys the idea of 'pleasure' or 'pleased' .

The way I understand it as follows:

yin dee - glad

jai dee - generous

dee jai - pleased

Jai Kwaang (wide-heart) is closer to 'generous' in a more literal sense I think, but I understand your use of 'generous' here, in broader terms... I think of Jai dee as 'good person, generally', more general in use, it seems, with more act-specific words like jai kwaang, naam jai, etc., used to describe some specifics acts to mean that the person is also jai dee...

...Maybe

Ajarn wrote:-

...there are a couple of very clued in Thai folks here, like snowleopard...

Judging by the occasional insults in Swedish that he chucks in Meadish Sweetball's direction, I think Snow Leopard is of a Scandanavian persuasion.

Scouse.

The problem lies in that everyone has a different idea on how Thai words should be written in english.

I read and write Thai and do both way translations. but also do Thai in english script and english in Thai script.

Di Jai....glad

Jai Di.....good heart

Bpuat Yeow....need a piss

Bpuat Khi...need a crap

The letter Bpaw - Bpla.....the word for fish is pronounced with a mix of the B and the P together...

Dtaw - Dtow...the word for tortoise is pronounced with a mix of a D and T sound.

If you listen very carefully to Thais speaking words like go or want.....Bpai and Dtawnggarn against words that have a B or P sound or a D or T sound, you will hear the difference.

Ajarn wrote:-

...there are a couple of very clued in Thai folks here, like snowleopard...

Judging by the occasional insults in Swedish that he chucks in Meadish Sweetball's direction, I think Snow Leopard is of a Scandanavian persuasion.

Scouse.

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He has claimed that English is his mother tongue. Perhaps it's his mother's tongue, a different concept, as many of us living in Farangland will know. (My wife, who's Thai, had to spend about two months in Thailand without me last year. She took our daughter, who was starting to string words together, with her. When she came back, she had worked out a rule as to which language to use - English to mummy, Northern Thai to other ladies, Central Thai to men. For the first week or so back in England, she spoke to _me_ in Thai.)

Di Jai....glad

Jai Di.....good heart

I'd go with that,

I always thought Yin dee was used more for, congralulating people ect

Also ......mabye

How about this rather than arguing about the English meanings of the words let's have some example sentances using either yin dee, dee jai, jai dee. I think sometimes you have to try not to give the words English meanings but rather concentrate on how and when they are used.

Here's mine:

Ajarn Ben khun jai dee

Teacher Ben is a nice/kind person.

My kids wrote that on the whiteboard at lunchtime once, made my day.

Incidentally I just double checked in my Thai grammar book and that was their translation of jai dee.

Yin Di is used as a welcome......eg....Yin Di Dtawn Rab Dai Khun Ma Thi Australia

Welcome to Australia

Ajarn wrote:-

...there are a couple of very clued in Thai folks here, like snowleopard...

Judging by the occasional insults in Swedish that he chucks in Meadish Sweetball's direction, I think Snow Leopard is of a Scandanavian persuasion.

Scouse.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Good point. One never knows what 'truth' is here, na'?

And with google and a Thai language learners book (or a Thai wife) anyone can be an 'expert' here on most any topic...

I certainly make no bones about not being an expert in the Thai language, but I've used it every day, all day, for the past 18+ years. I rarely use English (except here). I can communicate anything I need to, but not always sounding so hot, I'm sure. I'm still challenged by the language every day, but these are the kinds of challenges that attracted me to this country in the first place, and I firmly believe one can never really 'know' Thailand without knowing the language.

The more I learn, the more I see how much more there is for me to learn

If someome says they are getting married, promoted,pregnant ect

You can use "Yin dee duai krap" congratulations

obviously depending if they want to get married have a baby ect