Who? Whom: Whose? Who Is?

[bina]

the different words for who, et al and how to use them???

like: who is this?

who is going?

etc... (write in thai also if possible it forces me to read.... thanx)

i go all tongue tied when someone calls me and i have to ask who is speaking.... or who is going with whom to where.... etc..

and the other thing: want/desire

some examples fo proper usuage of 'yaak' 'ou' and the third one.... so i dont ask some guy if he wants me (sex, as opposed as , want to go with me somewhere)

[the scouser]

Hi Bina,

From my (limited) knowledge who/whom/whose in Thai always translates as "khrai":-

1. Who is coming? - khrai ma?

2. With whom are you going? - khun bpai gap khrai?

3. Whose room is it? - hawng kong khrai?

As far as "ow" and "yahk" go I believe that "ow" is always used with something tangible where as "yahk" is used with a concept:-

1. I want beer! - Ow bee-a

2. I would like to go to Thailand - pom yahk bpai muang Thai

I'm open to correction but it's a start.

Cheers,

Scouse.

[p_brownstone]

It is better to use words other than “ow” for “want”, it’s one of those little clues which Thais pick up on when a Farang speaks Thai and indicates where he learnt the language or who / what level his Thai friends are.

eg.

“I want a beer please” is better said as “Kor beer kuat neung na krap”

“Do you want a beer?” = “Rab (or thaan) beer mai krap?”

“Ow’ is more usually used, or mischievously interpreted to mean, “want” with a sexual connotation.

Patrick

Edited February 22, 2005 by p_brownstone

[Edward B]

It is better to use words other than “ow” for “want”, it’s one of those little clues which Thais pick up on when a Farang speaks Thai and indicates where he learnt the language or who / what level his Thai friends are.

eg.

“I want a beer please” is better said as “Kor beer kuat neung na krap”

“Do you want a beer?” = “Rab (or thaan) beer mai krap?”

“Ow’ is more usually used, or mischievously interpreted to mean, “want” with a sexual connotation.

Patrick

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Sorry Patrick but I'd have to disagree here. Ow can, nay SHOULD be used at a pub if you want a beer. Using Kor is just far too polite (and don't add 'na krap' at the end either). The gay waiter might think it's his lucky day. Who's ever heard of having sex with a beer anyway

[Edward B]

the different words for who, et al and how to use them???

like: who is this?

who is going?

etc... (write in thai also if possible it forces me to read.... thanx)

i go all tongue tied when someone calls me and i have to ask who is speaking.... or who is going with whom to where.... etc..

and the other thing:  want/desire

some examples fo proper usuage of  'yaak' 'ou' and the third one.... so i dont ask some guy if he wants me  (sex, as opposed as , want to go with me somewhere)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

May I speak to John ... ขอสายกับจอห์นได้ไหม

Who's speaking please? ... ใครพูด

He's/She's not here sorry. ... เขาไม่อยู่

Speaking ... กำลังพูด

And of course you should always add the formal ครับ/ครับผม/คะ articles at the end.

[p_brownstone]

Well Edward, as my mother used to say, politeness costs nothing and it's reward is respect.

I have used "Kor beer ..." in places as diverse as the Mosquito Bar and the RBSC (OK I admit, in the former place I did not add the "Krap", a casual "Na Ha" is more appropriate in that sort of situation!!)

Also, in the same vein, เขา is not the best word to use in the example you give either, "kae" reflects much better on both the speaker and the person being spoken of ....... and your Secretary - for example - should say "tan".

OK I am a traditionalist, more prosaically called an "Old Fart" I guess.

Patrick

[chao choo]

Could anyone please write this in Thai

"Kor beer kuat neung na krap"

I just want to see how this "kor" has to be pronounced. I have used it once asking for a plate at KFC some time ago, but I forgot it leaw...

Thanks in advance!

[meadish_sweetball]

Could anyone please write this in Thai

"Kor beer kuat neung na krap"

I just want to see how this "kor" has to be pronounced. I have used it once asking for a plate at KFC some time ago, but I forgot it leaw...

Thanks in advance!

ขอเบียร์ขวดหนึ่งนะครับ

ขอ เบียร์ ขวด หนึ่ง นะ ครับ

ขอ = kor (pronounce as in Standard British English, no "r" at the end. "or" is sometimes transcribed as "aw" which is perhaps a better choice - the vowel sound of อ is similar to Am. Eng. "law".) The word takes the rising tone.

Edited February 22, 2005 by meadish_sweetball

[gburns57au]

the different words for who, et al and how to use them???

like: who is this?

who is going?

etc... (write in thai also if possible it forces me to read.... thanx)

i go all tongue tied when someone calls me and i have to ask who is speaking.... or who is going with whom to where.... etc..

and the other thing:  want/desire

some examples fo proper usuage of  'yaak' 'ou' and the third one.... so i dont ask some guy if he wants me  (sex, as opposed as , want to go with me somewhere)

Agree with Scouser on Khrai...

Who is speaking......Khrai Phoot

want /desire...

Want .....yaak

desire.....Dtongkarn

you would never say " khun yaak phom" unless you want them for sex....you would always add to it to give your meaning.....You want me to go somewhere....."khun yaak phom bai thi......Duai"

Dtongkarn is used in meaning much the same as we use desire.....generally used to describe more than just basically want

Ow can be used for ordering a beer.....the word "Ow" generally means "to take" not "want" as in " Ow khun bai Wat".....take you go temple....

Just answered a call from Thailand...looking for my mates girlfriend....they are out at the moment....Just said....."Puki yang mai ma....bai teeow kab Chris" perfectly understood no probs. KISS

[RamdomChances]

Here's my take on things, for what its worth.

Ow= want something

Ow= take, get. bring. depending on the sentance

Ow= Fukc- corse and not polite

ow rod bpai= take the car

bpai ow rod ma= go get the car

Yakk= want to do something/would like to do something

Yaak Dai= would like to have/or do something.

Dtrong gan- can be used in place of Ow or Yaak and is much more polite.

Kor- can I have- kor beer noi krap- can I have a beer please, more polite than - Ow beer neung gaew (want one glass of beer)

The use of all of them depends where you are and to who you are speaking. Yes I accept that politness does not cost anything but in some situations speaking overly polite just does not come across that well, but it will never hurt. For instance, if you are in a bar and they ask "Ow arai" (what you want) all you need to say is Ow beer krap- (I want a beer please) going over the top on politnes just feels a bit clumsy sometimes

who- Krai

who's - kong krai

who you go with- bpai gap krai

Edited February 24, 2005 by RamdomChances

[meadish_sweetball]

Here's my take on things, for what its worth.

Ow= want something

Ow= take, get. bring. depending on the sentance

Ow= Fukc- corse and not polite

ow rod bpai= take the car

bpai ow rod ma= go get the car

Yakk= want to do something/would like to do something

Yaak Dai= would like to have/or do something.

Dtrong gan- can be used in place of Ow or Yaak and is much more polite.

Kor- can I have- kor beer noi krap- can I have a beer please, more polite than - Ow beer neung gaew (want one glass of beer)

The use of all of them depends where you are and to who you are speaking. Yes I accept that politness does not cost anything but in some situations speaking overly polite just does not come across that well, but it will never hurt. For instance, if you are in a bar and they ask "Ow arai" (what you want) all you need to say is Ow beer krap- (I want a beer please) going over the top on politnes just feels a bit clumsy sometimes

who- Krai

who's - kong krai

who you go with- bpai gap krai

Very nice breakdown. Fully agree.

[booma]

Could anyone please write this in Thai

"Kor beer kuat neung na krap"

I just want to see how this "kor" has to be pronounced. I have used it once asking for a plate at KFC some time ago, but I forgot it leaw...

Thanks in advance!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

ขอเบียร์ขวดหนึ่งนะครับ

ขอ เบียร์ ขวด หนึ่ง นะ ครับ

ขอ = kor (pronounce as in Standard British English, no "r" at the end. "or" is sometimes transcribed as "aw" which is perhaps a better choice - the vowel sound of อ is similar to Am. Eng. "law".) The word takes the rising tone.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Is this the same the kor/kaw which, I think, is a very begging sort of please?

As in kaw thoht (excuse me)

[Edward B]

yep

ขอเบียร์หนึ่งขวดครับ - May I have a beer pretty please with sugar on top.

[rcjoop]

It is better to use words other than “ow” for “want”, it’s one of those little clues which Thais pick up on when a Farang speaks Thai and indicates where he learnt the language or who / what level his Thai friends are.

eg.

“I want a beer please” is better said as “Kor beer kuat neung na krap”

“Do you want a beer?” = “Rab (or thaan) beer mai krap?”

“Ow’ is more usually used, or mischievously interpreted to mean, “want” with a sexual connotation.

Patrick

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Just finished my first AUA course in Chiang Mai so I know very little of the language yet, but this item was discussed and the difference in use was that Kor represented a choice of something not presented and ow was a choice out of a presented selection.

eg coming into a restaurant and the waiter arrives without a menu you ask fo it by kor menu krap and you select out of the menu with ow XXXX krap.

At least this is what khun Malee insisted upon

Joop

[withnail]

My former Thai tutor was a very polite 60 year old woman who refused to teach me anything even remotely impolite and even she said that if you wanted to order a beer anything more than Ow would be unnecessary so I'd definately disagree with the idea that it gives away who your friends are.

The fact that the bar your ordering the beer in was full of 20 year old girls in bikinis dancing round silver poles would be a much more obvious giveaway

[Abandon]

who- Krai

who's - kong krai

who you go with- bpai gap krai

Very nice breakdown. Fully agree.

Ummm, sorry to be pedantic, but that's not right.

Who's = Pben krai (as it means 'who is')

Whose = Kong krai (belonging to whom)

he he, not really sorry

[Edward B]

He he, thing is nobody picked this up until now. Does that mean our Thai is better than our English?

Actually, 'Who's' or 'Who is' needs context before it can be translated.

Eg.

Who's going to work today? khrai ja bai tam ngarn wan nee?

Who's this (pointing to a photo)? Khon nee pen krai?