Telling The Time

[rgs2001uk]

Was making a hotel booking for a friend today.

Expected check in time is 2:00 pm or 14:00 hrs.

I used the time of bai song mong, sometimes shortened to song mong.

The receptionist spoke to another girl to make the booking and used the expression, song mong yen.

I have never heard it used before.

If this is accepted speech, is it ok to use the term sam mong yen as well.

I was taught only to start at cee or haa mong yen, and have never seen this expression of time in any book.

Or could it be a colloquialism?

[briley]

Depends when you think it starts to get cold.

[aitch52]

My wife uses the term don yen for afternoon/evening

[withnail]

บ่ายสอง bai soong is the usual term.

[Rikker]

สองโมงเย็น isn't standard, but it's not unheard of. There are actually lots of hits on Google for it.

I also hear สามโมงเย็น pretty regularly, and even in combination as บ่ายสามโมงเย็น (some Thais will say it, while others consider it just wrong).

But yes, the usual standard is 4pm or later = เย็น.

[meadish_sweetball]

Where in Thailand is the hotel located?

[rgs2001uk]

Where in Thailand is the hotel located?

Bangkok, however as to which area the two girls are from I have no idea.

I think Rikker summed it up, all part of lifes rich tapestry and the Thai experience, everyday is a new learning opportunity.

[momosan]

This pretty much seems to cover it all and is all pretty correct to me except 12 p.m. - tiang wan (noon) I normally just say tiang(เที่ยง).

[Tywais]

This pretty much seems to cover it all and is all pretty correct to me except 12 p.m. - tiang wan (noon) I normally just say tiang(เที่ยง).

I always use tiang wan in order to distinguish from midnight, tiang keun unless it's obvious in the circumstances. Of course if one uses the naligah structure there is no ambituity.

[Rikker]

เที่ยง on its own virtually always means noon, and in my experience เที่ยงวัน never really needs to be specified in speech. Whenever Thais mean midnight, they say เที่ยงคืน (though exceptions cannot be ruled out, of course).

For example:

เมื่อวานทำงานตั้งแต่เที่ยงถึงตีหนึ่ง

This would be understood as noon to 1am. Though it's technically ambiguous, it's perfectly conventional and clear.

[meadish_sweetball]

Where in Thailand is the hotel located?

Bangkok, however as to which area the two girls are from I have no idea.

I think Rikker summed it up, all part of lifes rich tapestry and the Thai experience, everyday is a new learning opportunity.

Sure - it was new usage to me so thank you for bringing it up. It definitely extends the definition I had of เย็น previously (4 PM - 6 PM).

It's weird in that 2 PM tends to be close to the hottest time of the day...

[sbk]

Where I live in the South the locals have a different way of telling time.

di ha don yen. (five o'clock in the afternoon)

di ha don chao (five o'clock in the morning)

Or, if the person already knows its going to be 5 am then its just di ha. for example you ask what time does the boat leave in the morning? the answer would be a simple di ha

easy peasy.

[rak sa_ngop]

This pretty much seems to cover it all and is all pretty correct to me except 12 p.m. - tiang wan (noon) I normally just say tiang(เที่ยง).

12 pm or 12 am noon or midnight ??

This is a debatable point (but not for the Thai language forum)!

[Briggsy]

Standard Thai for 22:00 is สี่ทุ่ม

My friend from Satun says ตีสิบ

[Richard W]

Why don't we see 6-hour clocks in Thailand?

[sbk]

Standard Thai for 22:00 is สี่ทุ่ม

My friend from Satun says ตีสิบ

I didn't realize the di in disip was ตี . (also to hit or strike)

[Jeelee]

BOLD = Recommened to use

24.00/00.00 = เที่ยงคืน

01.00 = ตีหนึ่ง

02.00 = ตีสอง

03.00 = ตีสาม

04.00 = ตีสี่

05.00 = ตีห้า

06.00 = หกโมง, หกโมงเช้า

07.00 = เจ็ดโมง, เจ็ดโมงเช้า

08.00 = แปดโมง, แปดโมงเช้า, สองโมง, สองโมงเช้า

09.00 = เก้าโมง, เก้าโมงเช้า, สามโมง, สามโมงเช้า

10.00 = สิบโมง, สิบโมงเช้า, สี่โมง, สี่โมงเช้า

11.00 = สิบเอ็ดโมง, สิบเอ็ดโมงเช้า, ห้าโมง, ห้าโมงเช้า

12.00 = เที่ยง, เที่ยงวัน

13.00 = บ่าย, บ่ายโมง, บ่ายโมงเย็น

14.00 = บ่ายสอง, บ่ายสองโมง, บ่ายสองโมงเย็น

15.00 = บ่ายสาม, บ่ายสามโมง, บ่ายสามโมงเย็น

16.00 = บ่ายสี่, บ่ายสี่โมง, สี่โมงเย็น, บ่ายสี่โมงเย็น

17.00 = ห้าโมง, ห้าโมงเย็น

18.00 = หกโมง, หกโมงเย็น

19.00 = หนึ่งทุ่ม, ทุ่มนึง (หนึ่ง)

20.00 = สองทุ่ม

21.00 = สามทุ่ม

22.00 = สี่ทุ่ม

23.00 = ห้าทุ่ม

Edited December 20, 2009 by Jeelee