Help With A Sentence

[Rumblecat]

Hi. Been going to Thai classes and been trying to teach myself the alphabet and words after school each day. Is this sentence correct- I am trying to write "I am learning to read and write Thai". I'd learnt how to spell the words separately, but am unsure how I'd actually put them together to form a sentence.

ผมอ่านแต่งภาษาภาษาไทย

Is that just gibberish? I know the words are vaguely correct (hopefully correct) but I get confused by particles etc.

Edited February 11, 2010 by Rumblecat

[aanon]

Hi Rumblecat,

It's good to see your dedication to learning Thai. In this case, your word choice is the main issue. ผม and ภาษาไทย are fine. อ่าน is relevant here -- but not for "learn". If you read this before anyone gives you a full answer, I'd encourage you to check your class notes and/or some reference materials for Thai equivalents for "learn/study", "read" and "write*", then have another go at the sentence.

* Hint: แต่ง is a different sense of "write" to the one you want. It refers to creating a text, like a book or a song.

[Rumblecat]

Ah thanks. Appreciate the reply and the help. I don't want to look like I'm taking credit for creating the Thai language..!

Realise I should be using 'rian' for learn, shouldn't I? เรียน

Or would อ่านหนังสือ cover it? I've got that written down in my notes as "reading / studying".

As much as it hurts my head, I've found it very rewarding though. Seeing a sign in a shop and having a vague idea what it might mean was a really nice experience, even if I did have to stare at the sign for a good five minutes.

[RickBradford]

ผมเรียนอ่านและเขียนภาษาไทย

If you want to stress this is an ongoing "currently" situation, you could insert กำลัง

ผมกำลังเรียนอ่านและเขียนภาษาไทย

[aanon]

Ah thanks. Appreciate the reply and the help. I don't want to look like I'm taking credit for creating the Thai language..!

Realise I should be using 'rian' for learn, shouldn't I? เรียน

Or would อ่านหนังสือ cover it? I've got that written down in my notes as "reading / studying".

As much as it hurts my head, I've found it very rewarding though. Seeing a sign in a shop and having a vague idea what it might mean was a really nice experience, even if I did have to stare at the sign for a good five minutes.

Yes, เรียน is the most common word for 'learn'. That just leaves 'read' and 'write' to find vocab for...

Reading Thai is a huge boost to your learning and, as you've described, can be rewarding just in itself.

[rgs2001uk]

ผมเรียนภาษาไทยอ่านกับเขียน.

Is how I would construct the sentence, based on being taught subject verb noun structure.

[tgeezer]

What you are doing is learning the Thai letters. (Thai system of writing.) This is a good starting point;

You have 'I am learning Thai letters' ผมเรียนตัวหนังสือไทย ผมเรียนอักษรไทย

กำลัง is an auxilliary verb put before the main verb (continuous or imperfect tense). In this case making learn=learning เรียน=กำลังเรียน

Extras: อักษรไทย is everything forming the written representation of the language. ตัว refers to things which have form shape and not human (except you can refer to yourself as ตัวเอ่ง) ตัวหนังหสือ =written things.

The reason I am being so crude in my explanations is to try to get away from English meanings which I wished I had done when I learnt to read.

It took time to understand the difference between the alphabet and the system because of words like อักษรกลาง อักษรคู่ etc. being references to consonents; these are complete words not two words, they are types of พยัญชนะไทย specifically อักษนไทย generally.

So the complete set of tools for written Thai is called อกษรไทย divided up into พยัญชนะ=consonents รูปสระ=vowel symbols รูปวรรณยุก tone symbols ครื่องหมายต่าง ๆ , ฯ ๆ ? อ์ various punctuation tools, including spaces between words.

รูป=something which can be seen physically. So you might say รูปสระตัวนี้

The most comprehensive way of saying what you want is: ผมกำลังเรียนอักขรวิธีไทย

I am not trying to teach you, just pointing out the things which I would have found useful when I embarked.

[tgeezer]

At that point I was called away to lunch, I then found that I couldn't edit so to continue; what I have written is of no interest to most people, but I am still hoping to find someone who likes things to be simple and well ordered.

In fact my methods make most Thais wince, the way to say this is: ผมเรัยนเขียนอ่านภาษาไทย ; because two words ryme and because it is the shortest way.

[Rumblecat]

Thanks, I appreciate you taking the time to write these posts. You've been very helpful. Hadn't even considered the need to move away from the English meanings, but that makes a lot of sense now. Cheers.

[farangnahrak]

In fact my methods make most Thais wince, the way to say this is: ผมเรัยนเขียนอ่านภาษาไทย ; because two words ryme and because it is the shortest way.

I'd say ผมเรัยนอ่านเขียนภาษาไทยอยู่

The word อ่าน should come before เขียน. Its not a rule, just the way everyone says it.

Just like in English we'd say 'A big brown bear' and NOT say 'A brown big bear'. Both ways are correct, but one is 'more correct'.

A google search shows that อ่านเขียน is ~5 times more common than เขียนอ่าน.

[tgeezer]

I'd say ผมเรัยนอ่านเขียนภาษาไทยอยู่

The word อ่าน should come before เขียน. Its not a rule, just the way everyone says it.

Just like in English we'd say 'A big brown bear' and NOT say 'A brown big bear'. Both ways are correct, but one is 'more correct'.

A google search shows that อ่านเขียน is ~5 times more common than เขียนอ่าน.

Of course this is nothing at all like an adjective 'big' going in front of the noun 'brown bear', a 'brown big bear' is ungrammatical.

These are two verbs which may be said อานเขียน possibly because that is the sequence in which you learn.

The reason I put it that way round is because it is more ไพเราะ It is called สำผัสใน ; เรียนเขียนอ่าน ; much easier to say too.

Edited February 12, 2010 by tgeezer

[farangnahrak]

Well, I meant 'brown' as an adjective, too.

I probably should have said the 'big blue bear' . . .

[HappyInCM]

Well, I meant 'brown' as an adjective, too.

I probably should have said the 'big blue bear' . . .

blue big bear also sounds odd to me; probably because of this general ordering I'd been unaware of:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adjective#Adjective_order

Edited February 13, 2010 by eljefe2