How would 'to do something on and off' be said in Thai?

For example, 'I have lived in Thailand on and off for a long time'.

Thanks.

'to do something on and off

เริ่มเริ่มหยุดหยุด rerm rerm yud yud = start & stop

or

ทำทำหยุดหยุด tum tum yud yud

I have lived in Thailand on and off for a long time

ไปไปมามา pai pai ma ma = come & go

Edited January 10, 201115 yr by a51mas

How easy it is to forget the simplicity of Thai.

I got the word ครั้งคราว from thai-language.com but hadn't come across it before. So thought I'd ask in addition.

How easy it is to forget the simplicity of Thai.

I got the word ครั้งคราว from thai-language.com but hadn't come across it before. So thought I'd ask in addition.

ครั้งคราว = occasionally, sometime. not often, once in a while, now and then

Dictionary states that ครั้งคราว is adverbial, so it would need to be used with a main verb,

My question -now- is which is the most suitable verb to be used with it?

In the context of 'I have lived in Thailand on and off for a long time' Could you say (apologies I can't type in Thai)

pom-koy-yoo-muang-thai-krang-krao-nan-laeo.

Many thanks

Dictionary states that ครั้งคราว is adverbial, so it would need to be used with a main verb,

My question -now- is which is the most suitable verb to be used with it?

In the context of 'I have lived in Thailand on and off for a long time' Could you say (apologies I can't type in Thai)

pom-koy-yoo-muang-thai-krang-krao-nan-laeo.

Many thanks

You can use ครั้งคราว with action verb, for example: "ผมอาบน้ำเป็นครั้งคราว" = "I occasionally am taking a shower"

koy (kery) is a "present perfect" ผมเคยไปไปมามาเมืองไทยนานแล้ว = I have lived in Thailand on and off for a long time (but you no longer lived there).

But if you still live there, you would replace "koy" (kery)"เคย" (have lived) with "young" "ยัง" (still) & "nan laeo" "นานแล้ว"(a long time) with "yu sa-mer" "อยู่เสมอ" (all the time), so, now it becomes a present tense:

ผมยังไปไปมามาเมืองไทยเป็นครั้งคราวอยู่เสมอ pom young pai pai ma ma muang Thai pen krung krao yu sa-mer

I still am occasinally shuttle to and from Thailand all the time.

(My apologies if I confused you more)

Edited January 11, 201115 yr by a51mas

I follow what you are saying, though as I'm sure you know, we use the present perfect to talk about a period of time that continues to the present in English, which is why I chose -key (kery) rather than yung (still). Anyway, it's the sense of doing something intermittently that's important. I'll post any alternatives I can find.

Cheers

Dictionary states that ครั้งคราว is adverbial, so it would need to be used with a main verb,

My question -now- is which is the most suitable verb to be used with it?

In the context of 'I have lived in Thailand on and off for a long time' Could you say (apologies I can't type in Thai)

pom-koy-yoo-muang-thai-krang-krao-nan-laeo.

Could we say "ผมอยู่เมืองไทยเป็นครั้งเป็นคราวมานานหลายปีแล้ว" ?

Dictionary states that ครั้งคราว is adverbial, so it would need to be used with a main verb,

My question -now- is which is the most suitable verb to be used with it?

In the context of 'I have lived in Thailand on and off for a long time' Could you say (apologies I can't type in Thai)

pom-koy-yoo-muang-thai-krang-krao-nan-laeo.

Many thanks

พักอยู่ would seem to be a good verb and to modify it to 'occasionally' just use the อย่าง word before the adverb. พักอยู่อย่างครั้งคราว

I just learned สลับ the other day. So I'm wondering would this work also?

ผมอยู่เมืองไทยมานานแล้ว สลับกันต่างประเทศ

I just learned สลับ the other day. So I'm wondering would this work also?

ผมอยู่เมืองไทยมานานแล้ว สลับกันต่างประเทศ

I just looked up สลับ and came across สลับฟันปลา which translates to zigzag but literally means alternating tooth fish? What is the etymology of that?

I just learned สลับ the other day. So I'm wondering would this work also?

ผมอยู่เมืองไทยมานานแล้ว สลับกันต่างประเทศ

I just looked up สลับ and came across สลับฟันปลา which translates to zigzag but literally means alternating tooth fish? What is the etymology of that?

สลับ is an adverb or adjective and it means a pattern which is alternating, as in the following เส้นสีเขียวสลับแดง a strip of green and red alternating. ผู้หญิงผู้ชายนั่งสลับกัน describes men and women sitting in a line.

In สลับฟันปลา which is again an adjective, it describes a pattern alternating out of line(สับหว่าง ว. is the word describing out of line) . I have always thought of the points of the teeth as being the thing referred to, but you never know maybe teeth of fish lean from side to side in plan as well as in side elevation. สลับ for changing countries you would have to work at it. The second meaning of สลับ is to change places one with another. สับเปลียน is the operative verb here, สลับคู่ ; and we enter a discussion as to whether สลับ is acting as a verb here.

That is as much as I can make out from the dictionary, it is probably not 100% so any other thoughts would be gratefully received.

I just learned สลับ the other day. So I'm wondering would this work also?

ผมอยู่เมืองไทยมานานแล้ว สลับกันต่างประเทศ

I just looked up สลับ and came across สลับฟันปลา which translates to zigzag but literally means alternating tooth fish? What is the etymology of that?

Look at saw teeth patterns, That's called สลับฟันปลา

Edited January 12, 201115 yr by a51mas

I just learned สลับ the other day. So I'm wondering would this work also?

ผมอยู่เมืองไทยมานานแล้ว สลับกันต่างประเทศ

I just looked up สลับ and came across สลับฟันปลา which translates to zigzag but literally means alternating tooth fish? What is the etymology of that?

สลับ is an adverb or adjective and it means a pattern which is alternating, as in the following เส้นสีเขียวสลับแดง a strip of green and red alternating. ผู้หญิงผู้ชายนั่งสลับกัน describes men and women sitting in a line.

In สลับฟันปลา which is again an adjective, it describes a pattern alternating out of line(สับหว่าง ว. is the word describing out of line) . I have always thought of the points of the teeth as being the thing referred to, but you never know maybe teeth of fish lean from side to side in plan as well as in side elevation. สลับ for changing countries you would have to work at it. The second meaning of สลับ is to change places one with another. สับเปลียน is the operative verb here, สลับคู่ ; and we enter a discussion as to whether สลับ is acting as a verb here.

That is as much as I can make out from the dictionary, it is probably not 100% so any other thoughts would be gratefully received.

OK, I’m working on it. How about this?

ผมอยู่เมืองไทยสลับกันต่างประเทศมานานแล้ว

I think สลับกัน is also interchangeable

with สับเปลียนกัน There was an example

in the dictionary using สับเปลียนกัน for

taking turns digging a hole, but I can’t seem to find it

again. I did find the entry below for สลับกัน

take turns

• [iDM] สลับกัน; เปลี่ยนกัน

• (NECTEC Lexitron 2 EN-TH)

Misspelling was why I couldn't find it.

สับเปลี่ยน

[V] take turns; one by one S.เปลี่ยน, ผลัดกัน Ex. เขาและหล่อนสับเปลี่ยนกันขุดดินอยู่นานจนเหนื่อยหอบ

บ้าง can also be used to express "on and off".

มีบ้าง ไม่มีบ้าง / อยู่บ้าง ไม่อยู่บ้าง

(me bang may me bang / yoo bang may yoo bang)

I just learned สลับ the other day. So I'm wondering would this work also?

ผมอยู่เมืองไทยมานานแล้ว สลับกันต่างประเทศ

I just looked up สลับ and came across สลับฟันปลา which translates to zigzag but literally means alternating tooth fish? What is the etymology of that?

สลับ is an adverb or adjective and it means a pattern which is alternating, as in the following เส้นสีเขียวสลับแดง a strip of green and red alternating. ผู้หญิงผู้ชายนั่งสลับกัน describes men and women sitting in a line.

In สลับฟันปลา which is again an adjective, it describes a pattern alternating out of line(สับหว่าง ว. is the word describing out of line) . I have always thought of the points of the teeth as being the thing referred to, but you never know maybe teeth of fish lean from side to side in plan as well as in side elevation. สลับ for changing countries you would have to work at it. The second meaning of สลับ is to change places one with another. สับเปลียน is the operative verb here, สลับคู่ ; and we enter a discussion as to whether สลับ is acting as a verb here.

That is as much as I can make out from the dictionary, it is probably not 100% so any other thoughts would be gratefully received.

OK, I'm working on it. How about this?

ผมอยู่เมืองไทยสลับกันต่างประเทศมานานแล้ว

I think สลับกัน is also interchangeable

with สับเปลียนกัน There was an example

in the dictionary using สับเปลียนกัน for

taking turns digging a hole, but I can't seem to find it

again. I did find the entry below for สลับกัน

take turns

• [iDM] สลับกัน; เปลี่ยนกัน

• (NECTEC Lexitron 2 EN-TH)

Can they be interchangeable one is a verb and the other an adverb or adjective. The problem is the pronoun กัน sn't it? When you have a man and woman taking turns, กัน applies to them. How does it look if you say 'I live in X and Y สลับกัน' ? It might just be enough to explain what you mean so that a native speaker could correct it.

ผมพักอยู่มาในเมืองไทยบอย ๆ ภายในระยะเวลานานแลัว might also get help.

I’ve got myself in over my head. Haven’t studied

grammar and have no plans to do so. In the excerpt

below I got off the net about a bi-fuel car I think.

If you can สลับกัน between gas and oil then you

should be able to สลับกัน places where you live.

เพราะสามารถใช้ทั้งแก๊สและน้ำมันสลับกันได้

I've got myself in over my head. Haven't studied

grammar and have no plans to do so. In the excerpt

below I got off the net about a bi-fuel car I think.

If you can สลับกัน between gas and oil then you

should be able to สลับกัน places where you live.

เพราะสามารถใช้ทั้งแก๊สและน้ำมันสลับกันได้

One of your earlier tries ผมอยู่เมืองไทยสลับต่างประเทศมานานแล้ว looks ok to me. You don't need กัน unless the two nouns have already been mentioned ie. ผมอยู่เมืองไทยต่างประเทศสลับกันมานานแล้ว

Both these are word for word similar to examples from the RID สีเขียวสลับแดง ผู้หญิงผู้ชายนั่งสลับกัน

I wonder; it would be nice to know if they are understood by other than just us two!

...you don't need กัน unless the two nouns have already been mentioned ie. ผมอยู่เมืองไทยต่างประเทศสลับกันมานานแล้ว

I wonder; it would be nice to know if they are understood by other than just us two!

Think I'm following you, so the sentence above is, you claim, the best way to say 'I have lived in Thailand on and off for a long time.?

Either of the two, I think, I must have another look at the dictionary, I think the กัน, yours, is to change places one with another. The other is to insert 'abroad' into Thailand making a series.

I logged on after sleeping on it and before golf to say this; For prettyness maybe you should say ประเทศไทย and ต่างประเทศ or เมืองไทย and เมืองนอก .

Edited January 12, 201115 yr by tgeezer

Think I'm following you, so the sentence above is, you claim, the best way to say 'I have lived in Thailand on and off for a long time.?

Isn't a51mas a native speaker? In which case his initial one would certainly be a natural way for a thai to say it, no?

I thought I heard a waitress say "สลับกัน" when referring to two people's change trays being swapped by accident. Would that be right?

Think I'm following you, so the sentence above is, you claim, the best way to say 'I have lived in Thailand on and off for a long time.?

Isn't a51mas a native speaker? In which case his initial one would certainly be a natural way for a thai to say it, no?

If he is then it would be natural for him to pipe-up and tell us we're wrong.

It is an adventurous thing, even in your own language to look up a word in the dictionary and apply it. If it is not a familiar construction and your name is not Stephen Fry or some other wordsmith it is very likely to be rejected as wrong.

I should think the waitress said exactly that, but you can get away with those one word sentences in speech. I used it today playing golf, they won the first, we won the second, then they the third, and all I said was สลับกัน.