I Want To Learn Thai

[finy]

Ive bought the book 'thai for beginners'by Benjawin Poomsan after reading abut it on here and hopefully it will get me started.

Anymore books/guides/workbooks i can buy on amazon or anywhere else?

I want to speak, write, read, listen. What is the best way? Any internet sites?

Cheers

[happyrobert]

If you are in Bangkok, a month's course to get you started, then get out and talk unabashedly.

http://www.learningthai.com/

[finy]

Thanks for the website.

I want to do a course when I arrive, longer than a month. Ive been looking into courses but a school thread is for a different time.

I might also try and get private tutor for x hours, so what is the going rate for a decent teacher? I wasnt sure if it was 250 or 500 bht per hour.

But I just want to have a good grasp hence the need for to learn before I come + something to do in free time.

[happyrobert]

Thanks for the website.

I want to do a course when I arrive, longer than a month. Ive been looking into courses but a school thread is for a different time.

I might also try and get private tutor for x hours, so what is the going rate for a decent teacher? I wasnt sure if it was 250 or 500 bht per hour.

But I just want to have a good grasp hence the need for to learn before I come + something to do in free time.

K. Ladawan is a great teacher. Here's her website. (tell her I sent you and maybe she will forgive me for being the only student to ever make her cry).

You can start before you come, or after you are here.

http://www.thaiwithjoy.com/

[Tod Daniels]

It’s admirable that you want to at least get a handle on starting to learn Thai before you arrive. I know foreigners who’ve been here 20+ years and still can’t manage to speak more than mangled Thai. Good on you!

Benjawan Becker has a three volume set out, you've already got the first in the set; Thai For Beginners. Then she has an Intermediate and an Advanced book too. She's also got small booklets with c/d's to improve your thai pronunciation, and quite a lot of other learning Thai stuff. Look at Paiboon Publishing, or Amazon who sells most all her stuff.

Start with the Beginner book AND the c/d. Those books are as worthless as tits on a tomcat without the c/d's because you can’t hear what you’re supposed to be saying. Practice, then practice some more. Realize you're gonna struggle, A LOT, but if you stick with it you will know some useful vocabulary and useful sentence constructs too.

I still know of schools in the Bangkok Metro area who use Benjawan's books as their course material.

Once you're here I'd scope out some schools, sit their free class, and decide which one meets your needs best. Don’t enroll in the first school you stumble across, they vary widely in methodology, efficacy, and quality.

Private lessons are certainly a way to go once you’re here too. In fact there’s no shortage of alleged Thai language teachers in Bangkok! However, FINDING a good quality private Thai language teacher here is another kettle of fish entirely. A native language speaker does not a qualified teacher make. I've took sample lessons from 15-20 private Thai language teachers, and they fall far short of the mark. Most of the time, they’re lacking material, lacking direction, lacking any real knowledge of how to teach the Thai language to foreigners (which ain’t the way Thai kids learn it believe me!). In fact, there's only a few I'd even recommend that are worth trying.

Right now, just go thru Benjawan's books, over and over. I've never met someone who went thru her basic and intermediate books but couldn't speak something close to understandable Thai. When I say “went thru” the books; I mean did every lesson, every exercise, every test, again and again, until they had it down.

I don't mean; page thru the books, decide what you want to learn and go from there. Her method does work, but you can’t pick and choose what you want out of those books. You either do her books in their entirety, or you might as well go get a Tourist-Thai phrase book.

Realize you're probably never gonna lose your foreign accent when speaking Thai, just like few if any Thais lose their Asian accent when speaking engrish. Take it in stride, concentrate on getting as close as you possibly can and you'll be fine.

Above all, DON'T get discouraged! Good Luck

Sorry for the long post. ..

P/S: for a good online Thai-Engrish dictionary try thai-language dot com. They also have some good learning resources too!

[Parvis]

You may also want to try "www dot Thailanguagewiki dot com" (free from FSI - foreign service institute). It will get you fast into correct pronounciation - if you are able to "mimic" - and possibly becoming familiar with Thai script.

Edited March 28, 2011 by Parvis

[krading]

How long do have before you arrive?

[ungcas]

I tried that route when I first arrived in Bangkok, but found that this method didn't work well for me. I found the way that the alphabet system was explained, although good, it was a bit confusing to me. Another issue I had with self-learning was forcing my self to study/practice/doing homework at a consistent rate.

I eventually went to study at a language school and after just a few days I felted I achieved so much more than studying alone.

If you want more books on learning Thai, you could try the book store on the top floor of Chamchuri Square. They have a good choices of dictionaries and books for learning Thai.

But, like Todd said, don't give up, and don't discouraged. It does get easier.

[Tod Daniels]

I will agree with the post about self-study. It certainly takes far more discipline than just showing up at a school a coupla times a week or meeting a private Thai tutor.

However, as the O/Ps post clearly says he wants to get a handle on learning Thai BEFORE arriving here; perhaps (even mine and everyone elses) advice about schools, private teachers, where to buy learning Thai resources in Bangkok, etc may be slightly premature at this juncture!

If I can teach myself to read, touch type, and speak something resembling Thai; I know anyone can do it. It takes TIME and a LOT OF IT. Study, review, more study, go back and re-review what you learned earlier so you dont forget it.

Still Benjawans books while perhaps not the best methodology, are at least presented in a consistent manner. Her phonetics, while different, are still used in all but the last Advanced Learn Thai book, and in ALL of her c/d booklet stuff shes got out.

FWIW: I used this site to help myself learn how to read Thai.

Thai Language E-Learning Site

Its geared towards teaching children of Thai nationals who're stationed abroad (and who speak engrish) the Thai Language. It was developed by the Department of Non-Formal Education with the Ministry of Education Thailand.

You hafta make a user name and password but after that its totally free. Ive spent more 100 hours on that site working thru the various tests, chapters, etc.

Now granted its written for children, so the cartoon characters which explain the Thai language are a Thai gurl, a Paint Brush, and a Book. STILL, it does explain the inz and outz of learning to read Thai pretty well. Its also FREE and presented slow enough so you can take notes!

Good luck!

Again, SORRY for the long post!

Edited April 1, 2011 by tod-daniels

[Delight]

It's admirable that you want to at least get a handle on starting to learn Thai before you arrive. I know foreigners who've been here 20+ years and still can't manage to speak more than mangled Thai. Good on you!

Benjawan Becker has a three volume set out, you've already got the first in the set; Thai For Beginners. Then she has an Intermediate and an Advanced book too. She's also got small booklets with c/d's to improve your thai pronunciation, and quite a lot of other learning Thai stuff. Look at Paiboon Publishing, or Amazon who sells most all her stuff.

Start with the Beginner book AND the c/d. Those books are as worthless as tits on a tomcat without the c/d's because you can't hear what you're supposed to be saying. Practice, then practice some more. Realize you're gonna struggle, A LOT, but if you stick with it you will know some useful vocabulary and useful sentence constructs too.

I still know of schools in the Bangkok Metro area who use Benjawan's books as their course material.

Once you're here I'd scope out some schools, sit their free class, and decide which one meets your needs best. Don't enroll in the first school you stumble across, they vary widely in methodology, efficacy, and quality.

Private lessons are certainly a way to go once you're here too. In fact there's no shortage of alleged Thai language teachers in Bangkok! However, FINDING a good quality private Thai language teacher here is another kettle of fish entirely. A native language speaker does not a qualified teacher make. I've took sample lessons from 15-20 private Thai language teachers, and they fall far short of the mark. Most of the time, they're lacking material, lacking direction, lacking any real knowledge of how to teach the Thai language to foreigners (which ain't the way Thai kids learn it believe me!). In fact, there's only a few I'd even recommend that are worth trying.

Right now, just go thru Benjawan's books, over and over. I've never met someone who went thru her basic and intermediate books but couldn't speak something close to understandable Thai. When I say "went thru" the books; I mean did every lesson, every exercise, every test, again and again, until they had it down.

I don't mean; page thru the books, decide what you want to learn and go from there. Her method does work, but you can't pick and choose what you want out of those books. You either do her books in their entirety, or you might as well go get a Tourist-Thai phrase book.

Realize you're probably never gonna lose your foreign accent when speaking Thai, just like few if any Thais lose their Asian accent when speaking engrish. Take it in stride, concentrate on getting as close as you possibly can and you'll be fine.

Above all, DON'T get discouraged! Good Luck

Sorry for the long post. ..

P/S: for a good online Thai-Engrish dictionary try thai-language dot com. They also have some good learning resources too!

Can I suggest an alternative approach.

A lot depends on your natural aptitude for languages.

I personally have no aptitude for language -so I took a different approach.

1) Learn the structure of the language. It is not the same as English .

Eg The English phrase ' How many children do you have? Becomes 'You have offspring -how many person ' when the Thai is translated word for word.

'How are you ' is word for word Thai '-Comfortable good, No?'

'He kicked the ball and scored a goal' (soccer) becomes '-He kick ball enter door'

'Do you understand?' becomes 'Enter mind,No? To which the only possible answers are 'Enter Mind ' or 'Not enter mind'

The language only has the word 'No' for use in the interrogative sense as indicated .It cannot be used as it would be in English

The opposite of the Thai word for 'Yes' is 'Not Yes'

The English word 'towel' becomes 'cloth wipe body' in word for word Thai

You can literally learn the structure of the language without learning any Thai words. This ,with the rights tools, can be achieved before you arrive.

If you had this under your command -then you are well on the way

2) Learn to speak and write the Thai vowels -Many vowels are identical to English .Many demand that you configure your mouth in a way which is un -natural to native English speakers. The good news is that they are absolute -they never change

Compare the 1st vowel 'A' in the English words. Apple-Able -Father -Water -Wash. They are all spoken differently. in Thai the 'A' sound would have 5 separate vowels .

I struggled to learn the vowels -Thai for Beginners ' did not do the trick. I mastered the vowels using a different approached. They are etched in my mind now and will probably never disappear.

3) Having sorted out the structure-big job, and the vowels and in the process learn a few consonants that are un -natural for farang to speak. Then start to acquire the thai words. An easy gain is to learn the numbers.

4) Learn the Tones.

5) That brings you to the really difficult bit-Understanding Thai. Not however for some people. Just for people like me

The best person to teach Thai Language is a 100% Thai fluent farang(in case you do not know 'farang 'means Caucasian.

To acquire the reading and writing skills then Thai for Beginners is the best that I have come across. That said the rules on detecting the tone within the script (Thai has 5 tones )is labourious. I got it down to 2 simple charts-which I carry in my head

There is no perfect book/system

The book that helped me the most was 'The Thai Language Course ' which comes with2 -CD,s is written by an American named Aaron Handel. I think that it may be only available in Thailand.

I have scanned every page and carry it on my I pod touch.

The absolute best speaking dictionary is supplied by Paiboon Publishing (Thai for Beginners is published by the same company) via the Apple App store.It is also available for PC. The App version is better. In both caes the speaker is the lady who writes the books.

Good Luck

Edited April 2, 2011 by Delight