Cool Response To The Can You Speak Thai Question?

[edwardandtubs]

I get asked it a lot and I think my Thai is good enough to go beyond the standard "nit noi" or "mai koi dee" type responses. I want to reply with a quip like "what do you think?" or "have a guess". Would คิดว่ายังไง have the necessary 'coolness'? What cool responses do you have?

[Murf]

I think that would sound quite rude.

If you can reel off a long sentence, (without being too rude 555) any long sentence, then I am sure that would have the desired effect of coolness

Edited September 4, 2012 by Murf

[Murf]

ขอบคุณนะครับ แต่ผมไม่แนใจว่าผมพูดชัดหรือเปล่าเพราะบ้างคนฟังไม่รู้เรื่องครับ

Something like that...

[TommoPhysicist]

Tur hen chan ngo nak ruu ngai

How stupid do you think I look.

I usually just say

Pom poot pasa Thai mai dai

As I can't be bothered to speak to most of them. Saves me having to participate in that two hour conversation about 'How spicy was that food I just ate'. Once you learn to speak Thai, and the novelty wears off, you usually wish you hadn't bothered.

Edited September 4, 2012 by TommoPhysicist

[TwoDogz]

I always say mai dai...gives them a chuckle once it hits them and the light goes on.

[Slappz]

Basically answering anything usually confirms you can atleast understand some Thai. I usually get this follow up question "You can speak Thai?" and I wanted to quip back, "Yes? You can't?" which is what I'd say in English to such a silly question, but I never found the right Thai words to make it sound like a natural quip.

Obv. I can just say ได้ คุณพูดไม่ได้หรอ but Thai's never seem to understand that I am being sarcastic

[starrdog]

When spoken properly, ไม่ได้เลย usually gets a laugh from someone who asks if you can speak Thai. Though I have had a few people not get the joke and think that I can't speak Thai at all. Probably best not to talk with those people further anyway.

[klons]

พูดไม่ได้แต่ร้องเพลงได้ดี คุณมยากจะฟังเสียงไพเราะของฉันไหมครับ

You then launch into whatever Thai song you have memorized.

Probably more smart ass than cool.

[TommoPhysicist]

พูดไม่ได้แต่ร้องเพลงได้ดี คุณมยากจะฟังเสียงไพเราะของฉันไหมครับ

You then launch into whatever Thai song you have memorized.

Probably more smart ass than cool.

spelling?

[Dag Ekeberg]

Sarcasm and satire.. don’t bother. But forget the nitnoy. พูดได้บ้าง

[katana]

งูๆ ปลาๆ usually gets a laugh.

[rizla]

I always say mai dai...gives them a chuckle once it hits them and the light goes on.

pood thai mai dai, mai mee samone khor tot..followed by a khmer .ugh sound..as they know they are superior anyway..

Edited September 5, 2012 by rizla

[eric67]

เว้าไทยบ่ได้ เว้าลาวได้บ่?

[p_brownstone]

งูๆ ปลาๆ usually gets a laugh.

That's what I usually use - non-confrontational and quite funny - especially since many Farang find it very difficult to pronounce "ง งู" properly so if you can do that then it's obvious to your audience that you can in fact speak fairly good Thai,.

Patrick

[Johpa]

งูๆ ปลาๆ usually gets a laugh.

I have been using this phrase for decades now. This is a great phrase to imply that although there are limitations, you are no tourist.

[cheeryble]

งูๆ ปลาๆ usually gets a laugh.

งูๆ ปลาๆ

That's the one they always chuckle,

.....kinda deferential but showing flair.

[Somtamnication]

Love it. Had wife record งูๆ ปลาๆ on my mobi. Will use it with the same frequency as "chan mai man".

[villagefarang]

If they ask me in English I just say "yes". Sometimes less is more.

Edited September 8, 2012 by villagefarang

[p_brownstone]

Love it. Had wife record งูๆ ปลาๆ on my mobi. Will use it with the same frequency as "chan mai man".

I think you mean "chang mae man" - meaning something like "to hell with it all" etc.

Patrick

[rgs2001uk]

Love it. Had wife record งูๆ ปลาๆ on my mobi. Will use it with the same frequency as "chan mai man".

I think you mean "chang mae man" - meaning something like "to hell with it all" etc.

Patrick

ช่างมันเถอะ is what I usually hear/say.

[HaleySabai]

I prefer to listen and know than speak and go - the 'parallel-reality' in Thailand is a wonderful thing

[wellred]

งูๆ ปลาๆ usually gets a laugh.

งูๆ ปลาๆ

That's the one they always chuckle,

.....kinda deferential but showing flair.

Can someone spell this out phonetically in Thai-glish?

Thanks

[katana]

NGOO NGOO PLA PLA งูๆ ปลาๆ (all mid tone).

[bdw]

I can't be bothered to speak to most of them. Saves me having to participate in that two hour conversation about 'How spicy was that food I just ate'. Once you learn to speak Thai, and the novelty wears off, you usually wish you hadn't bothered.

I agree with most of the sentiment there, but can't say I wish I hadn't bothered learning it, LOL

I actually make a little bit of money off of it now, as I'm one of the only people around for miles and miles that can read, write & speak Thai. I take translator calls from international locations at the oddest of times and have heard some pretty sad stories explained. Usually it's an Emergency.

[bdw]

Thai's never seem to understand that I am being sarcastic

Yes, it's usually a case of sarchasm.

[2unique]

Fantastic, I love the confused look you get when you answer, nit deow, ngoo ngoo pla pla - using a Thai idiom to say I don't speak Thai very well...

It's usually followed by screams of laughter then a pause to work out which language to continue in!

Sent from Android, please excuse errors in type or judgement.

[deesquared]

งูๆ ปลาๆ usually gets a laugh.

Yup! That is the one I use. "Snake snake fish fish." I've been told it means "I'm not the best but I try anyway!" The Thais always think it's cool I know that riddle and it diffuses the question.

[wellred]

Haha ok snake snake fish fish I'm gonna try that one

[jamles]

Does งูๆ ปลาๆ have meaning other than implying that one knows how to say simple things like snake and fish?

[2unique]

Does งูๆ ปลาๆ have meaning other than implying that one knows how to say simple things like snake and fish?

Snake snake, fish fish is an idiom that means "not very well/good" using it in context would mean your Thai is advanced enough to know the idiom. Therefore using advanced Thai to describe your Thai as poor is a paradoxical statement.

Sent from Android, please excuse errors in type or judgement.