Another conversation with receptionist in Pattaya

[Tiger7Moth]

I went to a hotel that had two buildings. I had a friend staying in the other building, the one without reception.

I said I had a friend staying in the other building and asked if there were rooms in the other building. The answer was yes.

I asked if I could see one. The answer was no, they are all occupied.

[JSixpack]

Should have asked if there were unoccupied rooms in the other building, obviously.

[David48]

Maybe the other rooms were not cleaned yet.

There is a myriad of answers.

[Nowhereman60]

I see nothing wrong with her answer. She answered your question, that you asked. Seems like another farang trying to think they are better than the natives.

[Jimmyd]

Why do people always assume the worst? The OP may have just been sharing an amusing misunderstanding--I didn't read anything where he looked down on anyone. The same thing could happen between two native speakers and it would still be amusing (at least to me).

[Loptr]

I see nothing wrong with her answer. She answered your question, that you asked. Seems like another farang trying to think they are better than the natives.

Or just another farang that is accustomed to having conversations with people that have a clue. Perhaps you have been in Thailand too long if you don't see the humor or issue with this exchange. This sort of thing drives me crazy when you can't get a straight answer without playing 20 questions. Such as, can you give me directions to xxxxx.

[JSixpack]

I see nothing wrong with her answer. She answered your question, that you asked. Seems like another farang trying to think they are better than the natives.

Or just another farang that is accustomed to having conversations with people that have a clue. Perhaps you have been in Thailand too long if you don't see the humor or issue with this exchange. This sort of thing drives me crazy when you can't get a straight answer without playing 20 questions. Such as, can you give me directions to xxxxx.

Or just another farang like yourself that is accustomed to imagining he's having conversations with people that don't have a clue. What I see is that he didn't have a clue as to how at a Thai hotel reception desk one normally asks about a vacancy. She gave him a totally straight answer. There's a laugh here, but it's on himself.

[Morden]

Quite often, perhaps because the conversation is not in Thai and the other person has a limited knowledge of English, the answer to a question is a literal one. If you ask whether the other building has rooms, then the literal answer is, 'Yes'. If you ask whether it has vacant rooms, then the answer may be different. You must word your questions very carefully in order to improve your chances of getting the answer you need.

[petercool]

In Thai, which the lady was directly translating into in her head, rooms and vacant rooms are distinctly different .... "hong" versus "hong warng". Even with a native English speaker, the answer might have been the same as the OP got.

[Gone]

In Thai, which the lady was directly translating into in her head, rooms and vacant rooms are distinctly different .... "hong" versus "hong warng". Even with a native English speaker, the answer might have been the same as the OP got.

Hong wang, not hong warng. lol

[JSixpack]

In Thai, which the lady was directly translating into in her head, rooms and vacant rooms are distinctly different .... "hong" versus "hong warng". Even with a native English speaker, the answer might have been the same as the OP got.

Hong wang, not hong warng. lol

No, ว่าง = warng or waang, lol, Thai language expert. Syllables have lengths and the transliteration reflects exactly that.

You know, Gone, I'd just hate it if you weren't wearing a crash helmet as required by law. It's so nice to have you around.

I love this forum.

[petercool]

Maybe "Gone" was suggesting room of hope ? (wang) ...

[Tiger7Moth]

Why do people always assume the worst? The OP may have just been sharing an amusing misunderstanding--I didn't read anything where he looked down on anyone. The same thing could happen between two native speakers and it would still be amusing (at least to me).

Thank you. I found the situation amusing, that's it. Obviously, the receptionist answered my question correctly in a literal sense.

[Morakot]

Should have asked if there were unoccupied rooms in the other building, obviously.

It's always better to check whether it's open-plan or separate rooms.

[Rimmer]

Moved to Pub Fun

[hanno]

Why do people always assume the worst? The OP may have just been sharing an amusing misunderstanding--I didn't read anything where he looked down on anyone. The same thing could happen between two native speakers and it would still be amusing (at least to me).

+1