If you could start learning Thai from scratch...

[danphuket]

Like in one of my favourite anime series - Steins;Gate, imagine that you can mentally return back to your body in the past at the time you decided to learn Thai. If you could start from scratch with 0 knowledge about the language, how would you study? What do you regret not doing in the early stages? What are the most valuable strategies and techniques that worked well for you?

[GotR1GHT]

I would take much more time to learn tones properly,thai is a tonal language and it depends on tone and vowel lenght if you're gonna be understood or not.

If thai is non-tonal language i would probably be fluent already.

[Murf]

I would go back and ask the Thai teacher out who first taught me Thai.

[danphuket]

I would learn how to type in early stages and use available language software as soon as possible.

[tgeezer]

I like to think that I would spend more time on the seemingly insignificant words of one syllable.

For example; ประสบการ, although easy to remember was coined to cater for the word 'experience'(sic.) a similar concept can be expressed with เคย followed by an appropriate verb.

To find these small words I would study the ก ไก่ - ฮ นกฮูก books with stories attached : ก เยอ ก ไก่ ออกไปหากิน ขุยดินกินหนอนกับแมลง ... ข ไข่ในเล้า .

Starting out in this fashion needs a good teacher who will attach great importance to the difference between consonants ป-บ ต- ด ...,tones and length of vowels, but is money well spent because you can dispense with a teacher earlier. Although communication at the basic level will be achieved rapidly you won't be able to translate your innermost thoughts from English; a good thing, since most Thais quickly switch off when we try to do that sort of thing. However when you have a good grounding I think learning to translate later would be an easy matter.

Hindsight is always 20/20.

[Rumblecat]

I would learn to read. And I'd be more careful about who I chose to teach me.

My first Thai teacher (private on one-one courses) bombarded me with words each lesson that I gave up after five of them. I was overwhelmed and although I asked him to go much slower- I even said to think of me like a child and only do a twenty or thirty words a lesson- it made me think that I'd never be able to understand the language. Looking back now at my notes from those lessons, I still think I'm right- it went from simple "Hello, how are you?' to complicated conversations within the first lesson.

Even worse he took me out to speak to the school secretaries after one lesson and tried to make me talk Thai with them. And I just couldn't​ as I didn't know how- I wanted to, but I just wasn't able. It was a pretty excruciating and embarrassing experience and all it did was discourage me. I still remember going home feeling stupid and dejected by the whole thing.

Later I went to a language school and did private audio Pimsleur lessons. And I understood more and could speak basic Thai, but it wasn't until I switched to another school where they taught the alphabet alongside conversation that I finally started to get to grips with the language.

The teachers at my first proper language school used to have a joke. "What does a (won't name the school as I'm too polite) student say when he wants to order food?" "Pencil, desk, wall, door." "Why does he say that?" "Because that's all he knows."

Good teachers, hamstrung by the lesson plans which bombarded the pupils with words rather than understanding. They used to secretly teach us properly but when the owner came around they had to go back to the lesson plan, which every teacher freely admitted was inadequate. And when your teachers are saying that, you know there's a problem. Luckily I switched to a school where the teachers were allowed to actually teach, and it made a huge difference.

So yeah... I guess I'd really want to be taught it like a proper beginner, step by step. Alphabet, simple words, it's not a race, it's a marathon.

Good question, OP. Sorry for the long reply.

Edited December 22, 2013 by Rumblecat

[DavidMavec]

I would have learned to read at the very beginning. This would have helped tremendously with pronunciation, self study, remembering words, tones, etc. I cannot stress learning to read enough for somebody who seriously wants to learn to speak Thai.

[kevindorian]

I woud have focused on my tones and pronounciation more. The thing with a lot of the school teachers is they get used to hearing bad falang Thai. So they actaully understand your terrible tones and vowels, then when you zip out to the real world with your messed up and tones most Thai people have no idea what you are saying. I would have spent more time checking out schools before I joined them as well. I would have gone to demo classes and so forth, the first time I just joined up to the first school I found and their method of teaching was not for me, so I ended up basically not going to that school after a month and and signing up to another one.

Choosing A Thai Language School

Edited December 23, 2013 by kevindorian

[jackflash]

Learn to Read and Write Thai at the start!

It is much easier than you might think and is the key to understanding the tones.

Edited December 24, 2013 by jackflash

[Ratsima]

I would never look at a book that uses anything other than Thai script to write Thai words.

I would not use Rosetta Stone.

I would alter my personality so that I was no longer afraid to make mistakes when speaking Thai.

I would conceal the fact that I can read Thai because as soon as a Thai finds out you can read they assume you are fluent in oral Thai and aghast to learn that you are not.

[AlphMichaels]

This sounds like a sales pitch to me.

[HeavyDrinker]

I wouldn't have got a chufty head as soon as I felt I'd hit a steep upward curve and then try to gallop through my next few lessons ..thankfully I didn't miss out on any important grammar points apart from the months which still give me the dickens of a time and a real pain in the old bubble...

[THAIPHUKET]

I would learn how to type in early stages and use available language software as soon as possible.

SOFTWARE; such as??

[Tonto21]

Learn to Read and Write Thai at the start!

It is much easier than you might think and is the key to understanding the tones.

Without a doubt.......Learn to read, it is not that hard, but you will need a teacher you get on with. go one to one. Once I started to learn to read I really, really enjoyed it, more than trying to speak Thai.

The problem I have now is I can read Thai better than I can speak........Funny....I can read and pronounce, with good tone but, don't know what the hell I'm saying......My wife thinks it hilarious Lol.

Yes, learn to read Thai.

[oneday]

I would take much more time to learn tones properly,thai is a tonal language and it depends on tone and vowel lenght if you're gonna be understood or not.

If thai is non-tonal language i would probably be fluent already.

Not only tones, but you MUST learn the length of vowel for every word you learn. This is as important if not more important than learning tones.

[senor123]

I would have not bothered to start at all and instead would have put more effort into improving my Spanish.

[TPI]

Bahasa Malay and Indonesian is easier to learn and more useful in the long run! In my opinion I think that the longer one spends here the less likely you will need to speak fluent Thai, as you/I have the neccessary 400 words and so are prepared for most social situations in the Kingdom.

The Malay and Indonesian languages are useful because travel to these southern countries, including S'pore, is becomeing more common, especially with the continuing changes to visa requirements.

[tingtongteesood]

My reading is good, my speaking is so so. I have a very poor memory and forget a lot of words. I would change my brain for a new one that doesn't forget everything...

[Keesters]

I would learn to read and write it before learning to speak it. Makes for better understanding of tones I'm led to believe.

[96tehtarp]

The overwhelming consensus so far is to learn to read first.

How would one learn to read if one had a chance to learn to read all over again?

Where to start?

[Trentham]

I included reading and writing right from the start of learning Thai. I found that invaluable. It also allowed me to study alone and know the correct pronunciation of most words I was reading without having to hear them spoken. Nearly all Thai words are precisely spelled and pronounced and it is not like English where ...ough.. can be spoken as ow as in bough, ooo as in through, u as in rough, or as in thought and oh as in though.

One thing I have discovered is that many Thais are atrocious at spelling themselves.

[lostmebike]

Is the OP asking or doing some research?

[tgeezer]

I would take much more time to learn tones properly,thai is a tonal language and it depends on tone and vowel lenght if you're gonna be understood or not.

If thai is non-tonal language i would probably be fluent already.

Not only tones, but you MUST learn the length of vowel for every word you learn. This is as important if not more important than learning tones.

Very true, I used to try to make vowels short but later, decided that my normal vowel was a short vowel and said it longer for a long vowel. They should be explained as: standard (length) and double standard because there is what is called a half-standard vowel which follows the 's' in 'stamp'.

[mok199]

I HAVE STUDIED THE LANGUAGE 12 YEARS WITH NO SCHOOLING...I RECOMENED ONE BOOK FOR YOUR BEGINNINGTO ADVANCED,AND I SUGEST YOU LEARN THE WRITE AND READ IT,AS WHEN IT IS ''ROMANIZED'',IT IS USALLY DIFERNT IN EACH BOOK...SO ...IT WILL TAKE YEARS,ASK YOUR SELF ''HOW FAR DO I WEANT TO TAKE THIS....IF YOU WANT ONLY SMALL TALK THEN ANY BOOK WILL DO,IF YOU ARE SERIOUS AND READY TO COMMIT TO YEARS OF WORK...THEN LEARN THE ALPHABET...I STILL SPEND AN HOUR OR TWO EACH DAY...THE BOOK I RECOMEND ( I FORGET THE NAME) IT IS GREEN AND BIGGER WRITTEN BY WIGGINS.ABOUT 900 BT...I OWN MABEY 15 BOOKS AND THIS ONE WAS THE BEST....BUT BE PREPARED FOR YEARS OF FRUSTRATION....EVERY ONE TOLD ME THAIS ARE ALWAYS WILLING TO HELP...HAHAHHAHAH..............NO...THAIS ARE ALWAYS READY TO ''CORRECT YOU''.EVEN WHEN THEY KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN ,THEY TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO ''GET IN YOUR FACE A BIT''.........I USE MY LANGAUGE ONLY WITH MY CLOSE FRINDS OR IF THEY DONT SPEAK ENGLISH...AS A BACKUP...

[Torrens54]

I would learn to read. And I'd be more careful about who I chose to teach me.

My first Thai teacher (private on one-one courses) bombarded me with words each lesson that I gave up after five of them. I was overwhelmed and although I asked him to go much slower- I even said to think of me like a child and only do a twenty or thirty words a lesson- it made me think that I'd never be able to understand the language. Looking back now at my notes from those lessons, I still think I'm right- it went from simple "Hello, how are you?' to complicated conversations within the first lesson.

Even worse he took me out to speak to the school secretaries after one lesson and tried to make me talk Thai with them. And I just couldn't​ as I didn't know how- I wanted to, but I just wasn't able. It was a pretty excruciating and embarrassing experience and all it did was discourage me. I still remember going home feeling stupid and dejected by the whole thing.

Later I went to a language school and did private audio Pimsleur lessons. And I understood more and could speak basic Thai, but it wasn't until I switched to another school where they taught the alphabet alongside conversation that I finally started to get to grips with the language.

The teachers at my first proper language school used to have a joke. "What does a (won't name the school as I'm too polite) student say when he wants to order food?" "Pencil, desk, wall, door." "Why does he say that?" "Because that's all he knows."

Good teachers, hamstrung by the lesson plans which bombarded the pupils with words rather than understanding. They used to secretly teach us properly but when the owner came around they had to go back to the lesson plan, which every teacher freely admitted was inadequate. And when your teachers are saying that, you know there's a problem. Luckily I switched to a school where the teachers were allowed to actually teach, and it made a huge difference.

So yeah... I guess I'd really want to be taught it like a proper beginner, step by step. Alphabet, simple words, it's not a race, it's a marathon.

Good question, OP. Sorry for the long reply.

I know what you mean. In "another time, another place" an ex who is Swiss and worked for TG was off learning Thai. I thought I'd surprise her by quietly going to Conversational German lessons while she was at her Thai lessons. My teacher was excellent and started very slowly with some basic words. However, I "let the cat out of the bag" and told the Ex what I was doing. SHE then started loading me up with very complicated phrases and expected PERFECTION within minutes, as we were due to visit her folks in Switzerland a few weeks later.

Needless to say, the whole exercise was doomed and so too was the relationship. Pleased to say my Thai wife is much more understanding. She speaks, reads and writes excellent English and is happy for me to just "plod along" with some Thai.

[wileycoyote]

I would like to learn

[rct99q]

The overwhelming consensus so far is to learn to read first.

How would one learn to read if one had a chance to learn to read all over again?

Where to start?

Go to Tesco, Big C, or most local markets and you will find many lettering books for Thai infants and children. They are fantastic at teaching you how to write the Thai alphabet. Usually les than 99 baht. Then use thai-language.com or similar to see what sounds each letter makes. Easy to read and write...

To do over again.....speak Thai any chance you can. Making mistakes is all part of the game.

[mikemac]

Back in 2006 I enrolled with AUA in Chiang Rai to learn Thai, one on one. Had no idea what I was in for but was keen to learn.

The Thai lady who taught me, for six months was great, spoke very good English and taught English to Thais as well.

The first thing she said to me was - "Do you want to learn Thai language probably or do you just want to order beer in a bar" ?

When I said I wanted to learn Thai properly she said the first thing I have to do is learn to read and write. As scary as it was it was the best thing I ever did. Made learning to speak so much easier.

Good luck to anyone taking the plunge !

[Ghostnigel]

I would learn to read. And I'd be more careful about who I chose to teach me.

My first Thai teacher (private on one-one courses) bombarded me with words each lesson that I gave up after five of them. I was overwhelmed and although I asked him to go much slower- I even said to think of me like a child and only do a twenty or thirty words a lesson- it made me think that I'd never be able to understand the language. Looking back now at my notes from those lessons, I still think I'm right- it went from simple "Hello, how are you?' to complicated conversations within the first lesson.

Even worse he took me out to speak to the school secretaries after one lesson and tried to make me talk Thai with them. And I just couldn't​ as I didn't know how- I wanted to, but I just wasn't able. It was a pretty excruciating and embarrassing experience and all it did was discourage me. I still remember going home feeling stupid and dejected by the whole thing.

Later I went to a language school and did private audio Pimsleur lessons. And I understood more and could speak basic Thai, but it wasn't until I switched to another school where they taught the alphabet alongside conversation that I finally started to get to grips with the language.

The teachers at my first proper language school used to have a joke. "What does a (won't name the school as I'm too polite) student say when he wants to order food?" "Pencil, desk, wall, door." "Why does he say that?" "Because that's all he knows."

Good teachers, hamstrung by the lesson plans which bombarded the pupils with words rather than understanding. They used to secretly teach us properly but when the owner came around they had to go back to the lesson plan, which every teacher freely admitted was inadequate. And when your teachers are saying that, you know there's a problem. Luckily I switched to a school where the teachers were allowed to actually teach, and it made a huge difference.

So yeah... I guess I'd really want to be taught it like a proper beginner, step by step. Alphabet, simple words, it's not a race, it's a marathon.

Good question, OP. Sorry for the long reply.

Long reply, but a very good reply, i had a similar problem and just gave up, it made me feel like i was never going to master the language, so i have lost the urge to want to learn now. I am in the 'would love to learn, but never will' brigade. I am so envious of people who can speak Thai well. I'm too lazy I guess.

[burlap]

First off, DO learn Thai if you're going to spend a substantial amount of time here. Your experience will be richer and more fun than if you didn't. Don't give up, everyone reaches a plateau now and then, but trust your effort will pay off in the long run.

Secondly, DO learn to read & write. I refused to learn my first couple of years here and it was a mistake. Once I could read a lot of problems I was having became easier to understand, and acquiring new vocabulary became easier. The other thing about reading and writing is that it's easier to learn than speaking/listening - so it keeps your confidence level up.

Have fun.