เดี๋ยว used as otherwise / or else !

[riki48]

Hi All

Having some issues getting my head around how to say ''or else / otherwise''.

1.I understand Mai yang nan ( ไม่อย่างนั้น ) as in the following sentance...

คุณ ตอง ถึง ที่นี่ กอน เที่ยง ไม่อย่างนั้น ผม ก็ ไม่ ไป (you must arrive before 12pm or else / otherwise I will not go).

2.But I don't understand the use of Dieal ( เดี๋ยว ) as in the following sentence..

พรุ่งนี้ คุณ ควร จะ เตือน ผม อิกครั้ง เคี๋ยว ผม จะ ลืม ( tomorrow you should remind me again or else / otherwise I will forget)

Why can I not use ไม่อย่างนั้น as well in that sentence.? and also use dieal in the first!!!

Cheers

Riki

[yvanlu]

In the first sentence, the speaker sets a condition, or you can say that the speaker "threatens" the person he/she is speaking to; but เดี๋ยว, when used as a conjunction, has the meaning of "in order to prevent or avoid the happening of something", so in the second sentence, the speaker asks to be reminded SO AS NOT TO forget, no meaning of "threat" here.

[Mole]

I'd like to add that colloquially, people usually say ไม่งั้น and never ไม่อย่างนั้น.

Like "gonna" is used colloquially in English instead of "going to".

You can actually just stick to using ไม่งั้น/ไม่อย่างนั้น, while เดี๋ยว can only be used under certain conditions as explained by yvanlu, ไม่งั้น can still be used instead of เดี๋ยว.

For example, in your first sentence, เดี๋ยว can't be used, but in the second sentence, ไม่งั้น also works fine.

พรุ่งนี้ คุณ ควร จะ เตือน ผม อิก ครั้ง ไม่งั้น ผม จะ ลืม

Edited February 28, 2014 by Mole

[DavidHouston]

Khun Mole,

Have you heard the word เดี๋ยว used all by itself in a threatening manner? The implication is that if you do not do what the speaker is demanding, then untoward consequences will result. Is this a common usage?

Thanks.

I'd like to add that colloquially, people usually say ไม่งั้น and never ไม่อย่างนั้น.
Like "gonna" is used colloquially in English instead of "going to".

You can actually just stick to using ไม่งั้น/ไม่อย่างนั้น, while เดี๋ยว can only be used under certain conditions as explained by yvanlu, ไม่งั้น can still be used instead of เดี๋ยว.

For example, in your first sentence, เดี๋ยว can't be used, but in the second sentence, ไม่งั้น also works fine.

พรุ่งนี้ คุณ ควร จะ เตือน ผม อิก ครั้ง ไม่งั้น ผม จะ ลืม

[Mole]

Yes, but in all circumstances that เดี๋ยว is used, ไม่งั้น can also be used instead with the same meaning and effect.

So, for somebody unsure of it's usage, it's better to just stick with using ไม่งั้น.

[riki48]

Hi

I have a couple more sentences I believe are correct to use เดี๋ยว

As mentioned seems to be a valid use when advising more stronger

1. คุณ ควร หุบ ปาก เดี๋ยว ผม จะ ต่อย คุณ ( you should shut your mouth or else I will hit you) !!!

2. คุณ ต้อง จ่าย ค่าไฟ ตรงเวลา เดี๋ยว บริษทไฟฟ้า จะ ตัด ไฟ ( pay electric or else get cut off)

3. คุณ ควร กิน ยา เดี๋ยว คุณ จะ ไม่ หาย ( take your medicine or else get sick)

As advised I for one am probably better sticking with ไม่อย่างนั้น or ไม่งั้น

Thanks for the input

Riki

[kriswillems]

The third example doesn't sound correct to me (besides that you shouldn't use คุณ, the use of เดี๋ยว sound strange here).

เดี๋ยว is like "soon" or "in a moment", something will happen, if you don't comply with the first part of the sentence.

"์์Not getting better" is not really something that "happens", it's more like something that is not going to happen (when you don't take your medicine).

คุณต้องกินยา เดี๋ยวไม่สบาย

meaning : you've to take your medicine else you'll get sick.

sounds better. I can't explain why.

Edited February 28, 2014 by kriswillems

[Mole]

Actually, the first example:

คุณควรหุบปากเดี๋ยวผมจะต่อยคุณ

It's best to use ไม่งั้น because if you write it with เดี๋ยว it could actually mean: "You better shut your mouth, BECAUSE "soon" I'm gonna punch you.

The second example also, ไม่งั้น is more correct, and เดี๋ยว actually doesn't sound quite right.

Using เดี๋ยว could also mean that "You should pay your electricity bills, because "soon" the electric company will turn off your lights"

เดี๋ยว in both of the above examples would turn into the meaning of "soon" instead of "otherwise".

Only in example 3 is it appropriate to use เดี๋ยว, but ไม่งั้น works as well too.

Edited February 28, 2014 by Mole

[tgeezer]

Actually, the first example:

คุณควรหุบปากเดี๋ยวผมจะต่อยคุณ

It's best to use ไม่งั้น because if you write it with เดี๋ยว it could actually mean: "You better shut your mouth, BECAUSE "soon" I'm gonna punch you.

The second example also, ไม่งั้น is more correct, and เดี๋ยว actually doesn't sound quite right.

Using เดี๋ยว could also mean that "You should pay your electricity bills, because "soon" the electric company will turn off your lights"

เดี๋ยว in both of the above examples would turn into the meaning of "soon" instead of "otherwise".

Only in example 3 is it appropriate to use เดี๋ยว, but ไม่งั้น works as well too.

I was a little surprised to see เดี๋ยว translated as 'otherwise' and I checked with a native speaker by quoting the "you should remind me " sentence and he came up with 'otherwise' unprompted! It would appear that Thais do not see the word เดี๋ยว as anything to do with time.

A very logical Thai expression would appear to have been twisted to fit an English way of expressing the same thought.

Being English we have the luxury of simply translating the Thai we read but it appears that at the higher levels of learning English things have become much more complicated.

There are frequent disagreements between me and friends over the meaning of words to the extent that now I seldom press a point of English anymore and I wonder if this codified system of translating may be the cause.