Drinking water

[Guderian]

When we're out my girlfriend orders nahm plao (น้ำเปล่า) when she wants a bottle of drinking water. I looked up the definition and it seems that (among numerous possibilities) plao can be translated as plain, so she's ordering plain drinking water. But bottled drinking water is also written as nahm deum (น้ำดื่ม), in supermarkets like Tesco Lotus for example. Is this simply a case of having two different names for the same thing or is there a difference between plao and deum that I'm missing? Thanks for any insights.

[SlyAnimal]

They're the same thing, it's just drinking water vs flat/plain water.

[Mole]

Water on bottles will be labelled as น้ำดื่ม to specify that it's drinking water.

But in restaurants, one does not order น้ำดื่ม, but น้ำเปล่า to mean one only wants water as in plain water.

Both means the same thing, but are used in different settings.

Edited October 25, 2014 by Mole

[jspill]

It helps to think of naam as more like a base word meaning 'liquid'

naam hom - perfume (liquid sweet smelling)

naam peung - honey (liquid bee)

So naam duem could really be anything to drink, deum will be used in sentences where they're asking if you'd like anything to drink, to which you could reply water, beer, wine, anything.

[tgeezer]

It helps to think of naam as more like a base word meaning 'liquid'

naam hom - perfume (liquid sweet smelling)

naam peung - honey (liquid bee)

So naam duem could really be anything to drink, deum will be used in sentences where they're asking if you'd like anything to drink, to which you could reply water, beer, wine, anything.

As a learning tool I don't look at it like that, though you're not wrong. As Mole has pointed นำ้ดืม means 'drinking water' used where it is necessary to distinguish it from water used for washing. Culturally buying water for drinking is probably an innovation for Thai people as it is for my generation of English people so to find it on sale maybe needed an explanation; it is the water you reserved for drinking at home in the old days. In a restaurant you want a drink but I retain the word 'water' นำ้ส้ม, นำมะนาว, orange water, lemon water , nothing(added) water. The word เปล่า I think of as 'nothing'. Water nothing else. เอาหรือเปล่า want or nothing else(not). The question is usually เอาเครื่องดื่มอะไร I think. เครื่อง is a difficult word: 'facilitator, enabler or

similar. เครื่องดื่ม facilitator of drinking. เครื่องยนต์ facilitator of machine providing mobility, เครื่องซักผ้า facilitator of laundering. เครื่องหมาย facilitator of intention. In 'Road sign' the intention is the provider's (police) that you will see and follow

What works for me may not work for everybody, but finding an English equivalent which fits every situation is helpful until the words say something to you in Thai. Better in my view than learning different words which apply in particular situations but what ever floats your boat; I am already way off the topic.

[CMBob]

I've understood the same distinctions. Out of curiosity, though, let's presume I brought a bucket over to a neighbor to borrow some water to wash my car. What would be the correct term to name that water?

Edited October 26, 2014 by CMBob

[Guderian]

Thanks for the replies. So it's the same thing, just one is generic and the other is used in a restaurant or bar setting.

[tgeezer]

I've understood the same distinctions. Out of curiosity, though, let's presume I brought a bucket over to a neighbor to borrow some water to wash my car. What would be the correct term to name that water?

นำ้ล้างรถ

[champa]

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I've understood the same distinctions. Out of curiosity, though, let's presume I brought a bucket over to a neighbor to borrow some water to wash my car. What would be the correct term to name that water?

Just น้ำ

Water supplied from pipe in Thailand cannot drink. That why we have drinking water. Mostly Thai call น้ำเปล่า nam plaow. As เปล่า is mean nothing, to compare with cola, orange juice, or something else, nam plaow means just water. No color, no test and no flagrance.

We will not say nam deam. Becasue Deam means drinking. In thailand we perceive that cola, orange juice and etc mean drink. Those can be drunk. So we not say nam deam because it mean all drink. we just say nam plaow.

Long time ago, restaurant or noodle house, always serve nam plaow for free or in very cheap price. Plaow means nothing and refers to low value as well.

Some cheap restaurant offer free drinking water or tea water in a jar on the table.The customer can order only ICE or nam kang plaow. Nam Kang means ice. and Plaow mean nothing else.

Nam means water.

Kang means strong or hard form.

together nam kang is mean hard water.

Edited October 26, 2014 by champa

[CMBob]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

I've understood the same distinctions. Out of curiosity, though, let's presume I brought a bucket over to a neighbor to borrow some water to wash my car. What would be the correct term to name that water?

Just น้ำ

That's what I figured (although I thought the "น้ำล้างรถ" answer was pretty funny and likely exactly how a Thai would say it.

It does take me a while to figure out what some of the transliterated terms in English actually represent. Regardless of the rules, I wouldn't spell แข็ง as kang (but rather more like keng) so you confused me for a moment.

[Richard W]

Regardless of the rules, I wouldn't spell แข็ง as kang (but rather more like keng) so you confused me for a moment.

That's pretty good 'slapdash' - to British ears, แข็ง rimes with English bang.

[tgeezer]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

I've understood the same distinctions. Out of curiosity, though, let's presume I brought a bucket over to a neighbor to borrow some water to wash my car. What would be the correct term to name that water?

Just น้ำ

That's what I figured (although I thought the "น้ำล้างรถ" answer was pretty funny and likely exactly how a Thai would say it.

It does take me a while to figure out what some of the transliterated terms in English actually represent. Regardless of the rules, I wouldn't spell แข็ง as kang (but rather more like keng) so you confused me for a moment.

Nothing funny about นำ้ล้างรถ. it means water to wash the car. Surely you can see that the noun for water hasn't changed from นำ้.

[tgeezer]

That's what I figured (although I thought the "น้ำล้างรถ" answer was pretty funny and likely exactly how a Thai would say it.

Nothing funny about นำ้ล้างรถ. The scene you made out was you, bucket in hand going to a neighbour, you're not going to stand there and just say นำ้, or are you? Surely you didn't think the language so strange that they would have a specific type of water for every task, face washing water, teeth cleaning water etc. can't you see that the noun for water hasn't changed in นำ้ล้างรถ?

[tgeezer]

Sorry for making a mess of the site, I updated my iPad to iOS 8 recently, apparently it was a mistake because it makes a nightmare of the Internet experience.

[CMBob]

Nothing funny about นำ้ล้างรถ. The scene you made out was you, bucket in hand going to a neighbour, you're not going to stand there and just say นำ้, or are you? Surely you didn't think the language so strange that they would have a specific type of water for every task, face washing water, teeth cleaning water etc. can't you see that the noun for water hasn't changed in นำ้ล้างรถ?

The comment wasn't aimed at you. My American English mind just finds the language structure here amusing at times.

[fire69water]

By default they would give you a cup or glass with ice in it. You can preempt them by asking 'ขอแก้วเปล่า' if you think like I do that drinking icy drinks is bad for you in the long run.

[Baa_Mango]

watch for the very common, but ever tricky น้ำแตก