Advantages to being able to speak Thai proficiently...Name them!

[csabo]

One advantage is talking about farangs behind their back in front of their face.

[Toknarok]

I speak enough Thai to get by and be independant, but no way would I say I can speak conversational Thai. My Thai would be a lot better if the locals actually spoke it as their everyday language. Here they speak Khmer, and even when speaking Thai amongst themselves they tend to speak a heavily accented patois mixing up Thai, Khmen, Lao and sometimes Suai with impunity.

They all know I cannot speak Khmer so always address me in Thai. I have picked up a local Isaan accent which is often picked up by middle speaking Thais when I talk to them.

As for Thai outside the Kingdom, whenever I was in Australia or the UK and I heard Thai being spoken I would introduce myself in Thai and ask where in Thailand they came from. This invariably produced gasps of astonishment and very friendly chats (of a sort) after that.

[sammygood]

the only thai i know is

hong naam you tee naai

[Stan42]

I already answered this question in a different thread: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/836501-is-it-really-better-to-learn-thai-rather-than-staying-clueless/page-2

[fxe1200]

Before I moved out of Phuket for good. I learnt the phrase, "I don't speak English" in Russian

When I was approached by an English speaking tourist I replied: "I don't speak English", in Russian

When I was approached by a Russian speaking tourist I replied: "I don't speak Russian", in English

When I was approached by a Thai male I replied: "I don't speak Thai", in English

When I approached a Thai female I spoke my very best pasa Thai.

I didn't move here for the temples and food.

Actually, I used to do the same in Denmark.

Now, if I start speaking Thai to a Thai person and they reply in English, I pretend I don't speak English but some other Europen language (German, Italian or whatever.) I hate the two language conversations, especially if their English is not up to it.

As for advantages:

1. Being accepted at many more places.

2. Being treated with more respect in shops, markets and so on

3. Being able to find different "non-touristis" places in Thailand

4. Paying "Thai" prices

5. Being able to talk to some really cute girls that don't speak English

There are many more advantages, but I will leave them to other TV members.

Good points! One mayor disadvantage comes with it: you automatically listen to all the gossip and tittle tattle either on the street or on the market. Another advantage: when they talk about you, you can answer in Thai, that is what I love mostly.

[freebyrd]

On several occasions in Thailand, Philippines and Cambodia it's been useful when Thais have spoken about me both positively and negatively and it also helped when I sealed a business deal with a Thai client injecting some humour, given that they didn't know I could speak Thai.

[villagefarang]

Anybody on here can imagine the advantages of reading, writing and speaking fluent Thai.

But, in reality, life in Thailand for those who speak fluent Thai is actually far better than what people who can't speak the language can even imagine.

Well said but I fear few people will believe you. Many of the problems I read about here on TVF would not be problems if the people involved spoke Thai and were not limited to dealing with Thais who speak some form of English or other language. It is always someone else’s fault in their eyes. I have a hard time imagining how someone can live here without speaking Thai. I know I would find it very unpleasant and inconvenient.

[Naam]

Communicating with the people of the country where their first language is Thai. It's a no brainer really don't you think?

it would be a no-brainer if there were people who'd be able discussing topics which i am interested to discuss. unfortunately...

[TheKnave]

I was stopped by some coppers on a deserted local road.

They asked: "pood Thai dai?"

To which I replied in a split second: "pood Thai mai dai!"

They had a laugh and let me go.

So they told you that they speak Thai, and you told them that they do not? And then the let you go?

Did I miss the punch line?

Please.

[Naam]

Anybody on here can imagine the advantages of reading, writing and speaking fluent Thai.

But, in reality, life in Thailand for those who speak fluent Thai is actually far better than what people who can't speak the language can even imagine.

Well said but I fear few people will believe you. Many of the problems I read about here on TVF would not be problems if the people involved spoke Thai and were not limited to dealing with Thais who speak some form of English or other language. It is always someone else’s fault in their eyes. I have a hard time imagining how someone can live here without speaking Thai. I know I would find it very unpleasant and inconvenient.

VF,

i find it strange that you can't imagine that my wife and me are living in Thailand. it's not that hard, just drop your imagination and use a little phantasy

[TheKnave]

Communicating with the people of the country where their first language is Thai. It's a no brainer really don't you think?

it would be a no-brainer if there were people who'd be able discussing topics which i am interested to discuss. unfortunately...

Sour grapes.

How incredibly arrogant...

[NickJ]

It pays off. Easy to find hard to explain items....or pay bills you have a problem with. Even with the BIB ......Also just to know what some Thai's are saying about you or other farang and then being able to comment back in proper Thai. Watching there reaction. Most farang have no idea what they are saying right in front of us. If they did I dont think they would be to happy..........

Edited July 20, 2015 by NickJ

[jdlancaster]

For a 31 year old male in a small village near phrae.... of course it's great to speak thai. Only one of the girls ive dated spoke any english. .. and she refuses to use it lol. Also helps to throw in a little kham meuang... it usually gets a few laughs. Also helps at work since some of the village schools I teach at don't have any teachers that speak English.

[Naam]

I by no means speak fluent Thai, but do what I consider speak reasonable Thai.

The advantage this gives me is independence. I do not require a Thai person to hold my hand and accompany me while I stand there like a retard, oblivious to what`s going on for the negotiating of my business I can go anywhere solo within the country, converse with people, get the message across what I want, do my own transacting and in full control of my own affairs. So for me speaking reasonable Thai is a necessity and not an option.

for me it's neither a necessity nor an option and for Thais who want to do business with me it is mandatory that they can communicate in one of the languages i master.

of course there are exceptions. today a small contractor started to do some concrete work for me. a few of my sketches plus the additions he added proved that we have a perfect understanding. then after thinking hard for about 15 minutes and doing some calculations he typed 25,000 and i agreed demonstrating proudly my extended Thai knowledge by telling him "ok khrap!"

[Naam]

It pays off. Easy to find hard to explain items....or pay bills you have a problem with. Even with the BIB ......Also just to know what some Thai's are saying about you or other farang and then being able to comment back in proper Thai. Watching there reaction. Most farang have no idea what they are saying right in front of us. If they did I dont think they would be to happy..........

that's why those Farangs are happy who do not understand what some Thais think and say about them. why should they strive to be unhappy?

[Naam]

Communicating with the people of the country where their first language is Thai. It's a no brainer really don't you think?

it would be a no-brainer if there were people who'd be able discussing topics which i am interested to discuss. unfortunately...

Sour grapes.

How incredibly arrogant...

incredibly arrogant judgment...

[stoli]

I was stopped by some coppers on a deserted local road.

They asked: "pood Thai dai?"

To which I replied in a split second: "pood Thai mai dai!"

They had a laugh and let me go.

So they told you that they speak Thai, and you told them that they do not? And then the let you go?

Did I miss the punch line?

Please.

The cops asked him if he "can speak Thai". He answered " I cannot speak Thai".

[NickJ]

Oh.....and if your a single guy. You know all those hot shy Thai girls. .....If you speak Thai. They are not so shy..........

[villagefarang]

Anybody on here can imagine the advantages of reading, writing and speaking fluent Thai.

But, in reality, life in Thailand for those who speak fluent Thai is actually far better than what people who can't speak the language can even imagine.

Well said but I fear few people will believe you. Many of the problems I read about here on TVF would not be problems if the people involved spoke Thai and were not limited to dealing with Thais who speak some form of English or other language. It is always someone else’s fault in their eyes. I have a hard time imagining how someone can live here without speaking Thai. I know I would find it very unpleasant and inconvenient.

VF,

i find it strange that you can't imagine that my wife and me are living in Thailand. it's not that hard, just drop your imagination and use a little phantasy

I am simply speaking from my own experience. I am guessing that 80 to 90 percent of my life experiences over the last 40 years would never have occurred if I did not speak Thai and I have a hard time imagining what they would have been replaced with. I very much doubt I would be in Thailand today without those experiences.

I can understand people rationalizing the situation they are in and feeling satisfied with the life they have chosen to live but having seen Thailand from both sides of the language equation, I know I could not live happily in a place where I did not speak the language.

[Naam]

Actually, I used to do the same in Denmark.

Now, if I start speaking Thai to a Thai person and they reply in English, I pretend I don't speak English but some other Europen language (German, Italian or whatever.) I hate the two language conversations, especially if their English is not up to it.

As for advantages:

1. Being accepted at many more places.

2. Being treated with more respect in shops, markets and so on

3. Being able to find different "non-touristis" places in Thailand

4. Paying "Thai" prices

5. Being able to talk to some really cute girls that don't speak English

There are many more advantages, but I will leave them to other TV members.

your advantages differ very much from what i consider to be advantages, besides...

-i don't want to be accepted at many more places,

-Thais in shops respect the printed paper in my wallet with the portrait of His Majesty the King,

-i am not interested to find any different places in Thailand whether non-touristic or touristic,

-there's no hard evidence that Thai prices apply to Farangs who speak Thai,

-my non-Thai wife does not approve that i talk to really cute girls

[Emster23]

to be forewarned is to be forewarned applies at times

Ignorance is not bliss

One time I was hiking on Oregon side of Columbia River gorge and we happened to run into couple, woman was from Thailand. We chatted for a few minutes in Thai, impressed the heck out of my friend "Dang, you can speak that language!" So can sometimes surprise when used outside of Thailand...

[gamini]

This is rather a silly post. There are far too many reasons,to post here as to why you should speak Thai . But for me it is to be able to make some wonderful friends amongst Thais who do not speak English

[Brit_Doggie]

2 things here spring to mind Firstly RESPECT 2nd things done.

[Naam]

I am simply speaking from my own experience. I am guessing that 80 to 90 percent of my life experiences over the last 40 years would never have occurred if I did not speak Thai and I have a hard time imagining what they would have been replaced with. I very much doubt I would be in Thailand today without those experiences.

I can understand people rationalizing the situation they are in and feeling satisfied with the life they have chosen to live but having seen Thailand from both sides of the language equation, I know I could not live happily in a place where I did not speak the language.

you are speaking from your perspective which is influenced by having a Thai wife, most probably Thai inlaws and living in an area where English is not as easily available as it is in tourist areas.

our perspective is completely different and our decision to live in Thailand is based on purely rational and (as opposed to yours) not emotional reasons without any desire to see Thailand from different sides.

i respect your views but i also expect that my/our views are respected. that's why it gives me great pleasure to act as advocatus diaboli after reading a lot of dribble, bragging and ignorant assumptions in threads concerning mastering the local language and its perceived advantages.

[Toknarok]

I know an older German farang. He lives with his Thai wife in Pattaya. She is from my village and they occasionally visit. He is from East Germany and althought he can speak Russian he doesn't speak a word of English. My German is non existant so how do we communicate? we speak Thai of course.

[727Sky]

In 1976 I was sat by some temples with a nice young lady when three guys walked up with anything but a friendly gesture. That type back then were called jingaloes. The dude with the big gold chain and shirt unbuttoned to his waste said, "Hey, you give us cigarette" which was not asked but commanded .. I was full of piss and vinegar and my reply without even thinking was, "Why don't you go buy you own cigarettes"?

"Oh you can speak Thai, etc etc". I was removed from just being a thing (sub human) to actually being a person just like them. All 5 of us sat around talked and joked for a bit and yes they all got a cigarette.. Hindsight.... I was stupid for bowing up and getting ready to probably die over a cigarette. I supposed I had watched to many Shaw Brothers Kung <deleted> movies or something ?

I have wondered more than once what the outcome of that situation would have been if I could not speak Thai.. The girl I was with was scared into silence as they approached.... So getting a girlfriend to do all your speaking might not be the best idea. Besides if you can speak for yourself simple things as shopping and making real friends is much easier.. All Thais appreciate someone who has made an effort to speak their language or that is the way I am treated anyway.

No different when you are home in your birth country and someone cannot speak the local language.. They must be stupid or a new arrival either way not someone the locals go out of their way to spend time with....

[carter1882]

My witty English headmaster at international school, irked by the fact that my haircut some years ago was too skinhead for his liking, remarked " he is head of the Thai department but doesn't seem to know the word for stop."

[Gecko123]

you are speaking from your perspective which is influenced by having a Thai wife, most probably Thai inlaws and living in an area where English is not as easily available as it is in tourist areas.

our perspective is completely different and our decision to live in Thailand is based on purely rational and (as opposed to yours) not emotional reasons without any desire to see Thailand from different sides.

i respect your views but i also expect that my/our views are respected. that's why it gives me great pleasure to act as advocatus diaboli after reading a lot of dribble, bragging and ignorant assumptions in threads concerning mastering the local language and its perceived advantages.

Naam:

Please cite specific examples to back up your assertion that you have read a bunch of "drivel, bragging and ignorant" comments on this thread. The following is a compilation of the comments made so far on this thread. I can find nothing which fits your characterization. The comments here are almost entirely positive, based on personal experiences, and encourage people about the benefits of learning the language. I think you owe people an apology for your unfounded comments.

"I get just the right amount of plaa raa in my som tam these days."

"Speaking Thai could save your, or someone else's life."

"You can always find a public toilet!"

"I can tell people things and ask for things."

"I went to a clinic last week and was able to tell the Thai doctor what was wrong with me."

"Getting paid for translation is a big advantage."

"You attain the independence of 'self advocacy'. You no longer rely on others to translate/interpret for you; the information you receive is no longer filtered or spun by an intermediary."

"It's called Communication."

"[it helps with] dealing with rogue police and for random dinner table chat."

"Ever been in an accident? Found yourself alone on a small Thai road at midnight looking for a way home? Gone to a medical service provider who did not speak English? Had to deal with utilities like phone or internet or electricity or water on the phone? Ever tried to describe what was wrong with your car? Ever bought insurance? Ever tried to get a refund? I could go on. Not speaking Thai is like being deaf and dumb in Thailand."

"Learning Thai will of course get you out of the bar scene and in to mainstream Thailand where you will meet the best girls."

"I've developed a world class list of clients based outside of Thailand precisely because I can speak Thai."

"I'm not exactly a "fluent" speaker, but I can read and write fairly well. That's paid off several times when I've been pressed into doing last minute translations of presentations (slides & text) that Thai government people were planning to give to groups of retired people here in Chiang Mai.

"1. Being accepted at many more places.

2. Being treated with more respect in shops, markets and so on

3. Being able to find different "non-touristis" places in Thailand

4. Paying "Thai" prices

5. Being able to talk to some really cute girls that don't speak English."

"[it helped me] once when I renewed my passport and had to transfer the visa from the old passport to the new."

"The advantage it gives me is independence."

"Communicating with the people of the country where their first language is Thai."

"One advantage is talking about farangs behind their back in front of their face."

"Easy to find hard to explain items....or pay bills you have a problem with."

"[…] helps at work since some of the village schools I teach at don't have any teachers that speak English."

"If you're a single guy …all those hot shy Thai girls. If you speak Thai, they are not so shy."

"For me it is to be able to make some wonderful friends amongst Thais who do not speak English."

Edited July 20, 2015 by Gecko123

[Naam]

I know an older German farang. He lives with his Thai wife in Pattaya. She is from my village and they occasionally visit. He is from East Germany and althought he can speak Russian he doesn't speak a word of English. My German is non existant so how do we communicate? we speak Thai of course.

and of course both your level of Thai is sufficient to discuss e.g. European politics, Greece's debt crisis, the reasons of the weak €UR/THB exchange rate and the impact of a potential rate hike by the FED's Ms. Yellen on Thailand's economy?

question: if the German's Thai wife is from 'your' village may i assume you are a Thai citizen?

[RapidMethod]

Being able to speak (and read) Thai is like having sex or appreciating music. You can live without it - and many people do - but you're missing out on so much that's enjoyable and that enriches your life!

Those who can't speak Thai - and that includes the people who speak a kind of mangled farang dialect - end up living in a kind of 'expat bubble'. It's a very comfortable bubble and you'll typically have a Thai wife/husband or staff who can speak decent English and who will act as a go-between when you need to deal with the difficulties or admin aspects of living in Thailand. Life will be considerably more expensive (starting with rents at about double the price of a Thai home in a typically Thai neighborhood), but most of the expats in this situation can easily afford it, so it's rarely an issue (even if they constantly grumble about it).

Now if you can read and speak Thai, here are some of the advantages:

Starting with reading... 1) you know exactly how to pronounce a word accurately and with the correct tone, so (with practice) you will be easily understood. To the Thais, we sound like the Thais sound to us when they attempt to speak garbled English ("Excuse me, I from tree bee bee and I want to know is your adet fy ny sik catten paleyt?" - 3BB, address 596 Castle Place...)

and 2) you can independently and continuously absorb Thai from your surroundings by reading street signs, menus, notices, etc. It's not conversational Thai, but it will support whatever learning you are doing because of your very much increased vocabulary. And when you start reading texts (in the Rapid Method, I recommend studying conversational texts like dialogs and the subtitles from Thai movies) your ability to speak and understand Thai will rocket!

As your speaking improves, you will enjoy living in Thailand in direct proportion to how fluently you speak. (In the Rapid Method, I focus on getting-around Thai and then relationship and romance talk and eventually business talk; and I ignore school or newspaper Thai because it's largely irrelevant for everyday conversations). Speaking Thai doesn't necessarily help you to understand what people are saying. That comes when you read Thai (strange but true).

The advantages I've had so far by speaking Thai include:

1. Being able to chat up the prettiest girls imaginable. Many Thais can speak English, but only the bar girls or the relatively untouchable elite Thais can do so fluently. The rest are usually not confident or comfortable with speaking English and will open up to you magically if they can chat back to you in Thai. Many of us foreigners are still fairly exotic creatures who satisfy the "specs" of a Thai woman/man. Thai women tend not to like heavy drinkers or smokers or womanizers. (That cuts out many of the TV readers, I'm afraid!) But the rest of us are very desirable to them: we don't smoke, we drink in moderation, we don't hang about with bar girls, we are physically stronger and more assertive, and bigger, than Thai men, we last longer and are more imaginative and passionate in bed, we tend to look after our children, we tend to respect - and not beat up - our women, and we value education, not to mention we have more money and are generally more ambitious than the Thai competition. And even if we like more than one woman, most Thai women will be fairly tolerant and understanding of our infidelities so long as it's "in moderation".

You will far more likely meet a better class of woman (or man) if you can speak and read Thai. It was my primary motivation for learning Thai because I had met an amazing, intelligent, imaginative and sexy woman who only spoke a bit of English and already had 2-3 Thai suitors (with more money and education than me) chasing after her! But by being able to communicate with her about her feelings, desires and ambitions in Thai, I won her over and now she's my wife . We only speak Thai with each other. She wants to improve her English, but I say I can't really help with that at the moment. I'm in Thailand and my priority is to learn Thai. If she comes with me one day to live in England or some English-speaking country then we can speak English together, over there. In Thailand, we speak Thai...

2. You will be able to communicate and understand and appreciate your Thai children and extended family. Many expats find themselves in a situation where they've married a wonderful (?) Thai woman who speaks English fairly well, but when the children come along they'll speak Thai to their mother and neighbors and extended family - while we sit in the middle like an alien in our own house, not having a clue what's going on.

3. You get to see the world through the eyes of a Thai person. If you are living here long-term then this is a mind-blowing experience. As foreigners (with Western morals, values and experiences), we really can't make sense of the Thai way of doing things. But from a Thai perspective it (mostly) makes sense. Take the complaint of treating us like ATMs, for instance. In Thai society, it's taken for granted that everyone contributes to the family or community according to their ability. Unfortunately, we expats can contribute very little - except money. We can't provide intimate conversation or entertainment or cook or clean or build or grow stuff or look after animals or negotiate terms with suppliers or the various authorities, and we have no local connections, not to mention that we can't speak Thai (which makes us highly dependent on our partner/staff) and we need a lot of babying and emotional soothing, etc. etc. So we offer the only thing we have that is of any value to Thais, which happens to be money in most cases.

In return, we will also be taken care of, emotionally, sexually and eventually when we're sick and old or experience hard times. Without being conversant in Thai, you will have no appreciation at all for these social nuances... and will probably end up being fairly cynical about Thailand and Thai people.

4. You can negotiate your own terms and monitor your employees or contractors. This is a biggie. I'm not dependent on my wife to talk to builders or mechanics or the electricity/internet/water company to get things done. She'll help of course, but I can communicate my requirements directly and (more or less) get what I want. There are plenty of similar everyday advantages. I can buy a car and get it registered in my own name. I managed to get an internet line installed far off the beaten track, where there were no other customers, by calling in the engineer and discussing ideas on how it could be feasibly done. I can explore Thai-only villages or areas in the city and make friends and contacts with some of the local people. I've met many generous and kindhearted individuals by being able to communicate directly in Thai.

5. I'm treated like hi-so by many of the Thai people I meet. This is a strange experience, because I'm obviously not hi-so and Thais tend to think of us foreigners as curious and somewhat sad creatures and yet still treat us somewhat respectively because of our perceived superior wealth and education. But we are in all other respects somewhat gauche and ignorant.

As a foreigner being able to speak and read Thai well, Thais assume that I must be genuinely well-off and well-connected. It doesn't always help in the case of accidents or disputes, but I'm otherwise treated as the guest of honor when I visit companies or factories or formal social gatherings. I'm not used to it yet, but I can see how it could be a great advantage.

An aside: just speaking Thai isn't sufficient; one also needs to be polite and discrete, dress well and of neat appearance, and not associate with bar girls!

6. By being conversant in Thai, you are also far less likely to be vulnerable to scams, many of which are very sophisticated. There's no guarantee that you can avoid scams, of course, but firstly you are probably less likely to be targeted as a mark if you can speak and understand Thai; and secondly, you are more likely to be in a position where you can discover the scam or negotiate your way out of it because of being able to argue directly in Thai.

Saying that, I've occasionally experienced situations where it's not worth doing so. It's sometimes better to shut up and pay up, otherwise you risk getting dragged into a messy and protracted affair that can be very draining and time-consuming. I recently had to pay 2,500 baht to have someone's fender repaired, even though he was at fault for slamming into me from behind. It was either that or waiting for the police to come and file their report and then dealing with the insurance claims, and then still maybe ending up with a bill for several thousand baht. By the by, he originally wanted 5,000 baht as compensation for the damage, but I drove down to the garage down the road who said they'd do it on the spot and only charge 2,500 baht. I paid the bill and went on my way, job done.

7. Finally, life is a lot more fun in general. I'm starting to really enjoy some of the popular music groups and their songs and lyrics - and it's something fun to share with other Thais. I'm also starting to appreciate the stand-up comedians like Note Udom, who is incredibly funny and imaginative. I'm discovering new and interesting aspects about Thai life and the modern culture almost every day that would otherwise not register in any way in my life if I couldn't speak, read and understand Thai.

Thai itself is a really fun (and Shakespearean) language, with wonderful expressions and new vocabulary being added continuously. A famous phrase is "snake-snake fish-fish" (งูๆ ปลาๆ), which means "a smattering", but there are also interesting words like "were" (เวอร์) which comes from "over" and means "super" or "excessive". Or what about "saen ab-aai" (แสนอับอาย) which translates as "100,000 embarrassed" and means "mortified"? I won't say much about how sexy the Thai language is, other than to say it's probably as full of sexual expressions and innuendos as English is, and great fun because of that.

I'm not a linguist or polyglot - at least I don't enjoy studying and I'm crap at learning languages; but it's well worth the effort to learn Thai. I've made it fairly fun and painless by devising the Rapid Method. it's a minimalist, less-is-more approach that will get you reading and speaking Thai with only a little daily effort. It'll still take a few years to be able to communicate fluently, but it's a continuous process which means you'll be constantly getting better and better. And all it takes is about 10-15 minutes per day. I call it my coffee-and-cake time. While I'm sipping my coffee, I work through my flashcards and a few sentence patterns. Occasionally, I'll sit down to enjoy a book or movie (in Thai). It's still slow-going but the more Thai I read - with the audio buttons for playing each sentence out loud - the more fluently I can speak and the better I can understand Thais when they speak.

Take the plunge. Even if you think you're only going to spend a short time in Thailand, learn the language. And start by learning to read...

You may find - like me - that the initial three or six months of visiting Thailand becomes your new permanent home and you will rue any delays in getting stuck into learning the Thai language. Even if Thai is not a "world" language (and that's a misconception, by the way), you won't regret it.

You know the old saying: The best time to grow a tree is twenty years ago. The second best time to grow one is now!

Go to my website and sign up for the free starter course. In a few hours, you'll learn the 30 top letters and be able to read and pronounce hundreds of very simple Thai words.

Enjoy!