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

[Naam]

sorry, i forgot to mention a hurdle learning Thai that came up after an ear infection about three years ago. my high frequency hearing is severely impaired, i.e. even if i wanted i'd not be able to learn a tonal language to conduct any meaningful conversation.

[Neeranam]

do you know how many Thais worked/lived in Jeddah, speak fluently Arabic and are partners of a TV-member? give me a break man!

My point is that I have spoken with many Thais that worked there, something you are missing out in. Maybe you wouldn't want to speak with them if they didn't learn the local language?

[Neeranam]

sorry, i forgot to mention a hurdle learning Thai that came up after an ear infection about three years ago. my high frequency hearing is severely impaired, i.e. even if i wanted i'd not be able to learn a tonal language to conduct any meaningful conversation.

Well I apologize. I didn't know you had made the effort to learn Thai but couldn't. You led me to believe you had no desire to learn Thai.

[fang37]

Speaking Thai proficiently.

Relative?

At present I am in CNX (at the hospital). Thais speak more slowly & diction (?) - I understand

In Fang - I have almost zero understanding. Both are Lanna language. Rapid speech & lower education? Fear (of farangs)?

[lostoday]

To the OP

What proof do you have that being able to speak Thai helped you at all? Are you assuming that the Thai immigration officers don't speak english? If anything, I would think that they would be less likely to help you if you were speaking Thai to them. You would come off as a self entitled person who thinks since you live here you dont have to abide by the rules.

You are quite right, I have no proof at all. I am quite sure that the Thai immigration officers could speak English, however I disagree with your contention that they would be less likely to help me if I spoke Thai to them.

In my (limited) experience in Thailand a westerner speaking polite Thai is always greeted with pleasure and a willingness to help.

For the most part this thread has remained very positive, I respect those that have done well here without the ability to speak, read and write Thai.

All I can say is that from my perspective, being able to converse in Thai has had nothing but positive outcomes for me. Each to his own!

I guess the main thing is none of us have any real proof either way, because we cant re-create the situation exactly but we can get a sense of it over a long period of time. I think the main thing that you pointed out that is most important is that you be polite. I am polite and friendly, even with a language barrier, and I seem to get along her just fine alomost all of the time.

It is very hard to get a sense of a person through an anonomous internet forum from a few posts, but at first I thought you were one of the I am more Thai than the Thais kind of person. It seems I misjudged you.

There are so many people on this forum that have such a warped sense of reality that I can only equate to being in a foreign land too long. They cant seem to grasp that others have viewpoints that differ from them, becasue they MAY lead very different lives. Clearly knowing the local language will have many benefits in life. It obviously helps building friendships and relationships for people that are not fluent or comfortable speaking English. My point is that I really don't think it's as beneficial as some make it out to be. If you are an A hole speaking any language, you are still just an A hole. Being able to speak Thai doesnt magically make you a better person or make you immediately accepted. And it is clear that there are many on this forum who think they are superior human beings who take every opportunity to shameless promote themselves. Being fluent in Thai is just one more thing they use to try and convince others of how amazing their lives are in Thailand.

Real proof? I'm alive because I speak Thai. What more proof do you need? I'm alive, I'm typing, I'm not a bot.

[lostoday]

Sorry, but if you don't know who the University educated, rich lady, who went to Kentucky State University is you must not live in Thailand. (I used her as an example because 100% of the people living in Thailand have heard her try and speak English and that defeats your argument about English speaking women in Thailand)

I have met a couple of thousand university educated Thai women in the past 5 years BTW.

I assume you don't work on the bomb squad or teach neurosurgery or flight training.

I find it difficult to see how you can argue such a basic concept that speaking Thai would improve your life 100% if you live in Thailand.

I have lived and worked in Thialand for the past year and a half, but obviously because i didnt know one widely known fact i must be an imposter. I dont spend very much time on TV or ever watch the thai news. I dont talk about political things in Thailand with anyone. No I didnt know about Yingluck until I googled her now, and it adds more credibility to my argument that you are living in the past. She is 48 years old. She is not the average university educated Thai woman. No one I work with or soacialze with is anywhere near her age.

A couple of thousand university educated Thai women in the last 5 years....SURE..ok guy....

I explained my point very clearly with expamples, i will give it another shot. They both have advantages, but at this stage I don't feel the need to learn the language. But I have plenty of time to learn it when I want to.

If you don't know anything about the first female PM of Thailand who was educated in the USA you have never seriously dated a University educated woman in Thailand.

Next you will be saying you live in Pattaya and that's where you met all the Uni babes who speak English.

Yes, a couple of thousand university educated women. I worked for a University in Thailand; so I would obviously know many educated Thai women.

Nothing wrong with hookers or Pattaya. If you stay there and are content with the ladies of the night there is no reason to speak Thai - Darkling, no reason at all.

The fact that I dont know anything about Thai politics has nothing to do with with my relationships here. I don't know anything about US politics either. Does that mean I am not a US citizen? I dated a Thai lady for a year and a half with a Masters degree in International business. We never talked about politics once. The only thing we did discuss were a few things related to the King, since he is very important in Thai society. But yeah, feel free to make wild assumptions repeatedly, even though I have told you several times you are incorrect.

So now I get it, you are the creepy old guy at the university that pull the "I can speak thai" card to impress the young ladies. What's the line from dazed and confused? "I keep getting older, they stay the same age"

Girls that are in University are a lot different than women that have graduated from University and actually been exposed to the real world.

Another great generalization you make, this time about Pattaya. Probably a half a million people there, and believe it or not, not all of them are involved in the sex industry. I'm pretty sure an MBA in Nakhon nowhere is next to worthless.

"Creepy old guy" is a flame. I didn't date any women at the place where I worked. Girls in the university are the same as girls who graduate from the university; what do you think everyone only has one degree?

I don't think at your age with your education you can say realistically you have been exposed to the real world.

I don't know of any reputable, noteworthy or worthy of mentioning, universities in Pattaya and I lived there for a number of years. Nothing against the town but it is not a university town.

I like Pattaya but the women you meet there are all suspect in my opinion. The only university women I met there were only in town for the weekends to make tuition. Only my experience after having lived there for 8 years.

Do you realize you are actually debating a point that 99.9% of the world thinks you are wrong on?

You don't speak Thai and you are trying to rationalize your intellectual laziness; it is obvious. Some old guys have physical reasons for not learning Thai but you are a kid! You are just lazy. We all know that.

You can call me a creep all you want. I'm right and I'm alive because I speak Thai and I'm not alone. Read the thread. Only the losers or physically handicapped don't speak Thai.

[1BADDAT]

Sorry, but if you don't know who the University educated, rich lady, who went to Kentucky State University is you must not live in Thailand. (I used her as an example because 100% of the people living in Thailand have heard her try and speak English and that defeats your argument about English speaking women in Thailand)

I have met a couple of thousand university educated Thai women in the past 5 years BTW.

I assume you don't work on the bomb squad or teach neurosurgery or flight training.

I find it difficult to see how you can argue such a basic concept that speaking Thai would improve your life 100% if you live in Thailand.

I have lived and worked in Thialand for the past year and a half, but obviously because i didnt know one widely known fact i must be an imposter. I dont spend very much time on TV or ever watch the thai news. I dont talk about political things in Thailand with anyone. No I didnt know about Yingluck until I googled her now, and it adds more credibility to my argument that you are living in the past. She is 48 years old. She is not the average university educated Thai woman. No one I work with or soacialze with is anywhere near her age.

A couple of thousand university educated Thai women in the last 5 years....SURE..ok guy....

I explained my point very clearly with expamples, i will give it another shot. They both have advantages, but at this stage I don't feel the need to learn the language. But I have plenty of time to learn it when I want to.

If you don't know anything about the first female PM of Thailand who was educated in the USA you have never seriously dated a University educated woman in Thailand.

Next you will be saying you live in Pattaya and that's where you met all the Uni babes who speak English.

Yes, a couple of thousand university educated women. I worked for a University in Thailand; so I would obviously know many educated Thai women.

Nothing wrong with hookers or Pattaya. If you stay there and are content with the ladies of the night there is no reason to speak Thai - Darkling, no reason at all.

The fact that I dont know anything about Thai politics has nothing to do with with my relationships here. I don't know anything about US politics either. Does that mean I am not a US citizen? I dated a Thai lady for a year and a half with a Masters degree in International business. We never talked about politics once. The only thing we did discuss were a few things related to the King, since he is very important in Thai society. But yeah, feel free to make wild assumptions repeatedly, even though I have told you several times you are incorrect.

So now I get it, you are the creepy old guy at the university that pull the "I can speak thai" card to impress the young ladies. What's the line from dazed and confused? "I keep getting older, they stay the same age"

Girls that are in University are a lot different than women that have graduated from University and actually been exposed to the real world.

Another great generalization you make, this time about Pattaya. Probably a half a million people there, and believe it or not, not all of them are involved in the sex industry. I'm pretty sure an MBA in Nakhon nowhere is next to worthless.

"Creepy old guy" is a flame. I didn't date any women at the place where I worked. Girls in the university are the same as girls who graduate from the university; what do you think everyone only has one degree?

I don't think at your age with your education you can say realistically you have been exposed to the real world.

I don't know of any reputable, noteworthy or worthy of mentioning, universities in Pattaya and I lived there for a number of years. Nothing against the town but it is not a university town.

I like Pattaya but the women you meet there are all suspect in my opinion. The only university women I met there were only in town for the weekends to make tuition. Only my experience after having lived there for 8 years.

Do you realize you are actually debating a point that 99.9% of the world thinks you are wrong on?

You don't speak Thai and you are trying to rationalize your intellectual laziness; it is obvious. Some old guys have physical reasons for not learning Thai but you are a kid! You are just lazy. We all know that.

You can call me a creep all you want. I'm right and I'm alive because I speak Thai and I'm not alone. Read the thread. Only the losers or physically handicapped don't speak Thai.

First off you brag about having met and forgot thousands of university educated thai women, now you claim that you never dated any of them. Flip flop much?

Pattaya is not a university town but BKK and bangsaen are. You think you have to work in the town that you get your degree from? My university is 15k km away from where I currently work.

I am a world travelled expat. You have no idea how old I am. You just know in not an old man. If you think I have not entered the real world im not sure what you think qualifies. Maybe being in the military makes someone more worldly?

[1BADDAT]

To the OP

What proof do you have that being able to speak Thai helped you at all? Are you assuming that the Thai immigration officers don't speak english? If anything, I would think that they would be less likely to help you if you were speaking Thai to them. You would come off as a self entitled person who thinks since you live here you dont have to abide by the rules.

You are quite right, I have no proof at all. I am quite sure that the Thai immigration officers could speak English, however I disagree with your contention that they would be less likely to help me if I spoke Thai to them.

In my (limited) experience in Thailand a westerner speaking polite Thai is always greeted with pleasure and a willingness to help.

For the most part this thread has remained very positive, I respect those that have done well here without the ability to speak, read and write Thai.

All I can say is that from my perspective, being able to converse in Thai has had nothing but positive outcomes for me. Each to his own!

I guess the main thing is none of us have any real proof either way, because we cant re-create the situation exactly but we can get a sense of it over a long period of time. I think the main thing that you pointed out that is most important is that you be polite. I am polite and friendly, even with a language barrier, and I seem to get along her just fine alomost all of the time.

It is very hard to get a sense of a person through an anonomous internet forum from a few posts, but at first I thought you were one of the I am more Thai than the Thais kind of person. It seems I misjudged you.

There are so many people on this forum that have such a warped sense of reality that I can only equate to being in a foreign land too long. They cant seem to grasp that others have viewpoints that differ from them, becasue they MAY lead very different lives. Clearly knowing the local language will have many benefits in life. It obviously helps building friendships and relationships for people that are not fluent or comfortable speaking English. My point is that I really don't think it's as beneficial as some make it out to be. If you are an A hole speaking any language, you are still just an A hole. Being able to speak Thai doesnt magically make you a better person or make you immediately accepted. And it is clear that there are many on this forum who think they are superior human beings who take every opportunity to shameless promote themselves. Being fluent in Thai is just one more thing they use to try and convince others of how amazing their lives are in Thailand.

Real proof? I'm alive because I speak Thai. What more proof do you need? I'm alive, I'm typing, I'm not a bot.

I'm alive as well in thailand and I speak basic thai. By your logic I should be dead?

[rgs2001uk]

Brilliant thread, nice to see the Walter Mitty battalion from U-Tapao some 50 years ago is still posting.

[lostoday]

First off you brag about having met and forgot thousands of university educated thai women, now you claim that you never dated any of them. Flip flop much?

Pattaya is not a university town but BKK and bangsaen are. You think you have to work in the town that you get your degree from? My university is 15k km away from where I currently work.

I am a world travelled expat. You have no idea how old I am. You just know in not an old man. If you think I have not entered the real world im not sure what you think qualifies. Maybe being in the military makes someone more worldly?

I said met not dated big difference. Of course I never dated any of them I was an educator and they were students.

Speaking Thai saved my life; you asked if there were advantages to speaking Thai. Your mileage may vary.

Speaking Thai might not save your life and I never said it would. Living in Thailand and not speaking Thai when you are young is just lazy. I have lived in a number of foreign countries and made an attempt to learn the language in all of them. Not bragging; it just made sense to do so. When I lived in Vietnam I also learned how to speak Vietnamese and that prevented me from getting killed on numerous occasions.

I can not imagine any situation in any country where one would prefer to be blind deaf and dumb instead of knowing what was going on. Not understanding the language makes one blind deaf and dumb in many situations.

I really can't imagine an adult world traveler not being aware of the advantages.

[lostoday]

Brilliant thread, nice to see the Walter Mitty battalion from U-Tapao some 50 years ago is still posting.

Do you speak Thai?

[1BADDAT]

First off you brag about having met and forgot thousands of university educated thai women, now you claim that you never dated any of them. Flip flop much?

Pattaya is not a university town but BKK and bangsaen are. You think you have to work in the town that you get your degree from? My university is 15k km away from where I currently work.

I am a world travelled expat. You have no idea how old I am. You just know in not an old man. If you think I have not entered the real world im not sure what you think qualifies. Maybe being in the military makes someone more worldly?

I said met not dated big difference. Of course I never dated any of them I was an educator and they were students.

Speaking Thai saved my life; you asked if there were advantages to speaking Thai. Your mileage may vary.

Speaking Thai might not save your life and I never said it would. Living in Thailand and not speaking Thai when you are young is just lazy. I have lived in a number of foreign countries and made an attempt to learn the language in all of them. Not bragging; it just made sense to do so. When I lived in Vietnam I also learned how to speak Vietnamese and that prevented me from getting killed on numerous occasions.

I can not imagine any situation in any country where one would prefer to be blind deaf and dumb instead of knowing what was going on. Not understanding the language makes one blind deaf and dumb in many situations.

I really can't imagine an adult world traveler not being aware of the advantages.

Read my other posts. I clearly stated that it has advantages. Maybe you have trouble with English? I only stated that is not a necessity for ME to be happy and get by here.

I have never had my life threatened anywhere in the world. I can only imagine why you are in situations where you have had your life threatened on multiple occasions in multiple countries. Maybe the locals don't care for you much?

[rgs2001uk]

Brilliant thread, nice to see the Walter Mitty battalion from U-Tapao some 50 years ago is still posting.

Do you speak Thai?

Chai krap, aan gap kian duay, khun la krap.

[rgs2001uk]

Brilliant thread, nice to see the Walter Mitty battalion from U-Tapao some 50 years ago is still posting.

Do you speak Thai?

Chai krap, aan gap kian duay, khun la krap.

Bai na wa, Nai Walter, kit mai ork chai plao.

Tor lair, lan par cent.

Mai pen rai, lor len, na sanook chai mai, put seriot mai koy sanook.

Edited July 22, 2015 by rgs2001uk

[lostoday]

First off you brag about having met and forgot thousands of university educated thai women, now you claim that you never dated any of them. Flip flop much?

Pattaya is not a university town but BKK and bangsaen are. You think you have to work in the town that you get your degree from? My university is 15k km away from where I currently work.

I am a world travelled expat. You have no idea how old I am. You just know in not an old man. If you think I have not entered the real world im not sure what you think qualifies. Maybe being in the military makes someone more worldly?

I said met not dated big difference. Of course I never dated any of them I was an educator and they were students.

Speaking Thai saved my life; you asked if there were advantages to speaking Thai. Your mileage may vary.

Speaking Thai might not save your life and I never said it would. Living in Thailand and not speaking Thai when you are young is just lazy. I have lived in a number of foreign countries and made an attempt to learn the language in all of them. Not bragging; it just made sense to do so. When I lived in Vietnam I also learned how to speak Vietnamese and that prevented me from getting killed on numerous occasions.

I can not imagine any situation in any country where one would prefer to be blind deaf and dumb instead of knowing what was going on. Not understanding the language makes one blind deaf and dumb in many situations.

I really can't imagine an adult world traveler not being aware of the advantages.

Read my other posts. I clearly stated that it has advantages. Maybe you have trouble with English? I only stated that is not a necessity for ME to be happy and get by here.

I have never had my life threatened anywhere in the world. I can only imagine why you are in situations where you have had your life threatened on multiple occasions in multiple countries. Maybe the locals don't care for you much?

I read your other posts, you wrote, "You couldn't be further off. There are jealous thai ladies all over the country that prefer men that don't speak thai." And, " What proof do you have that being able to speak Thai helped you at all?"

Those statements where what I was responding to.

[1BADDAT]

First off you brag about having met and forgot thousands of university educated thai women, now you claim that you never dated any of them. Flip flop much?

Pattaya is not a university town but BKK and bangsaen are. You think you have to work in the town that you get your degree from? My university is 15k km away from where I currently work.

I am a world travelled expat. You have no idea how old I am. You just know in not an old man. If you think I have not entered the real world im not sure what you think qualifies. Maybe being in the military makes someone more worldly?

I said met not dated big difference. Of course I never dated any of them I was an educator and they were students.

Speaking Thai saved my life; you asked if there were advantages to speaking Thai. Your mileage may vary.

Speaking Thai might not save your life and I never said it would. Living in Thailand and not speaking Thai when you are young is just lazy. I have lived in a number of foreign countries and made an attempt to learn the language in all of them. Not bragging; it just made sense to do so. When I lived in Vietnam I also learned how to speak Vietnamese and that prevented me from getting killed on numerous occasions.

I can not imagine any situation in any country where one would prefer to be blind deaf and dumb instead of knowing what was going on. Not understanding the language makes one blind deaf and dumb in many situations.

I really can't imagine an adult world traveler not being aware of the advantages.

Read my other posts. I clearly stated that it has advantages. Maybe you have trouble with English? I only stated that is not a necessity for ME to be happy and get by here.

I have never had my life threatened anywhere in the world. I can only imagine why you are in situations where you have had your life threatened on multiple occasions in multiple countries. Maybe the locals don't care for you much?

I read your other posts, you wrote, "You couldn't be further off. There are jealous thai ladies all over the country that prefer men that don't speak thai." And, " What proof do you have that being able to speak Thai helped you at all?"

Those statements where what I was responding to.

You have either misunderstood my points or purposefly quoted them out of context. Here is what I typed:

Post 130:

DP25: "The only potential dates that prefer guys who can't speak Thai are the kind you meet in Pattaya."

1Badddat: "You couldn't be further off. There are jealous thai ladies all over the country that prefer men that don't speak thai."

Post 127:

OP: Stated that he believed because he knew Thai, immigration was more likely to let him through the special lane.

1Badddat: " What proof do you have that being able to speak Thai helped you at all?" (In that specific case, not a generalization about all situations)

Post 155: Referring to whether or not speaking Thai helped the OP in that specific instance.

OP: "You are quite right, I have no proof at all."

1Badddat: "I guess the main thing is none of us have any real proof either way, because we cant re-create the situation exactly but we can get a sense of it over a long period of time."

Lostoday: "Real proof? I'm alive because I speak Thai. What more proof do you need? I'm alive, I'm typing, I'm not a bot."

You replied and actually disagreed with the OP. It seems you read the first sentence of my reply and flew off the handle without even comprehending what I said. Additionally in that post I said the following:

1Badddat: "Clearly knowing the local language will have many benefits in life. It obviously helps building friendships and relationships for people that are not fluent or comfortable speaking English. My point is that I really don't think it's as beneficial as some make it out to be. If you are an A hole speaking any language, you are still just an A hole. Being able to speak Thai doesnt magically make you a better person or make you immediately accepted."

I don't know how I can be more clear that it is beneficial in some ways.

[lostoday]

A poster above wrote, "There are jealous thai ladies all over the country that prefer men that don't speak thai." Seldom in my experience in Thailand have I seen such a misguided and foolish idea. Hookers and ladies who want to take advantage of men prefer marks who can't speak English. An acquaintance of mine employed his college educated GF's husband as his driver. As the three of them drove around Thailand she and her husband would chat and the buffoon Farang would sit there and smile as they made jokes about him. And of course the stories about, I live with my brother, cousin or uncle. I think it was some American who said, "there is a sucker born every minute."

Edited July 23, 2015 by lostoday

[1BADDAT]

A poster above wrote, "There are jealous thai ladies all over the country that prefer men that don't speak thai." Seldom in my experience in Thailand have I seen such a misguided and foolish idea. Hookers and ladies who want to take advantage of men prefer marks who can't speak English. An acquaintance of mine employed his college educated GF's husband as his driver. As the three of them drove around Thailand she and her husband would chat and the buffoon Farang would sit there and smile as they made jokes about him. And of course the stories about, I live with my brother, cousin or uncle. I think it was some American who said, "there is a sucker born every minute."

There are two types of of Thai women that would prefer their partner does not speak Thai.

The first one is the one you mention above who are looking to take advantage of someone and can do that easier if the other party does not speak the language. Those types can come from all over the country, but they are probably concentrated in areas with large farang populations.

The second type are women that are jealous and insecure. This is a trait that MANY thai women posses to some degree. Many posters have mentioned that if they have the ability to speak Thai it opens the door to be able to date a much bigger portion of the population. Do you think that a jealous and insecure Thai woman wants her partner to hold that golden key to Thailand?

[Johnniey]

sorry, i forgot to mention a hurdle learning Thai that came up after an ear infection about three years ago. my high frequency hearing is severely impaired, i.e. even if i wanted i'd not be able to learn a tonal language to conduct any meaningful conversation.

Well I apologize. I didn't know you had made the effort to learn Thai but couldn't. You led me to believe you had no desire to learn Thai.

I'm confused - this guy Naam says he would not want to learn then says he came across a hurdle 3 years ago. Well i believe he's been a member nearly as long as me so therefore probably has been in Thailand over 10 years. Surely after learning a language for 7+ years - assuming he is a proficient language learner - a hearing problem would be a very minor hurdle to jump. I have taught languages for 30 years here - English and Thai and have discussed the issue of tone-deaf people learning tonal languages.

There has been some research which concludes that "amusia" is a rather poor excuse:-

http://brain.oxfordjournals.org/content/brain/133/9/2635.full.pdf

http://www.pnas.org/content/104/26/10944

Methinks Naam is telling porkies. If you don't want to learn a language just admit it - ANYONE can learn Thai if they want.

Personally, one advantage for me is tht I have a nice little translation business which keeps me busy and can be well paid.

Another is that I can read Thai newspapers or web forums to find out what the Thais think about many topics.

[Gecko123]

A poster above wrote, "There are jealous thai ladies all over the country that prefer men that don't speak thai." Seldom in my experience in Thailand have I seen such a misguided and foolish idea. Hookers and ladies who want to take advantage of men prefer marks who can't speak English. An acquaintance of mine employed his college educated GF's husband as his driver. As the three of them drove around Thailand she and her husband would chat and the buffoon Farang would sit there and smile as they made jokes about him. And of course the stories about, I live with my brother, cousin or uncle. I think it was some American who said, "there is a sucker born every minute."

There are two types of of Thai women that would prefer their partner does not speak Thai.

The first one is the one you mention above who are looking to take advantage of someone and can do that easier if the other party does not speak the language. Those types can come from all over the country, but they are probably concentrated in areas with large farang populations.

The second type are women that are jealous and insecure. This is a trait that MANY thai women posses to some degree. Many posters have mentioned that if they have the ability to speak Thai it opens the door to be able to date a much bigger portion of the population. Do you think that a jealous and insecure Thai woman wants her partner to hold that golden key to Thailand?

How dare you profess to be an authority on Thai women when you can't even speak Thai?

A. Your generalization that Thai women are more prone to jealousy than other women, in my opinion, is ridiculous.

B. To the extent that SOME Thai women are prone to jealousy, are you seriously advocating this as an attractive niche demographic for someone in the dating scene? The argument that jealous Thai women prefer foreign men who don't speak Thai -- if true --seems to me to be an extraordinarily powerful reason to learn Thai - - in order to be less attractive to jealous, insecure, clinging women! Unless of course, you're attracted to this type of woman.

[GarryP]

A poster above wrote, "There are jealous thai ladies all over the country that prefer men that don't speak thai." Seldom in my experience in Thailand have I seen such a misguided and foolish idea. Hookers and ladies who want to take advantage of men prefer marks who can't speak English. An acquaintance of mine employed his college educated GF's husband as his driver. As the three of them drove around Thailand she and her husband would chat and the buffoon Farang would sit there and smile as they made jokes about him. And of course the stories about, I live with my brother, cousin or uncle. I think it was some American who said, "there is a sucker born every minute."

There are two types of of Thai women that would prefer their partner does not speak Thai.

The first one is the one you mention above who are looking to take advantage of someone and can do that easier if the other party does not speak the language. Those types can come from all over the country, but they are probably concentrated in areas with large farang populations.

The second type are women that are jealous and insecure. This is a trait that MANY thai women posses to some degree. Many posters have mentioned that if they have the ability to speak Thai it opens the door to be able to date a much bigger portion of the population. Do you think that a jealous and insecure Thai woman wants her partner to hold that golden key to Thailand?

Finally, a post that is both reasonable and accurate. There are definitely women out there who do love their boyfriends or husbands and are not out to take advantage but do not want them to speak Thai, simply because the women are either insecure in their relationship, have jealousy issues or do not wish their mates to fall to temptation.

I personally know a few women like this. They are happy to speak to me in Thai but do not want their hubbies to learn Thai. I am not a potential competitor for their hubbies' affections.

[GarryP]

A poster above wrote, "There are jealous thai ladies all over the country that prefer men that don't speak thai." Seldom in my experience in Thailand have I seen such a misguided and foolish idea. Hookers and ladies who want to take advantage of men prefer marks who can't speak English. An acquaintance of mine employed his college educated GF's husband as his driver. As the three of them drove around Thailand she and her husband would chat and the buffoon Farang would sit there and smile as they made jokes about him. And of course the stories about, I live with my brother, cousin or uncle. I think it was some American who said, "there is a sucker born every minute."

There are two types of of Thai women that would prefer their partner does not speak Thai.

The first one is the one you mention above who are looking to take advantage of someone and can do that easier if the other party does not speak the language. Those types can come from all over the country, but they are probably concentrated in areas with large farang populations.

The second type are women that are jealous and insecure. This is a trait that MANY thai women posses to some degree. Many posters have mentioned that if they have the ability to speak Thai it opens the door to be able to date a much bigger portion of the population. Do you think that a jealous and insecure Thai woman wants her partner to hold that golden key to Thailand?

How dare you profess to be an authority on Thai women when you can't even speak Thai?

A. Your generalization that Thai women are more prone to jealousy than other women, in my opinion, is ridiculous.

B. To the extent that SOME Thai women are prone to jealousy, are you seriously advocating this as an attractive niche demographic for someone in the dating scene? The argument that jealous Thai women prefer foreign men who don't speak Thai -- if true --seems to me to be an extraordinarily powerful reason to learn Thai - - in order to be less attractive to jealous, insecure, clinging women! Unless of course, you're attracted to this type of woman.

I do not see his comments as a generalization. He said that their were two types of women that do not wish their partners to speak Thai. He did not say all Thai women fall into these two groups. Obviously, there are many who don't care because they are not out to scam and do not have security issues. There are also a hell of a lot of women who would not entertain the idea of a foreign boyfriend. Obviously they fall in neither group. He was simply splitting the specific group into two.

I absolutely agree with your last two sentences.

Just because the poster has posted a lot of rubbish in some of his previous posts does not mean everything he writes is wrong or needs to be attacked.

[Neeranam]

A poster above wrote, "There are jealous thai ladies all over the country that prefer men that don't speak thai." Seldom in my experience in Thailand have I seen such a misguided and foolish idea. Hookers and ladies who want to take advantage of men prefer marks who can't speak English. An acquaintance of mine employed his college educated GF's husband as his driver. As the three of them drove around Thailand she and her husband would chat and the buffoon Farang would sit there and smile as they made jokes about him. And of course the stories about, I live with my brother, cousin or uncle. I think it was some American who said, "there is a sucker born every minute."

There are two types of of Thai women that would prefer their partner does not speak Thai.

The first one is the one you mention above who are looking to take advantage of someone and can do that easier if the other party does not speak the language. Those types can come from all over the country, but they are probably concentrated in areas with large farang populations.

The second type are women that are jealous and insecure. This is a trait that MANY thai women posses to some degree. Many posters have mentioned that if they have the ability to speak Thai it opens the door to be able to date a much bigger portion of the population. Do you think that a jealous and insecure Thai woman wants her partner to hold that golden key to Thailand?

Finally, a post that is both reasonable and accurate. There are definitely women out there who do love their boyfriends or husbands and are not out to take advantage but do not want them to speak Thai, simply because the women are either insecure in their relationship, have jealousy issues or do not wish their mates to fall to temptation.

I personally know a few women like this. They are happy to speak to me in Thai but do not want their hubbies to learn Thai. I am not a potential competitor for their hubbies' affections.

I have a friend with a Thai woman like that. She told me on Thai as they and I were eating how he bought her out the bar lol lovely couple though Edited July 23, 2015 by Neeranam

[Johnniey]

A poster above wrote, "There are jealous thai ladies all over the country that prefer men that don't speak thai." Seldom in my experience in Thailand have I seen such a misguided and foolish idea. Hookers and ladies who want to take advantage of men prefer marks who can't speak English. An acquaintance of mine employed his college educated GF's husband as his driver. As the three of them drove around Thailand she and her husband would chat and the buffoon Farang would sit there and smile as they made jokes about him. And of course the stories about, I live with my brother, cousin or uncle. I think it was some American who said, "there is a sucker born every minute."

There are two types of of Thai women that would prefer their partner does not speak Thai.

The first one is the one you mention above who are looking to take advantage of someone and can do that easier if the other party does not speak the language. Those types can come from all over the country, but they are probably concentrated in areas with large farang populations.

The second type are women that are jealous and insecure. This is a trait that MANY thai women posses to some degree. Many posters have mentioned that if they have the ability to speak Thai it opens the door to be able to date a much bigger portion of the population. Do you think that a jealous and insecure Thai woman wants her partner to hold that golden key to Thailand?

How dare you profess to be an authority on Thai women when you can't even speak Thai?

A. Your generalization that Thai women are more prone to jealousy than other women, in my opinion, is ridiculous.

B. To the extent that SOME Thai women are prone to jealousy, are you seriously advocating this as an attractive niche demographic for someone in the dating scene? The argument that jealous Thai women prefer foreign men who don't speak Thai -- if true --seems to me to be an extraordinarily powerful reason to learn Thai - - in order to be less attractive to jealous, insecure, clinging women! Unless of course, you're attracted to this type of woman.

Speaking Thai gives one a huge advantage in understanding Thai women - obviously

[Jungle Jim]

If your unable to speak Thai at somewhat of a good level it is stupid to retire here and get involved with any Thai woman.

[1BADDAT]

A poster above wrote, "There are jealous thai ladies all over the country that prefer men that don't speak thai." Seldom in my experience in Thailand have I seen such a misguided and foolish idea. Hookers and ladies who want to take advantage of men prefer marks who can't speak English. An acquaintance of mine employed his college educated GF's husband as his driver. As the three of them drove around Thailand she and her husband would chat and the buffoon Farang would sit there and smile as they made jokes about him. And of course the stories about, I live with my brother, cousin or uncle. I think it was some American who said, "there is a sucker born every minute."

There are two types of of Thai women that would prefer their partner does not speak Thai.

The first one is the one you mention above who are looking to take advantage of someone and can do that easier if the other party does not speak the language. Those types can come from all over the country, but they are probably concentrated in areas with large farang populations.

The second type are women that are jealous and insecure. This is a trait that MANY thai women posses to some degree. Many posters have mentioned that if they have the ability to speak Thai it opens the door to be able to date a much bigger portion of the population. Do you think that a jealous and insecure Thai woman wants her partner to hold that golden key to Thailand?

How dare you profess to be an authority on Thai women when you can't even speak Thai?

A. Your generalization that Thai women are more prone to jealousy than other women, in my opinion, is ridiculous.

B. To the extent that SOME Thai women are prone to jealousy, are you seriously advocating this as an attractive niche demographic for someone in the dating scene? The argument that jealous Thai women prefer foreign men who don't speak Thai -- if true --seems to me to be an extraordinarily powerful reason to learn Thai - - in order to be less attractive to jealous, insecure, clinging women! Unless of course, you're attracted to this type of woman.

I never claimed to be an authority on Thai women, I am just giving my opinion. My opinion is based on my experiences with thai women, working with thai men and women, talking with friends that are Thai, and talking with farang friends who both do an do not speak Thai and speaking with their girlfriends and wives.

The women I have dated are from 20-40 years old from all different backgrounds. Some are from BKK, Sriracha, Bangsaen, Sattahip, and obviously Pattaya since I live in Naklua. Some of them have masters degrees or bachelors degrees and some of them basic high school education. I have dated women who have entry level positions and some who were directors and anywhere in between, so I think I have a decent sample size to base my opinions.

The only thing that all of the women have in common is that they all speak english. So if you want to talk about Thai women over 40 or ones of any age that dont speak engish I dont have a clue what they are thinking.

I never made a comparison on how jealous Thai women were compared to the rest of the worldly population of women.

I never advocated that jealous and insecure Thai women are better to date. Nor did I say that I am attracted to that type of woman.

What I can with out a doubt is tell you this. I have met and dated some amazing Thai women and some that are not so great. The ones that lie or are not genuine are SO easy to spot. You certainly dont need to understand thai to figure this out.

As a mid 30's foreigner working here for a while with a good job and living around foreigner friendly places, I have never felt the neccesity (or felt I had the time) to learn thai. I certainly dont feel that I need to be open up a new demograpic of dateable women by learning Thai. And quite honeslty, at this point, I am not intersted in women that don't know English.

I travel all over the country and I have rarely been in a situation where I thought "if only I knew Thai, this would be so much easier". I have GPS and can find most places with ease. I have a smartphpone with google translate or can look up pictures of most anything on google to show people what I am looking for at a store or market.

Is there advantage to learning Thai? Yes there clearly is for most situations. But as I have stated before I enjoy living in a foreign country and sometimes its nice not to know everyting that is going on around you. It makes it more exciting and adventurous. If i was retired and living here looking for a wife, my mentality would be much different.

[simon43]

Bai na wa, Nai Walter, kit mai ork chai plao.

Tor lair, lan par cent.

Mai pen rai, lor len, na sanook chai mai, put seriot mai koy sanook.

What language is this??

[Gecko123]

A poster above wrote, "There are jealous thai ladies all over the country that prefer men that don't speak thai." Seldom in my experience in Thailand have I seen such a misguided and foolish idea. Hookers and ladies who want to take advantage of men prefer marks who can't speak English. An acquaintance of mine employed his college educated GF's husband as his driver. As the three of them drove around Thailand she and her husband would chat and the buffoon Farang would sit there and smile as they made jokes about him. And of course the stories about, I live with my brother, cousin or uncle. I think it was some American who said, "there is a sucker born every minute."

There are two types of of Thai women that would prefer their partner does not speak Thai.

The first one is the one you mention above who are looking to take advantage of someone and can do that easier if the other party does not speak the language. Those types can come from all over the country, but they are probably concentrated in areas with large farang populations.

The second type are women that are jealous and insecure. This is a trait that MANY thai women posses to some degree. Many posters have mentioned that if they have the ability to speak Thai it opens the door to be able to date a much bigger portion of the population. Do you think that a jealous and insecure Thai woman wants her partner to hold that golden key to Thailand?

How dare you profess to be an authority on Thai women when you can't even speak Thai?

A. Your generalization that Thai women are more prone to jealousy than other women, in my opinion, is ridiculous.

B. To the extent that SOME Thai women are prone to jealousy, are you seriously advocating this as an attractive niche demographic for someone in the dating scene? The argument that jealous Thai women prefer foreign men who don't speak Thai -- if true --seems to me to be an extraordinarily powerful reason to learn Thai - - in order to be less attractive to jealous, insecure, clinging women! Unless of course, you're attracted to this type of woman.

I never claimed to be an authority on Thai women, I am just giving my opinion. My opinion is based on my experiences with thai women, working with thai men and women, talking with friends that are Thai, and talking with farang friends who both do an do not speak Thai and speaking with their girlfriends and wives.

The women I have dated are from 20-40 years old from all different backgrounds. Some are from BKK, Sriracha, Bangsaen, Sattahip, and obviously Pattaya since I live in Naklua. Some of them have masters degrees or bachelors degrees and some of them basic high school education. I have dated women who have entry level positions and some who were directors and anywhere in between, so I think I have a decent sample size to base my opinions.

The only thing that all of the women have in common is that they all speak english. So if you want to talk about Thai women over 40 or ones of any age that dont speak engish I dont have a clue what they are thinking.

I never made a comparison on how jealous Thai women were compared to the rest of the worldly population of women.

I never advocated that jealous and insecure Thai women are better to date. Nor did I say that I am attracted to that type of woman.

What I can with out a doubt is tell you this. I have met and dated some amazing Thai women and some that are not so great. The ones that lie or are not genuine are SO easy to spot. You certainly dont need to understand thai to figure this out.

As a mid 30's foreigner working here for a while with a good job and living around foreigner friendly places, I have never felt the neccesity (or felt I had the time) to learn thai. I certainly dont feel that I need to be open up a new demograpic of dateable women by learning Thai. And quite honeslty, at this point, I am not intersted in women that don't know English.

I travel all over the country and I have rarely been in a situation where I thought "if only I knew Thai, this would be so much easier". I have GPS and can find most places with ease. I have a smartphpone with google translate or can look up pictures of most anything on google to show people what I am looking for at a store or market.

Is there advantage to learning Thai? Yes there clearly is for most situations. But as I have stated before I enjoy living in a foreign country and sometimes its nice not to know everyting that is going on around you. It makes it more exciting and adventurous. If i was retired and living here looking for a wife, my mentality would be much different.

Your comments about Thai women were made in an authoritative tone. You stated that MANY Thai women have a jealous personality trait to one degree or another. You cited jealous women (post#130) who are "all over Thailand" as an alternative to bar girls who have mercenary motives for prefering foreigners who did not speak English. This comment implied that you thought this demographic was at least more attractive than a bar girl.

Whatever you claim about your "dating" experiences in Thailand I can't refute. But I have been around long enough to know that many many Thai women are not going to hook up with anyone they just met, especially if that someone is a foreigner, here temporarily and doesn't speak any Thai. Given that you live in an area known for it's skin trade, I'm dubious that the vast majority of your contact with the opposite sex have not been with prostitutes, recognizing that some of them might be part-time and casually in the trade. Play the youth card and call me an old fuddy-duddy to your young heart's content, but the notion that you are picking up women left and right and going out on "dates" with them and having meaningful engaging relations with them, I find a little hard to believe. Most Thai women are fairly conservative, and the courtship process is fairly slow. There is a big stigma in many Thai social circles about women becoming involved with foreign men being prostitutes. So you can pretend that you move with utter facileness in Thai circles, but I, again, not calling you a liar, find that hard to believe, especially with you not being able to speak any English and your i-phone Google translate app always at hand. Another statement you make which is not true is that in general the younger generation Thais speak English well. Yes, in urban centers many have a basic command of the language. Outside of these areas, it's an entirely different story.

Basically, what I hear you saying is that you're young, temporarily employed here, and living in a (sex) touristy area. Well, duh!, I probably wouldn't invest my evenings poring over Thai for Beginner's either if I were in your shoes. But that's not what you did (post#129). You came on a thread which invited people to share their experiences about how Thai had been an advantage to them, and arrogantly made sweepingly derisive comments about how learning Thai was a waste of time, even though you don't seem to have a long-term perspective to living here (as most people who responded did), and many would suspect is little more than a long-stay (sex) tourist, who happens to have found work here. So it's a little late in the day to be

getting all contrite on us, OK?

Edited July 23, 2015 by Gecko123

[Neeranam]

If your unable to speak Thai at somewhat of a good level it is stupid to retire here and get involved with any Thai woman.

Absolutely idiotic yet so many do. But they do learn the important words like tee rak, poom pooee, and boom boom.

[1BADDAT]

Your comments about Thai women were made in an authoritative tone. You stated that MANY Thai women have a jealous personality trait to one degree or another. You cited jealous women (post#130) who are "all over Thailand" as an alternative to bar girls who have mercenary motives for prefering foreigners who did not speak English. This comment implied that you thought this demographic was at least more attractive than a bar girl.

Whatever you claim about your "dating" experiences in Thailand I can't refute. But I have been around long enough to know that many many Thai women are not going to hook up with anyone they just met, especially if that someone is a foreigner, here temporarily and doesn't speak any Thai. Given that you live in an area known for it's skin trade, I'm dubious that the vast majority of your contact with the opposite sex have not been with prostitutes, recognizing that some of them might be part-time and casually in the trade. Play the youth card and call me an old fuddy-duddy to your young heart's content, but the notion that you are picking up women left and right and going out on "dates" with them and having meaningful engaging relations with them, I find a little hard to believe. Most Thai women are fairly conservative, and the courtship process is fairly slow. There is a big stigma in many Thai social circles about women becoming involved with foreign men being prostitutes. So you can pretend that you move with utter facileness in Thai circles, but I, again, not calling you a liar, find that hard to believe, especially with you not being able to speak any English and your i-phone Google translate app always at hand. Another statement you make which is not true is that in general the younger generation Thais speak English well. Yes, in urban centers many have a basic command of the language. Outside of these areas, it's an entirely different story.

Basically, what I hear you saying is that you're young, temporarily employed here, and living in a (sex) touristy area. Well, duh!, I probably wouldn't invest my evenings poring over Thai for Beginner's either if I were in your shoes. But that's not what you did (post#129). You came on a thread which invited people to share their experiences about how Thai had been an advantage to them, and arrogantly made sweepingly derisive comments about how learning Thai was a waste of time, even though you don't seem to have a long-term perspective to living here (as most people who responded did), and many would suspect is little more than a long-stay (sex) tourist, who happens to have found work here. So it's a little late in the day to be

getting all contrite on us, OK?

I came on here at post #129 to offer a different perspective because I couldn't believe the load of crap I was reading. I get so tired of reading about people that think they are more Thai than the Thais, think that they get such special treatment, and basically use this thread to boast about how amazing they are.

One poster said "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." Really? If that is the case, then why are my foreign friends who are fluent in Thai and have lived here for many years not telling me how much of a neccesity it is?

You can bring up sex tourism and doubt whether I date girls that aren't involved in that trade all you want. But to suggest that "some of them might be part-time and casually in the trade" is just ridiculous. You really think that I or any halfway observant human being can't tell the difference between a prostitute or not? If one can't tell the difference between a prostitute or not, they should never come to this country looking for any woman. And speaking to them in English as pretty much a dead giveaway on where or how they learned English.