roo860 Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 what are they asking the price of, do you have a shop.No shop, just ordinary conversation: "Where you come from?" I answer, "USA", and next question often is, "Go airplane, how much?" Carrying a bag from Villa Market, meet a Thai neighbor in the parking lot. She looks in bag, sees a package of something, asks, "How much?" I bought a new chair for living room. Next day, maid asks, "How much?" On the surface, questions are just innocent conversation, Thai-style. But I've observed that when prices are much higher than lower class Thais are used to, problems can arise. Who do you class as been 'lower class'? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siamcrut Posted March 14, 2016 Share Posted March 14, 2016 what are they asking the price of, do you have a shop.No shop, just ordinary conversation: "Where you come from?" I answer, "USA", and next question often is, "Go airplane, how much?" Carrying a bag from Villa Market, meet a Thai neighbor in the parking lot. She looks in bag, sees a package of something, asks, "How much?" I bought a new chair for living room. Next day, maid asks, "How much?" On the surface, questions are just innocent conversation, Thai-style. But I've observed that when prices are much higher than lower class Thais are used to, problems can arise. Who do you class as been 'lower class'?The majority...?!"Lower class" is the wrong term anyway, I would call it, general population... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uksomchai Posted March 14, 2016 Share Posted March 14, 2016 I seem to be the odd one out here as if anyone asks me how much whether a fellow Farang or Thai I just tell them I don't see where people are getting uptight ? Who doesn't ask if honest ? I know I do as do most of my friends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bow Posted March 14, 2016 Share Posted March 14, 2016 To ask where you are going when you leave a place, and where you have been when you come back, is just a Thai way of making polite conversation. Not so different from saying "Hello" and "goodbye". They don't expect or want a detailed description of exactly what you are going to do, or where you have been. Something like "work", "shopping" is enough to make people happy. I am surprised that people ask you what you paid for things. People never ask me about prices. Maybe you have expensive habits and make people curious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morakot Posted March 19, 2016 Share Posted March 19, 2016 (edited) The "where you go" - which is nosey for Westerners is just a greeting and can be answered with "hello" followed by sabai dee mai? or anything else - sort of as Westerners ask "how are you" - we are not looking for a detailed health report... Exactly! ไปไหน [Where are you going?] is not really an inquiry about one's direction of travel. The common reply in Thai is a generic statement that needs to fit the context. E.g. “To relax.”, "To clear my head.”, “Down the road.” The question “How much?” is rather different. It's not a de facto greeting like ไปไหน. It can be invitation to small-talk, it can be a nosy inquiry, it can simply be a inquiry of the cost of goods, it can be a general testing of the waters so to say, or whatever. It's a little bit similar to the British inquiry about the weather. One poster said, he talks about the price of oil or the state of what-not in response, whereas another poster tells his opposite that it's none of his business. Sure both are great, but the latter is like saying: “Why don't you listen to the weather forecast, if you want to know how the weather is.” People who reply with “Not too expensive.”, “Too expensive.”, "Don't know, wife paid." or something along these lines are probably more neutral, similar to “Fine day.” or “Not too bad.” but leaving it there. It acknowledges the effort (regardless of their interlocutor's intention), but limits it respectfully when people find this question rather intrusive. Edited March 19, 2016 by Morakot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaeJoMTB Posted March 19, 2016 Share Posted March 19, 2016 The correct answer is "I'm sorry I don't speak Thai" or alternatively "Arai Na" Until they go away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regdddd Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 I would say ไม่เท่าไหร่หรอกครับ ,ไม่กี่บาท, ก็แพงอยู่, พอสมควร well actually there are many ways to say just avoid telling the price they know to not ask you further if we don't want to tell the price we would say ไม่บอกดีกว่าTo farangs ไปไหน ไปไหนมา are actually greeting like "have you eaten yet?" we didn't have sawaddee back in the past so this is how we say hello in our langauge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayboy Posted March 29, 2016 Share Posted March 29, 2016 Yup, if u wanna get it done, ruang gu (my problem) never get a question again after that if normal people it would be like the others, kern pai, po dii, leum etc. Totally inappropriate outside lower class circles or very very close friends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcel1 Posted March 29, 2016 Share Posted March 29, 2016 Yup, if u wanna get it done, ruang gu (my problem) never get a question again after that if normal people it would be like the others, kern pai, po dii, leum etc.Totally inappropriate outside lower class circles or very very close friends. Correct, hence my sentence.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deserted Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 Just out of curiosity, how do you say 'mind your own business' in Thai or 'none of your business'? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saastrajaa Posted April 1, 2016 Share Posted April 1, 2016 Yup, if u wanna get it done, ruang gu (my problem) never get a question again after that if normal people it would be like the others, kern pai, po dii, leum etc.Totally inappropriate outside lower class circles or very very close friends. Correct, hence my sentence.. Non-native speakers should NEVER use words like กู or มึง when speaking Thai. You simply do not understand the subtleties/potential dangers of words like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcel1 Posted April 1, 2016 Share Posted April 1, 2016 Yup, if u wanna get it done, ruang gu (my problem) never get a question again after that if normal people it would be like the others, kern pai, po dii, leum etc.Totally inappropriate outside lower class circles or very very close friends.Correct, hence my sentence.. Non-native speakers should NEVER use words like กู or มึง when speaking Thai. You simply do not understand the subtleties/potential dangers of words like that. Hmmm under which rock you live? I understand if you are older and live in the sticks, no offence but me as a 20'er and having thai friends in their 20's it is quite normal for them to use in spoken language (I talk about normal studied/working people here with salaries of at least 25++) I fully know about how offensive it can be hence my thai is quite good in reading and writing. Therefore my wink emoticon was merely to mark my post as slightly กวนตีน Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemonjelly Posted April 1, 2016 Share Posted April 1, 2016 Yup, if u wanna get it done, ruang gu (my problem) never get a question again after that if normal people it would be like the others, kern pai, po dii, leum etc.Totally inappropriate outside lower class circles or very very close friends.Correct, hence my sentence.. Non-native speakers should NEVER use words like กู or มึง when speaking Thai. You simply do not understand the subtleties/potential dangers of words like that. Hmmm under which rock you live? I understand if you are older and live in the sticks, no offence but me as a 20'er and having thai friends in their 20's it is quite normal for them to use in spoken language (I talk about normal studied/working people here with salaries of at least 25++) I fully know about how offensive it can be hence my thai is quite good in reading and writing. Therefore my wink emoticon was merely to mark my post as slightly กวนตีน Knowing the subtleties of Thai, you are wrong to advise others of less understanding to use the word "goo". You should know better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcel1 Posted April 1, 2016 Share Posted April 1, 2016 Yup, if u wanna get it done, ruang gu (my problem) never get a question again after that if normal people it would be like the others, kern pai, po dii, leum etc.Totally inappropriate outside lower class circles or very very close friends.Correct, hence my sentence.. Non-native speakers should NEVER use words like กู or มึง when speaking Thai. You simply do not understand the subtleties/potential dangers of words like that. Hmmm under which rock you live? I understand if you are older and live in the sticks, no offence but me as a 20'er and having thai friends in their 20's it is quite normal for them to use in spoken language (I talk about normal studied/working people here with salaries of at least 25++) I fully know about how offensive it can be hence my thai is quite good in reading and writing. Therefore my wink emoticon was merely to mark my post as slightly กวนตีน Knowing the subtleties of Thai, you are wrong to advise others of less understanding to use the word "goo". You should know better. The op merely asked how to stop a question.... Read it?? My answer was as you read it and with a big wink which indicates that it's not to be takes to serious... But its firm if u wanna get rid of real buggers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rgs2001uk Posted April 1, 2016 Share Posted April 1, 2016 Just out of curiosity, how do you say 'mind your own business' in Thai or 'none of your business'? There is no one size fits all umbrella, each situation must be taken on its on merits. Context and situation. I could give you half a dozen answers, none of them polite, and be very careful ,where you use them. I was sat at the house, some old yai was asking the mrs if I ever hit her, how much money did I give her every month etc etc. The mrs being the usual subservient Thai ignored her, greang jai and all that crap. Old Yai persisted. I asked her in Thai, does your husband ever hit you? How much does he give you how much money every month? Big bad farang. Was upcountry in Soolinsville waiting to take a farang back to Bkk. Some old yai came up to my friend, shoved her palm out and hit him in the chest, he gave her 2,000 baht. I asked him, whats that all about, answer, it keeps the mrs happy. She tried the same with me, I told her to ferk off. Result big bad farang, no Thai man would have taken that shyt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manxninja Posted April 1, 2016 Share Posted April 1, 2016 Why discuss it? Just shout in their face, none of your business, then open another leo. Would you accept western people quizzing you about finances if they didn't know you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob13 Posted April 2, 2016 Share Posted April 2, 2016 Why discuss it? Just shout in their face, none of your business, then open another leo. Would you accept western people quizzing you about finances if they didn't know you. I believe he was asking about the polite way Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saastrajaa Posted April 2, 2016 Share Posted April 2, 2016 Hmmm under which rock you live? I understand if you are older and live in the sticks, no offence but me as a 20'er and having thai friends in their 20's it is quite normal for them to use in spoken language (I talk about normal studied/working people here with salaries of at least 25++)I fully know about how offensive it can be hence my thai is quite good in reading and writing. Therefore my wink emoticon was merely to mark my post as slightly กวนตีน You have no idea what you're talking about. Someday your lack of knowledge is going to come back to bite you in the ass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KhaoNiaw Posted April 2, 2016 Share Posted April 2, 2016 I wouldn't be bothered if anyone asked me the cost of a flight or a chair. If you think you've paid an embarrassingly high amount, just make up something less. Otherwise, I think the 'I can't remember' approach is the best way and the way that Thais usually do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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