​What is a polite way to stop question, “How much?”

[roo860]

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'?

[siamcrut]

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...

[uksomchai]

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.

[bow]

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.

[Morakot]

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

[MaeJoMTB]

The correct answer is "I'm sorry I don't speak Thai"

or alternatively "Arai Na"

Until they go away.

[regdddd]

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 ไม่บอกดีกว่า

To 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

[jayboy]

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.

[Marcel1]

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..

[Deserted]

Just out of curiosity, how do you say 'mind your own business' in Thai or 'none of your business'?

[Saastrajaa]

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.

[Marcel1]

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

[lemonjelly]

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.

[Marcel1]

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

[rgs2001uk]

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.

[manxninja]

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.

[Rob13]

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

[Saastrajaa]

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.

[KhaoNiaw]

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.