Thai Language Crash Course

[webfact]

Years ago in Canada I went to Berlitz school and attended what was called "crash course in Spanish language". After 4 weeks time I was able to speak and understand basic Spanish. A miracle!

Is there such "crash course" available in Bangkok - a "Thai language crash course" ?

I do understand some basic Thai but unfortunately can only speck "nid noi" and that drives me mad...

Thanks for any recommendation given.

[meadish_sweetball]

It won't be as easy for you to learn Thai as it was to learn Spanish, but 4 weeks of intensive studies is always a good start no matter how you look at it. Just don't give up if you dont get as far as you might have wanted/expected.

The courses at Union and Unity language schools usually get good reviews, as do the courses at Ramkhamhaeng and Chulalongkorn University.

There are many other places too, hopefully somebody with first hand experience will be able to give you some more specific recommendations (but please note the Thaivisa forum anti spam policy - advice is ok but obvious commercial plugs are not: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?act=boardrules )

[chiang mai]

Years ago in Canada I went to Berlitz school and attended what was called "crash course in Spanish language". After 4 weeks time I was able to speak and understand basic Spanish. A miracle!

Is there such "crash course" available in Bangkok - a "Thai language crash course" ?

I do understand some basic Thai but unfortunately can only speck "nid noi" and that drives me mad...

Thanks for any recommendation given.

I wouldn't describe it as a crash course but the beginners course at Payap University in Chiang Mai will give you 500 words in six weeks of five days a week for three hours each day - cost is about 6,500 baht and the courses are excellent.

[PinkChilli]

One thing to consider when picking a course/school is whether you have more time than money or vice versa.

If you have loads of time, then enrolling in a cheap group course with lots of hours is a good option. You won't get to speak very much per time, and you may tend to drift off while other students are speaking, but overall it can work well and you get to meet other people interested in learning Thai too. This works especially well if you have someone you can speak Thai with outside the class.

If it's important to you to learn quickly, then private tuition may be the way to go. You get to practice speaking a lot in class and you don't have to listen to other students speaking bad Thai. As the class is focused on you, your specific needs, interests and problems, you can get a lot done in a very short time.

There are lots of schools out there which offer group and/or individual tuition. Many schools (including ours) will give you a free trial lesson, so you can decide if this really is the school for you, before you commit a chunk of time and money. It's probably worth your while trying a few before picking the one that suits you best.

Hope this helps,

Denise

[rahyumdee]

See my recent post about this...

[In the Rai!]

The courses at Union and Unity language schools usually get good reviews, as do the courses at Ramkhamhaeng and Chulalongkorn University.

These 2 would be my bet

[Khutan]

Practice, Practice and more Practice.

I have found that most people are happy to helpp you speak Thai, either in the street, in the Office or at a shop. So even though it feels a little ambarrasing to bumble around and mis-pronounce the words and get the grammar wrong, people here seem happy that you are making an effort to learn the language.

One tip I have is try to make a little note-book, and write down useful words and phrases. I think its important to keep the context of where the conversations are talking place. So what you will hear in a business meeting will have a different context to going to the shop etc. As you fill up your note book, the better.

My biggest problem is I can't get the words out of my mouth fast enough and I need to think too much about what I am saying.

[meadish_sweetball]

My biggest problem is I can't get the words out of my mouth fast enough and I need to think too much about what I am saying.

That will improve with time if you keep it up - the more you speak, the less you find yourself tongue-tied.

If you find you lack or have forgotten a certain word, instead of trying to find it, try to explain using simple words instead. Abstract words will often need to be looked up individually, of course, but most concrete things can be explained using simple words and body language.

Edited December 11, 2006 by meadish_sweetball