Thai Language

[tom_a]

I looked over a variety of posts and I have to say, the Chiang Mai forum seems to be the friendliest and most useful/informative compared to any northern focused forums. My wife and I plan on visiting northern Thailand next year and stay for about a year just to sort of look around and get a feel for the place and see if this would be a good place to retire. My wife has visited Bangkok a few times and I've never been to Thailand. Neither of us know any of the language, and my wife says that we really don't need to know any of the language because many people can speak some English. From what I've been able to gather here in this forum is that we really do need to knowsome ofthe language to get by, is that a correct assumption on my part? If so, how should we prepare before moving to northern Thailand? We appreciate any insights into the language barrier. I know for myself, I'm not to goodat picking up a foreign language, so I'm hopeful itis easy to learn. Thanks for any feedback.

Tom

[john b good]

I looked over a variety of posts and I have to say, the Chiang Mai forum seems to be the friendliest and most useful/informative compared to any northern focused forums. My wife and I plan on visiting northern Thailand next year and stay for about a year just to sort of look around and get a feel for the place and see if this would be a good place to retire. My wife has visited Bangkok a few times and I've never been to Thailand. Neither of us know any of the language, and my wife says that we really don't need to know any of the language because many people can speak some English. From what I've been able to gather here in this forum is that we really do need to knowsome ofthe language to get by, is that a correct assumption on my part? If so, how should we prepare before moving to northern Thailand? We appreciate any insights into the language barrier. I know for myself, I'm not to goodat picking up a foreign language, so I'm hopeful itis easy to learn. Thanks for any feedback.

Tom

For a start Tom, don't listen to your wife (I guess that you have been listening to her for such a long time now it's hard to get out of the habit)

"we really don't need to know any of the language because many people can speak some English"

This is not correct. (perhaps "many" can but the vast majority cannot)

Thai's in general have a very poor command of english.

Filipinos, Vietnamese and Indonesians would look like Rhodes scholars by comparision not to mention Singaporeans.

One of the reasons for this is that the people from these countries had a lot more exposure to western "english" speaking people.

OK if you are staying in a four or five star hotel, yes, english is fairly common but out in the "boonies" forget it.

To get the most out of your sabatical in Thailand you need to learn basic Thai (what time is it, where is such and such a place etc)

It's not so easy to learn much prior to coming to Thailand but there are language tapes that you can get hold of but I didn't find them to be of much help.

Where is the best place to learn? In my own experience it is AUA (American Alumni Association) They are in all the major cities I believe.

I would suggest a couple of courses (one course is two hours a day, Monday to Friday for six weeks)

If you get a good teacher and some are better than others you will after the first course (first book) have the basic rudiments and after the 2nd be able to find your way around.

When enquiring at AUA ask what the make up of the class participants is. A good mix from around the world adds to the enjoyment and I think the learning.

If my memory serves me correctly (it wasn't yesterday) we had folk from the US, UK, Japanese, Singaporean, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Australia and New Zealand (maybe a couple of others)

The teacher we had for the 2nd book was excellent and made the whole thing a real fun (and great learning) experience. Unfortunately she no longer works there.

"easy to learn" NO"

Thai is a tonal language and some find it quite difficult to master (I'm still learning) but you will get the hang of it.

Not for you as you are bringing "her indoors" with you, but sitting in a bar with a lovely young Thai lady talking the night away is also an excellent way to hone your Thai language skills.

[Ajarn]

No, you don't need to learn Thai to survive here, but if you learn a bit of Thai, you will be more understanding of Thai people and Thai life. I know some foreigners who never learn Thai and they seem to do okay with most things... But, learning Thai will definately help you in life here.

[Physherman]

I looked over a variety of posts and I have to say, the Chiang Mai forum seems to be the friendliest and most useful/informative compared to any northern focused forums. My wife and I plan on visiting northern Thailand next year and stay for about a year just to sort of look around and get a feel for the place and see if this would be a good place to retire. My wife has visited Bangkok a few times and I've never been to Thailand. Neither of us know any of the language, and my wife says that we really don't need to know any of the language because many people can speak some English. From what I've been able to gather here in this forum is that we really do need to knowsome ofthe language to get by, is that a correct assumption on my part? If so, how should we prepare before moving to northern Thailand? We appreciate any insights into the language barrier. I know for myself, I'm not to goodat picking up a foreign language, so I'm hopeful itis easy to learn. Thanks for any feedback.

Tom

While not a requirement for living in another country, especially one as muti-cultural as Thailand, it will help you fit more comfortably into the Thai lifestyle. Here are some of the personal benifits;

You can bargin much more effectivly if you do so in Thai, getting better prices

You can give directions to tuk-tuk drivers, taxi drivers, etc., to get you to places that they don't know

You can shop in the local markets for foods and know just what it is you're buying

You can communicate with public officials when you have difficulties

You can travel to more remote areas without worry about personal comforts

You can move through the daily routines of Thailand, without the confusion that most tourists face

(Do NOT misconstrue this to mean that you can understand Thailand.) You can just deal with it on a more informed level.

But perhaps the most important reason for learning Thai could be that you will be able to interact with the people on the street, neighbors, strangers, etc., and show respect for their culture and country. That carries a lot of weight and gives you great face in Thailand. And THAT'S important!

The Fly Fisherman

[Wizzard of Oz]

As said above, you can get by without it . But you will miss out on the best part of Chiang Mai - speaking with Thai people.

When you get here, do a course, and find some thai people to practice speaking to while you do the course and you should know enough in no time to be able to continue learning from chatting with so many friendly thai people here.

I suggest you start the course as soon as you can once you get here though. Some stoopid phalangs told me its too hard with the tones and not to bother, and I really regret not starting a couple of months earlier as I originally planned on.

[tom_a]

Thank you guys for your feedback. Johnny b, I got a good chuckle out of the listening to my wife too much comment....thanks, I'll make sure to tell her I'm not listening to her anymore cause Johnny says I don't have to!...lol. Seriously though, you guys are right, my wife and I should plan on signing up for the 2 courses you have recommended, and it makes sense that, at least trying to speak a bit of the language shows respect, and of course will also help us get around a bit better. With living in Chiang Mai for at least a year, it seemed to me that we would be cheating ourselves by not getting as much as possible out of our time their. Agsin, thanks for your time. i'm sure I'll have a few million more questions to ask, but I'll try to only ask a few more as next summer approaches.

Tom

[meadish_sweetball]

Learning a bit of Thai makes everything more enjoyable.

Your mileage may vary, but one thing is for certain, the more time you apply to language learning, the better you will get.

[chanchao]

I agree with what's been said (Medish, Ajarn)

As for exactly how much you need to know: You need to be comfortable with the entire Lonely Planet phrasebook. Don't worry, this is a small booklet. But it covers all the essentials.

Note that 'be comfortable' is more than just learning the whole thing by heart.. You need to be at a level where you can pronounce and understand the words & phrases in there.

Once you can do that, it all becomes a lot easier/quicker to learn more. But the initial learning curve is pretty steep. Keep at it! And keep practising, it's a rather fun thing to do.. And when retired, you need hobbies anyway, so there you go.