Learning a few Thai words can enhance your experience during your trip to Thailand, even though English is widely spoken. Contrary to other Asian countries, Thai people will anticipate you to know at least how to say hello and thank you in their language. It is a small gesture of respect you can give. Thai is a complex language that cannot be easily learned overnight, thus making an effort to learn some basic words can greatly benefit your journey.
ThaiPod101
If you desire to acquire Thai language skills, ThaiPod101 is the perfect platform for you. It offers a holistic approach to learning through its assortment of mp3, PDF, and video Thai language lessons, starting from the basic level for novices to achieve total fluency. The program is accessible via an app or online, where you can explore both free and paid courses. The free lessons are ideal for learning basic ‘holiday’ Thai, while the paid course is necessary for those who aim to converse in Thai competently.
Thai phrasebook
Learning even a few words of Thai can be beneficial, as Thais are more willing to teach their language than to ask for English guidance, as is common in other Asian countries. The Lonely Planet Thai Phrasebook & Dictionary is the top choice on Amazon for learning Thai and is often listed as the second-best for learning Vietnamese, which is peculiar. Additionally, the companion book, Lonely Planet Fast Talk Thai, is a great supplement to use after the initial phase. If you are a visual learner, having these books on hand to reference while asking Thai speakers for pronunciation can be helpful.
How does the Thai language work?
Thai appears to be more difficult than Chinese to me due to its own alphabet and five tones, compared to Mandarin’s four.
Thai words cannot be easily written in the Latin alphabet as there is no standardized method, unlike in Chinese with ‘pinyin’. This leads to various spellings of the same word, such as ‘sawasdee’ (hello). Some popular sites and places may have standard English spellings, but they can cause further confusion. For instance, Bangkok’s Airport, BKK, is identified as Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport, but ‘Suvarnabhumi’ is pronounced differently. To avoid the dilemma, when learning a new Thai word, it is best to write down how it sounds to you.
Do you recall your knowledge of French? Just as in French, selecting Thai pronouns also depends on gender (although the social status of the speaker and subject is also taken into account).
Great news! Conjugation is not required in Thai for verbs. Rather, tense is given by the sentence’s context, such as with words like ‘yesterday’ or ‘tomorrow’ to indicate past or future tense. As a result, Thai is a language that’s easy to learn but also easy to speak poorly.
Thai is challenging to learn because it has five tones, making it more challenging than Mandarin in this aspect, but on the bright side, it lacks verb conjugation. The pronunciation of Thai can be extremely difficult, likened to climbing a mountain.
How to learn with ThaiPod101
ThaiPod101 is a great tool to acquire at least basic Thai vocabulary and expressions for your future travels and progress steadily towards having full-fledged conversations and achieving fluency in a shorter span of time.
By creating a free account, you can avail a complimentary trial of the initial three lessons of every series.
The course elements include Level 1 curriculum for absolute beginners, which comprises of fifty lessons covering basic greetings (such as “good morning” and “how are you”), numbers, colors, restaurant jargon (for example, ‘please make it not too spicy’), time-telling, and weather conversations. There are several components to each lesson, including dialogue, lesson notes, new vocabulary, and transcripts. Prior to proceeding to the next lesson, you have the option to test yourself using quizzes. This is available with either a basic or premium subscription.
A convenient timetable for studying: The duration and substance of every lesson are perfect – concise enough to understand and substantial enough to instill a sense of achievement. For novice learners, each audio lesson generally lasts between ten to fifteen minutes.
Starting with Level 1: ThaiPod101 commences with the basics, and if you’ve learned Thai before, you can take self-assessment tests to determine your starting point. You could follow the introduction material by spending around ten minutes while you’re doing tasks like washing the dishes with the aim of being able to accomplish the following by the end of the year:
- Make appointments and reservations
- Order in restaurants
- Make general chat about the weather, activities, friends, and family
- Provide driving directions and get home in a taxi
- Know all the colors – fuchsia, I’m looking at you…
- Have even the most minute clue about reading Thai
Although it requires some time, ThaiPod101 is an outstanding resource and you can trust in it. The lessons are comprehensible, have an appropriate duration, and are incrementally challenging. The most notable benefit of ThaiPod101 is that you acquire authentic pronunciation, which distinguishes it considerably from a phrasebook.
Apart from the free resources, ThaiPod101 provides both basic and premium memberships with pricing starting from US$4 per month (seasonal discounts available). Though it requires an investment, after a decade of lackluster progress, I find it to be an excellent value. The premium package is perfect for enriching grammar and vocabulary knowledge, and it includes enjoyable flashcards.
If you are looking for an independent study approach, then this solo-directed study will be ideal for you.
- You don’t like group language classes: As an adult, I’ve found them typically frustrating, with too much variation in purpose and ability.
- You dread private tutors: It seems like a noble idea, but it’s the last thing you want to do in the evening.
- You’ll never, ever “just pick it up”: Attempting to learn only to speak Thai is hindered by total illiteracy in the language – especially difficult with the Thai alphabet.
Is it possible to incorporate Learn Thai Podcast into a hectic schedule? I can handle a maximum of twenty minutes. Although reaching the twenty-minute mark with ThaiPod101 can cause mental fatigue, I recognize that I learn more compared to a one-hour classroom session. There is a clear structure to the lessons that promotes review and reinforcement, and I feel that they are building towards practical application.
After two months of “baby beginner” lessons, I finally arrived in Thailand only to realize that my repertoire of stock phrases had expanded. Was I able to achieve immediate results?
- Numbers: Being able to count from 1 to 999, means you can recognize your flight being called in Thai before English. A tiny but early success!
- Colors: Just the basics, but imagine jumping up and down when specifying you’d like ‘the blue one’.
- Basic phrases: A smattering of stock phrases to compliment and joke with staff at favorite restaurants.
It was quite satisfying to communicate using phrases beyond the usual greetings when interacting with Thai locals. Upon experimenting with different expressions, I discovered that they were usually taken aback but nevertheless obliging.
Taking inspiration from that encounter, I will gradually progress to studying grammar and utilizing more complex sentence structures. The ultimate aim is to acquire a firm understanding of authentic spoken Thai, enabling me to engage in conversations with locals at various locations such as shops, restaurants, and bars.
Although my interest in Learn Thai Podcast fluctuated over the months, my commitment to regular practice helped establish a solid foundation for beginners, much like a workout routine. The lessons proved advantageous in acquiring enough proficiency to initiate simple conversations in settings such as shops, restaurants, bars, or offices. Beyond that, the trajectory of language acquisition and pace is at one’s discretion. However, it’s important to note that the Thai people you encounter will reciprocate your dedication with positive feedback and support.
Other Resources for Learning Thai
Thai language course provided by Glossika
Glossika employs the “mass sentence method” and an advanced spaced repetition system to teach Thai with a focus on context, allowing upper-beginner to intermediate learners to learn through sentence practice and repetition.
Reword the following text to convey the same message: Preply
Beginning to speak from the start is the most effective method for acquiring a language. Consequently, I am fond of Preply for enabling individuals to locate a reasonably priced Thai instructor for individual instruction and begin conversing instantly.
Master the Thai language within a span of 10 days.
Arthit Juyaso’s book is a great guide for rapidly becoming proficient in the Thai alphabet.
The complete guide to learning Thai on your own.
The Thai language introductory book provides a relaxed approach, incorporating excellent illustrations and gradually acquaints the learner with essential grammar only.
Learn Thai with Pickup Thai
Six Thai audio conversations recorded by an expert Thai teacher are available on this website, accompanied by transcripts in English, Latin alphabet transliteration, and Thai script in parallel.
Thai that is full of energy and vigor.
Playing Genki Thai does not require any knowledge of reading or writing Thai. The game covers fundamental elements such as greetings, colors, body parts, directions, and more.
Forvo is a platform where users can find and listen to pronunciations of words in various languages recorded by native speakers.
Discover the correct pronunciation of any Thai term by entering it into the Thai search bar.
Dict Longdo
Longdo Dict is the ultimate dictionary for Thai language as it searches for your input (regardless of whether it’s in Thai or English) in a range of dictionaries comprising Thai-English, English-Thai, Thai-Thai, Thai-English-French, and Japanese-Thai.
Please provide a different way of expressing the following text without altering its significance: Thai2English.
This is another excellent dictionary that is ideal for searching long sentences. Upon being inputted, it segments the sentences into separate words, providing both definitions and pronunciations.
