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6 Reasons You Should Learn To Speak Thai

Pretty Thai womanIt’s a strange phenomenon; many of my fellow countrymen would complain ardently if a foreigner lived in their country and didn’t make an effort to learn the language, yet don’t seem to care two hoots about learning to speak Thai when living in Thailand.

“It’s too hard”, “Can’t be bothered”,  “Don’t need to – all my friends speak English, anyway”.

I have heard many an excuse, and while I myself am not fluent in Thai, I do make an effort to put time aside to learn, and also to put my study into practice in everyday situations.

If you plan on living in a country, plan on having a girlfriend from that country, and plan on being accepted by the people of that country, surely it is imperative that you learn the language to at least a basic level of understanding?

So here's my tuppence! Based on personal experience, here's 6 reasons why I believe it is important you learn to speak and read Thai.

1. Better Understand Thai People & The Culture

Learning Thai helps you better understand the culture. For example, the way Thai people talk to each other, the colloquialisms they use, the way different objects are classified, and the way in which people are addressed. Through simple phrases you will start to understand basic aspects of the culture, like grengjai (being gracious), kwharm ben Thai (Thainess or Thai style), mai pen rai (never mind/it's ok/no problem), and even som nom na (serves you right).

You will understand minor things that make a big difference, like the fact that it is okay to refer to another person’s child as your own (luuk), or other phases like lok son dua (being happy with your own company). The list goes on, and I’m sure you get the picture. The more you pick up the more you will understand Thai people, and easier you will find it to integrate into a community, enabling you to make Thai friends and understand local lingo.

2. Communicate Effectively With Your Thai Partner

Recently I arrived in the UK with my partner for Christmas, and while she can speak an adequate amount of English to get by and converse with my friends and family, it has proven very useful for me to know enough Thai to be able to fill in the gaps when she doesn’t understand colloquialisms, and of course those English peeps who mumble out the side of their mouth at 100mph!

Okay, so my Thai isn't perfect, but I can get across what I need to say and sort out any confusion. I think it is important in a Thai-foreigner relationship for both parties to try and learn each other’s language. The onus shouldn’t be left on the Thai partner to learn English without the foreign partner also participating in learning Thai.

In my opinion, as a partner, out of respect and an interest in your partner’s culture, learning Thai should be a want rather than a chore. Miscommunication is often the cause of arguments, the cause of offence and sadly the cause of breaking up. Going the extra mile and learning the language can save a lot of stress and unhappiness.

3. Stop Yourself Getting Lost!

I will never forget the time I headed up country on a road-trip with a friend in a hire car. Just follow the map we thought, easy peasy. It was 2 AM and were still trying to work out road signs without an English-speaking person in sight.

Okay, the major towns were signposted in English, but off the beaten track was mission impossible. Point is, had I known the Thai alphabet, I could’ve gotten us around with relative ease. Moreover, if my Thai was better back then, I could’ve understood the directions given to us at the numerous petrol stations we tried for help.

Living in a foreign country with a completely different alphabet can make life difficult in a number of situations, like reading ingredients on food packets or understanding shop opening times.  Imagine if there is no male/female sign on a toilet; would you know how to differentiate male-female toilets in the Thai Alphabet?

Do yourself a favour and take a day to learn the Thai Alphabet. You might want to check out this book I used which costs $19.99. I also have some fantastic language cards I use regularly as a refresher. Each one has the consonant or vowel with a phonetic translation. A friend bought them for me, so I will need to find out the source and get back to you on that.

4. Make Real Thai Friends

Thais and foreigners making friends…is this possible? I've seen some silly people saying “No!” On certain forums. But I say, “complete rubbish”! One of best friends is Thai, and we have been friends for 5 years now. And, shock horror, she is female! And no, we have never had anything romantic going on.

Anyway. Many Thais have a basic grasp of English, and some speak English very well, so showing an interest in the language is a great way to establish a friendship. The old “you teach me Thai and I will teach you English” approach is common ground for a friendship to develop.

I might get blasted for saying this, but generally, guys I meet are only experiencing talking to Thai people (women) in bars and Thai massage shops, rather than meeting people from a diverse range of backgrounds as you would back home.

Contrary to popular belief, there are millions of Thais who would love to talk more with foreigners, with the possibility of being friends. Learning some Thai is a great way to open up this opportunity.

5. Increase Your Chance Of Employment

While the West, Europe in particular, is on the decline, South East Asia is booming, and as such there are an increasing number of 20 and 30 something foreigners emigrating to Thailand, many of whom are seeking, or will seek, employment at some point.

Learning to speak Thai will be a massive advantage in any profession because it means you can be called upon to speak with other staff or clients who speak little English. For example, as a teacher you will be able to speak with parents, and also better relate to your students. As a company employee you will be able to join in conversations between Thai staff.

6. Stop Feeling Paranoid!

On more than a few occasions I've had conversations with foreigners who are convinced Thai people are constantly talking about them in their presence.

Well, guess what? Time to learn the language and stop the paranoia! I say paranoia, because aside from the odd joke, I doubt much, if any, of the talk is offensive, or at least isn’t meant to offend. However, I agree, hearing the word “Farang” followed by some mumbling and laughter as you pass by can be pretty jarring, particularly when you hear it every day from the same people. Wouldn’t it be nice to know what was being said? It is possible, you know…

If you're on a budget and can't be doing with school classes, I highly recommend ThaiPod101.  It's free to register at a basic level, and totally worth joining.

In the meantime, why not crack on with my free video lessons. Click here to start lesson 1.

 



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  1. Johnathan Scott Elliott says

    Yes, very important and beneficial to learn at least some aspects of Thai language. This will assist in many ways: making friends, dealing with shopkeepers, blending in and feeling a part of everything. I recently subscribed to Thaipod101 as a premium plus member which gives me access to a teacher which I feel is very important during the learning process. I considered other methods before deciding on Thaipod101 but was so impressed with the broad range of resources they offer, I subscribed for three months and will probably renew. Scott
    Reply

  2. Ronnie Pilkington says

    One of the biggest omissions of thought, or incorrectly made assumptions is that if you learn to speak Thai, then naturally, you will equally understand it when you hear Thaimpeople speaking the language to you. Not the case! I can speak reasonable Thai, well enough to have simple conversation about most things. But I can only speak it. As soon as I hear a Thai person respond, it's like I am listening to a completely different language to the one I have been learning. Not a clue! Apart from two word phrases a baby would comprehend. It's as much a collection of incoherent sounds as it was before I spent approx 1300 hours learning how to speak the language. All websites talk about learning to speak Thai with an unwritten inference that you will therefore be able to understand it . GO HOAK !
    Reply

    • TheThailandLife says

      There is truth in this, and that's why it's essential that Thai learnt in the classroom or through a program is practiced with native Thai speakers in the real world. I remember in my old Thai school, there were people in the class above me that found it so difficult to understand and be understood outside of school, but I had the advantage of lots of real world immersion from my Thai friends and my GF.
      Reply

      • Ronnie Pilkington says

        Yes, of course you are right, but I cannot help but think that understanding spoken Thai is very difficult by comparison with many other languages. I recall as a child learning some German from my mother. Hearing it spoken I instantly recognised it, after having learned how to speak the words. Many Thai people themselves have told me that for them, learning English is quite easy.
        Reply

    • Fred Bouwman says

      The program at AUA recognises that the first step to learning a language is listening. That is what you do as a child, you listen for the first 2 years of your life and then start talking. If you learn to speak right away, you don't develop the ability to hear the tones of the language and you will always struggle. It takes longer to spend the first 6-8 months only listening but in the long run, you will be far more fluent.
      Reply

  3. Ronnie Pilkington says

    Be careful about learning official Thai. They won't tell you that the word for "yes" is "Uh" like a grunt. You will never understand that "Hetweeak" means work, or that "E- Ang" means "what". I could not see an official class teaching you "Taa - Lop- Taa - Lie" meaning to reprimand someone by slapping them back and forth across the face, usually meant in a jovial manner, or " Ya crew bie mot" - " You want to know about everything", or "Jow bung Khoi baw?" - "You look at me?" . "Baw pen Yang" I doubt there is a Thai national anywhere who does not recognise this as being " fine, no problem" and you will be there, scratching your head thinking " I thought that was Mie Pen Rie?" Some people advise that you should not learn Thai from Bar girls, but rather from official classes. Do official classes actually teach you how real Thai people speak?
    Reply

    • TheThailandLife says

      This is why I always advise people that learning Thai needs to accompanied by lots of real-world immersion. The more you can have everyday conversations with Thai people the more colloquial Thai you will learn. It's the same with any country; a language school teaches you how to speak the language properly, not the slang or regional differences you may encounter. That said, if you study central Thai, you can use this all over Thailand and be understood."Bor bpen yang" is a phrase from Laos, which is also used in the North Eastern provinces as part of the Isaan dialect. I think people are right when they say that you shouldn't learn Thai from bargirls, for the most part because few of them will have finished high school and their central Thai is poorly spoken. Most will make common errors when writing Thai too due to a limited education. Most are from either the Isaan region or the North of Thailand, with the exception of the Southern islands where you also get Southern working girls. So you'll find many bargirls speak with a distinct Isaan accent and speak passa Isaan together. When they speak central Thai their pronunciation of tones is often wrong and reflects the way they speak in their provinces.
      Reply

  5. sinclair says

    apologies for commenting on such an old post but... are there any language exchange sites that you would specifically recommend? i'm interested in the idea and i've found a few that might be worth trying, but most of what i've seen seems like thinly veiled dating websites for finding thai women (which isn't at all what i'm seeking). i'm interested in learning and socializing, but not romance.
    Reply

  6. Neale @ Living in Thailand says

    I could not imagine living here without at least making an effort, I was in school within a week and then went on the road for 3 months where i had to communicate in Thai.

    Today I'm fluent with all the most basic things one encounters, I cant have a normal conversation though.. hopefully this will come in time.
    Reply

  7. bibblies says

    7 (ok, I guess it's a variation of #2!)

    If you learn Thai, you'll have a better understanding of the mistakes Thais make when speaking English and you'll have more empathy with them when they're trying to learn. This will also help you to help them when they learn English.

    6. In my experience, Thais talk about food and money most of the time! And gossip. I guess that's not much different from the UK, apart from the weather talk. Mind you, the lack of weather talk from Thais could be because the weather is essentially the same every day.
    Reply

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