Easy Thai-English Cognate Dictionary: Learn Thai Fast!

The Original Thai-English Language Cognate Dictionary & Learning Tool is loaded with entertaining easy Thai sample sentences and figurative + literal English translations that will quickly get you speaking the Thai language more like a native speaker and less like a tourist. Available now in paperback, eBook, and a workbook version for Thailand residents.

There are a lot of Thai Dictionaries and phrasebooks for sale for foreigners. Some are quite good; others not so good. But the drawback that most Thai-English dictionaries share is that they do not have sample sentences, thus they are not really good as tools for learning Thai. In other words, trying to learn Thai vocabulary without a sample sentence is like trying to remember a Thai recipe without making the dish.

Although there are few Thai language dictionaries that do have sample sentences, these tend to be littered with mistakes, both in the English and the Thai. So, unless your level of Thai is quite good, you are not going to pick up on the mistakes. Thus you could end up ingraining incorrect Thai language within your head, or as we say in linguistic circles, fossilizing bad habits.

The following is an excerpt from the introduction to this new easy Thai dictionary. Whether you are a tourist visiting Thailand, a Thailand expat, or a retiree thinking about moving to Thailand, you’ll want to include this book in your arsenal of Thai language books.

The Original Thai-English Language Cognate Dictionary & Learning Tool is an essential supplementary resource for speaking, reading, and understanding the Thai language in the quickest possible time. Written for both beginners and intermediate learners, it is the first English-Thai loanword dictionary and learning tool. Over the years, the Thai people have adopted hundreds of English words into their language. For example, a common Thai word for a cook is gúk (กุ๊ก), which as you can see is pronounced much like the English word from which it is borrowed.

In this book, you’ll quickly learn the most commonly used English loan words, as well as Thai words that rhyme with, or sound similar to, their English counterpart or a related word. For example, the Thai word for bell is grìng (กริ่ง), which is similar to what a bell does: ring.

For the beginning student, these similar words make it much easier to dive into the Thai language without experiencing that common feeling that you’re drowning in a sea of strange sounds. Learning Thai becomes less intimidating and more fun. It also makes all those Thai words which aren’t similar sounding easier to remember.

With this book you’ll also learn how English words sometimes change when pronounced by Thai people. These differences are important to know when having conversations with new Thai friends, acquaintances, and colleagues. While some Thais do speak “standard” English, many others do not. Their non-standard pronunciation results from the fact that the Thai language has different sound rules and lacks certain English sounds. You will often hear this non-standard English when talking to Thais, but if you don’t know how they’ve changed the pronunciations, you often will not understand what they are saying.

The colloquial Thai sentences make this book a valuable tool for intermediate students. Humorous and useful examples are combined in equal measure, so that you can better communicate and enjoy the authentic sanúk (fun) Thai lifestyle. The loanword (cognate) vocabulary provides easy practice for students who are starting to read Thai, while the sample sentences offer excellent reading practice for those further along. In addition, useful language notes are provided covering areas such as grammar, pronunciation, and additional vocabulary, as well as valuable tips on speaking the Isaan dialect.

Lastly, this book will help all learners better recognize the ways in which many Thai words are formed. Minus the polysyllabic words adopted from foreign languages, Thai is a monosyllabic language. More complicated ideas/words are thus formed by putting together one syllable root words to form new words. For example, the Thai word for refrigerator dtôo-yen (ตู้เย็น) is formed by the words dtôo (cabinet) + yen (cool). When such words occur in this book, they are broken down for you. Paying attention to how these root words are put together will help you build your vocabulary even faster. When reading these break-downs, though, do be aware that Thai root words often have quite a few meanings depending how they are used in a sentence. From the range of potential meanings, only those best suited to the entry have been chosen.

“My Favorite Thai Language Book”: Read Our 5 Star Amazon Reviews

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Add 100s of Thai words to your working vocabulary in a week’s time with our easy Original Thai-English Language Cognate Dictionary & Learning Tool.

Buy the PDF eBook version for only $3.99*

Buy the Trade Paperback edition from our Bookstore for $8.99

For Buyers in Thailand: Purchase the workbook version for only 225 baht. Contact us at living(at)livinghour.org to receive the ATM transfer details.

*All proceeds from book sales go to the development of lessons and course materials at the Ysaan Institute.

Easy Colloquial Thai – Thai Slang Dictionary – Idioms

LivingHour.org is pleased to announce the publication of Learn Thai Language: Generation Next (Slang & Colloquial Talk). This fun and useful bi-lingual book is for all students who are learning the Thai language and wish to better understand and communicate with Thailand’s younger generation. Not a dry Thai textbook or simple dictionary of terms, this is one easy Thai language book that you will enjoy reading and using.

If you are a Thai language student looking for the latest Thai idioms and slang; a tourist looking for a Thai language book that’s not filled with the same old stuff; or an English teacher struggling to understand your Thai students, Learn Thai Language: Generation Next is the easy Thai book for you. More than just giving you new vocabulary, this book provides hundreds of sample sentences to advance your skills in listening, talking, and reading the colloquial language of Thailand.

Click here to view sample pages.

The book is organized to make it easy for you to navigate. The easy Thai vocabulary pages are arranged alphabetically by their transliteration (phonetic spelling). Each Thai entry is followed by an English definition and two English words or phrases that match the Thai. This vocabulary is used in the comic and in the sample sentence below the definition.

The easy Thai translation of the English sample sentence is followed by its transliteration and by a literal word-for-word translation, so that students can better understand the vocabulary used and how the sentence is organized. At the bottom of each page is a transliteration of the Thai used in the comic, followed again by its literal translation. An English word index is included in the back of the book, which can help you locate matching Thai entries.

Unlike other Thai slang resources that focus on curse words and vulgar language which could get you into deep trouble in Thailand, we focus primarily on common “G” rated slang. As a guide, we have rated the Thai as (G) for general inoffensive words, (PG) for slightly stronger language, and (R) for words which should not be used except when with close friends. The English words and phrases are likewise rated.

Learn Thai Language: Generation Next is also an excellent resource for Thai English students who are learning the colloquial language of native English speakers. English language notes included.

Order your copy today from our secure Createspace store, email us the receipt, and we will send you a free copy of our easy Thai mini-ebook: Colloquial Language Expressions.

Buy the Trade Paperback edition from our Bookstore for $9.99*

Buy the PDF eBook version for only $3.99*

Buyers in Thailand. Buy the workbook edition for 225 baht (price includes shipping). Contact us at: living(at)livinghour.org to make arrangements for an ATM money transfer.

*All proceeds from book sales go to The Foundation For Underprivileged Children (Chachoengsao) and the development of lessons and course materials at the Ysaan Institute.

Workbook: Learning Easy Thai & English Idioms & Slang

If you are a Thai or English language student in Thailand who wants to speak more like a native speaker, then the Generation Next workbook is the resource for you. Written by the Ysaan Institute & Sam Kittayapong, this easy workbook version of our popular paperback and eBook includes common Thai and English slang, idioms, and colloquial talk. This easy Thai book is supported by hundreds of colloquial sample sentences and each page is illustrated with a cartoon.

The book is organized by the phonetic spelling of common Thai slang words spoken regularly by Thailand’s younger generation. This word is then used in an easy Thai sample sentence and the Thai/English cartoon dialogue. Thai English students learn two popular English slang words or idioms for each Thai vocabulary word. All students are assured of understanding the Thai and English sentences and dialogues because each one is supported by a figurative translation and a word for word literal translation.

These literal word for word translations are very important for both English and Thai language students, as it helps them begin to better understand the differences in how English and Thai thoughts and ideas are arranged. At the bottom of each page is a lined area for note-taking, practice, and/or further exercises assigned by your Thai or English language teacher.

Click here to view two sample pages.

The Generation Next workbook is a valuable, one-of-a-kind, easy Thai book for Thai language teachers and foreign English teachers in Thailand. English and Thai language students will be more engaged and have more fun using this book. Besides teaching colloquial talk and idioms, Generation text can also be used to teach more formal Thai and English. In addition, it will greatly help farang English teachers who want to better understand what their Thai students are saying in their own language.

Purchase the Generation Next (Slang & Colloquial Talk) Workbook today for 225 baht (price includes shipping). Contact us via our Contact Page to make arrangements for an ATM money transfer. Please include your mailing address.

Special Offer for Thai & English Teachers: Discounts of 50% (115 baht per copy) are available for Thai and English teachers who would like to purchase 10 or more copies of the Generation Next Workbook for use in the classroom. Please contact us on our Contact Page, letting us know how many copies that you would like to order. English teachers in Thailand also get a free list of teaching activities to use with this book.

All proceeds from the sale of the Generation Next workbook is either being donated to The Foundation For Underprivileged Children in Chachoengsao or used for development of free learning material at the Ysaan Institute, so it would be much appreciated if teachers refrain from the common practice of copying a book such as this for their students.

Easy Thai Top 40: How to Speak Thai Like a Parent

Learn how to speak Thai the way Thai parents do in LivingHour.org’s 3rd installment of our Easy Thai Top 40™ series: Family Talk: Speaking to Thai Children. In this edition you’ll find 40 common and easy Thai sentences which parents speak to their children – sentences that cover situations in the living room, bedroom, bathroom, and dining room; upstairs and downstairs; inside the house and outside the home.

These are the kind of sentences left out from other Thai phrasebooks, language books, and online learning lists, which spend most of their time dealing with the needs of tourists and not those of expats with Thai families. At LivingHour.org we are dedicated to fulfilling all those language needs which other Thai language publishers don’t cover, from helping expats and professionals better manage their long term stays in Thailand to assisting tourists get off the beaten track to discover authentic travel experiences in “the real” Thailand.

Each English sentence in Family Talk: Speaking to Thai Children is followed by a colloquial Thai translation in the Thai script; followed by an easy to read phonetic spelling (with tones) in English; followed then by a word for word translation of the Thai in English, so that you know exactly which English word corresponds to the Thai word.

Keep checking back with us at LivingHour.org for more Easy Thai Top 40 and Easy Isaan Top 40 mini-ebooks, as well as forthcoming audio books to accompany the series. At LivingHour.org we minimize the time you spend learning Thai and maximize the benefits!

The following are three sample entries from the book:

Get up! It’s time for school.
ตื่น นอน เถอะ ได้เวลา ไป โรงเรียน แล้ว ตอนนี้
Dtèun nawn thùh. Dâi-way-lah bpai rohng-rian láeo dtawn-née.
lit. wake up sleep (urge), time to go school already now.

Sweetheart, wash your hands. Breakfast is ready.
ลูกรัก ล้าง หมือ ซะ อาหารเช้า เรียบร้อย แล้ว
Lôok-rák* láhng meu sá*. Ah-hăhn cháo rîap-rói láeo.
lit. sweetheart, wash hands (urge), food morning ready already

*The meaning of the particle sá (ซะ) is more than simply adding encouragement to your command or request; it implies that you want something done completely and/or quickly.

Wake up your Mom. Grandma is here.
ปลุก แม่ สิ ยาย มา แล้ว
Bplùk mâe sì. Yai mah láeo.
lit. awaken mom (urge), grandma come already

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Purchase the PDF eBook version of Thai Heart to Heart Talk for only 99 cents!*

Or pick up the eBook edition for your iPad, Palm Pilot, Kindle, Sony Reader, Nook, iPhone, or other portable device by clicking on the following link:

Buy The Learn Thai Top 40 eBook: Family Talk: Speaking to Thai Children

*All proceeds from book sales go to the development of lessons and course materials at the Ysaan Institute.

Learning Easy Thai: How to Speak Street Thai

When it comes to learning easy Thai, the biggest obstacle is how to speak Thai. That is, how to speak the Thai language without sounding like a Thai phrasebook, how to speak Thai more naturally like a native speaker. One of the problems with many Thai language books is that the Thai editors or co-writers are Thai academics who feel compelled to teach the student more formal Thai, even if they claim that the language is “colloquial Thai“. The sample sentences tend to be too wordy, lack common Thai particles, and use word choices that the average Thai on the street would not use.

On the other side of the coin, we have young Western authors who have spent a few years in Thailand as English teachers or Peace Corps volunteers publishing Thai language books that include outrageous epithets, vulgar slang, and bad advice about Thai personal pronouns under the pretense of sounding cool. Well let us set the record straight. There is nothing cool about insulting Thais and getting your ass kicked (or worse) in Thailand. What is cool is having a laugh with your Thai friends, often at your own expense,

One of the benefits of using our Original Thai-English Language Cognate Dictionary & Learning Tool is that the hundreds of sample sentences we include are truly colloquial Thai (i.e. street Thai) and will help you joke with Thais without insulting them. And the book includes all of the particles that Thais so often pepper their speech with. The following is a brief excerpt from the introduction of this easy Thai language book and eBook where we offer a few tips on speaking easy Thai:

We would like to share a few things that we’ve learned over the past ten years speaking with rural Thais who rarely have heard foreigners trying to speak their mother tongue. Firstly, do not get discouraged if you have trouble with the tones of the Thai language. What is most important to being understood by Thais is not proper tones (though that surely helps) but getting your words in the right order.

Unlike English, where foreigners can mix up words and still be understood, Thais will (more often than not) look at you with confusion unless all the words are correctly situated in your sentence. This is true even if you are speaking with correct tones. Therefore, special attention should be paid to the exact order of the words in the sample sentences of this book. Speaking proper tones will come naturally as you increasingly talk and listen to Thais.

That being said, for those who don’t find speaking Thai tones an overwhelming obstacle, do try to learn them as best you can. But don’t get discouraged if mastery doesn’t happen quickly (it won’t); nor get so hung up on tones that it causes you to hesitate and stumble when speaking. In the beginning, the most important tone to recognize and speak is the falling tone, which can be mastered even by those who consider themselves tone deaf. The other tones will fall in place around it…

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Add 100s of easy Thai words to your working vocabulary in only a week’s time with the Original Thai-English Language Cognate Dictionary & Learning Tool .

Buy the PDF eBook version for only $3.99

Buy the Print Book from our Bookstore for $8.99

Or pick up the multi-platform eBook edition for your iPad, Palm Pilot, Sony Reader, Nook, iPhone, or other portable device by clicking on the following link:

Purchase: Thai-English Cognate Dictionary

Learning Easy Thai: Teaching in Thailand

If you are teaching in Thailand and want to quickly add to your working Thai vocabulary, then the Original Thai-English Cognate Dictionary & Learning Tool is an excellent easy Thai book from which to learn. The book and eBook are filled with hundreds of easy Thai-English loanwords, as well as English words that sound similar to the Thai word or a related Thai word.

The colloquial sample sentences are unlike the kind you find in other Thai language books and will get you talking more casually and naturally with your Thai students and Thai colleagues. Here are a few entries from this new Thai dictionary:

dictionary n. – ดิก – dìk
That’s not what it means. Where is the dictionary?
มัน ไม่ ได้ หมายความ ว่า อย่าง นั้น ดิก อยู่ ไหน
Man mâi dâi măi-khwahm wâh yàhng-nán. Dìk yòo năi*?
lit. it not does mean that like that, dictionary be where

*In the Isaan dialect the word săi (ไส) replaces năi (ไหน) in referring to where.

fluke n. – ฟลุก – flùk
You passed? That must have been a fluke.
สอบได้ หรอ มัน ต้อง ฟลุ๊ค แน่ๆ เลย
Sàwp-dâi lăw? Man dtâwng flúk nâe nâe leuy.
lit. pass* (question), it must fluke surely surely (emph.)

*pass (สอบได้) = sàwp (สอบ) test/examine + dâi (ได้) get/ receive

function n. – ฟังก์ชัน – fang-chan
I don’t have any teaching function. I’m just a token farang (Westerner).
ผม ไม่ มี ฟังก์ชัน* การสอน เป็น แค่ ฝรั่ง โชว์
Phŏm mâi mee fang-chan gahn-săwn, bpen khâe fà-ràng cho.
lit. I not have function teaching, am just farang show

*The symbol above the letter ก in ฟังก์ชัน is called mái-than-thá-khâht (ไม้ทัณฑฆาต). It means that the letter below it is not pronounced. It also means that the word has likely been adopted from another language.

lower v. – ลด – lót
Put your hand down.
ลด มือ ลง ซี
Lót meu long* see.
lit. lower hand down (urge)

*When the word long (ลง) is placed before the word for a vehicle, like a car or bus, it means to get out of it, since one steps down when exiting.

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Add 100s of easy Thai words to your working vocabulary in a week’s time with our Original Thai-English Language Cognate Dictionary & Learning Tool.

Buy the PDF eBook version for only $3.99

Buy the Print Book from our Bookstore for $8.99

Or pick up the multi-platform eBook edition for your iPad, Palm Pilot, Sony Reader, Nook, iPhone, or other portable device by clicking on the following link:

Purchase: Thai-English Cognate Dictionary

Learning Easy Thai: At the Workplace

Learning Thai does not have to be hard or boring. At LivingHour.org we make learning Thai easy and fun. Our book The Original Thai-English Cognate Dictionary & Learning Tool is especially helpful to expats working in Thailand who want to learn the Thai language quickly. In one week’s time you can expect to add hundreds of easy Thai words to your working vocabulary.

The cognates, loanwords, and similar sounding words featured in the book makes it easy to remember new Thai words. And the colloquial Thai sample sentences help you to speak Thai correctly. Here is a brief excerpt of a few entries from the book and eBook dealing with the Thai workplace and working with Thais.

decide v. – ตัดสินใจ – dtàt-sĭn-jai
Don’t look at me. It’s up to you to decide.
อย่า มอง นะ แล้วแต่ คุณ จะ ตัดสินใจ
Yàh mawng ná. Láeo-dtàe khun jà dtàt-sĭn-jai.
lit. don’t look (soften), up to you will decide*

*decide (ตัดสินใจ) = dtàt-sĭn (ตัดสิน) decide/judge + jai (ใจ) heart/mind

graphic n. – กราฟิก – grah-fík
We need to change the graphics on this.
ต้อง เปลี่ยน กราฟิก นี้
Dtâwng bplìan grah-fík née.
lit. must change graphic this*

*When you point to an object as being the thing that you want or are talking about, the word for this takes a falling tone: nêe (นี่).

office n. – ออฟฟิศ – àwf-fít
I’ll see what I can do. But the office is closed for a week.
ผม จะ ดู ว่า ทำ อะไร ได้ แต่ ออฟฟิศ ปิด หนึ่ง อาทิตย์
Phŏm jà doo wâh tham à-rai dâi dtàe àwf-fít bpìt nèung ah-thít*
lit. I will see that do what can but office closed one week

*Note that the word ah-thít (อาทิตย์), which above means week, literally means sun, and is used in the word for Sunday, which is wan-ah-thít (วันอาทิตย์).

plan n. – แผน – phaen
Do you know why your plan failed?
คุณ ทราบ มั้ย ครับ ทำไม แผน พลาด ไป
Khun sâhp* mái khráp, tham-mai phaen phlâht bpai?
lit. you know (question) (polite) why plan fail go

*Note that the word sâhp (ทราบ) is the formal word for know. In most situations the less formal róo (รู้) is fine to use.

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Add 100s of easy Thai words to your working vocabulary in a week’s time with our Original Thai-English Language Cognate Dictionary & Learning Tool.

Buy the PDF eBook version for only $3.99

Buy the Print Book from our Bookstore for $8.99

Or pick up the multi-platform eBook edition for your iPad, Palm Pilot, Sony Reader, Nook, iPhone, or other portable device by clicking on the following link:

Purchase: Thai-English Cognate Dictionary

Learning Easy Thai Top 40 Series Launched

We are pleased to announce the launch of a new learning Thai language series titled the Easy Thai Top 40™. The first edition of this series is Colloquial Language and Expressions, and includes 40 popular colloquial Thai expressions along with related Thai language notes.

In the coming weeks, we will be offering a wide variety of other “top 40″ Thai language eBooks, including a spin off series titled Easy Isaan Top 40™. All books in this series will cost only 99 cents. In addition, we will soon be offering accompanying Thai language audio books for this series for only 99 cents per book.

The following is an excerpt and two sample entries from the Easy Thai Top 40: Colloquial Language Expressions. Please check back with us regularly for new additions to the series, as we expect to add new eBooks and audio books every week or two.

Welcome to the Easy Thai Top 40: Colloquial Language Expressions, the first offering in a series of mini-eBooks aimed at helping Thai language learners acquire colloquial Thai in the quickest time. Inspired by the fact that foreign language students learn faster when related knowledge is clustered together in easy accessible chunks, the Easy Thai Top 40 series minimizes the time you spend learning Thai and maximizes the results.

In the Colloquial Language Expressions edition, you will learn 40 popular expressions in the Thai language, many of which are not included in other books or Thai language websites. These expressions will quickly help you down the path of speaking more like a native Thai and less like a Thai dictionary or phrasebook. The 40 Thai expressions included here are based on our ten years of living and working with both professional Thais and rural folks in the provinces of Thailand.

Daily expressions can be tricky but they are important to learn when studying any language, especially so with the Thai language. All too often, Thai-English language teachers and authors get tripped up by either the nuances of the Thai phrase or the English equivalent. These teachers thus provide translations that are not quite accurate. For example, many people have translated the English expression “No Way!” into Thai as “mâi mee thahng” (not have way). Because they have translated the English expression literally, they have missed the nuance, which is that “No Way!” is used to show shock and surprise. One correct equivalent expression in Thai would be “Dtòk-jai leuy ná nîa!”, which incorporates the Thai word for shocked, followed by three Thai particles.

In this edition of the Easy Thai Top 40™, you’ll learn how to use such Thai particles correctly. Organized by the equivalent English expression, each colloquial Thai entry is written phonetically and in the Thai script. This is followed by a literal English translation of the expression and a Thai language note covering such areas as particle usage, pronouns, root words, and similar sounding words.

SAMPLE

Busted!
Jàp dâi láeo (จับ ได้ แล้ว)
lit. caught can already

*The word jàp (จับ) is used when someone is caught doing something wrong, as well as to refer to when someone is arrested.

Cheer up!
Râh-ruhng* khâo wái! (ร่าเริง เข้า ไว้)
lit. cheerful enter keep

râh-ruhng (ร่าเริง) cheerful = râh (ร่า) joyfully + ruhng (เริง) lively

Purchase the PDF eBook version for only 99 cents!

Or pick up the eBook edition for your iPad, Palm Pilot, Kindle, Sony Reader, Nook, iPhone, or other portable device by clicking on the following link:

Buy The Easy Thai Top 40 eBook: Colloquial Language Expressions