Teach Yourself Thai Language & Have Fun Learning It!

Certain subjects require a level of seriousness to learn, but when it comes to Teaching Yourself Thai it is the fun factor that matters most. The vast majority of adult language learners quit after a few weeks or months out of boredom or because they find the language too difficult. This is not the case though when Thai language learners supplement their study with LivingHour.org. Having fun is where our easy Thai language books outshine all others. Our Learning Thai e-books and books are filled with material that you will have fun learning from and enjoy using.

Fun isn’t the only reason why our Thai language books are so popular with expats, English teachers, and tourists. All of our books are edited by both professional Thai editors who are fluent in English and foreign educators who are conversant in Thai. This unique combination results in a level of accuracy that is rarely found in other Thai language learning resources.

As everyone knows, Thai people value fun above almost everything else. In the kingdom of Thailand, “sanuk” (fun) is a way of life. That is why you want to teach yourself Thai with words, sentences, and phrases you can use to have fun and joke with Thais.

Using LivingHour.org’s entertaining easy Thai language books, you will have fun learning and using such material as:

Generation Next (Slang & Colloquial Talk)

You like that song? I think it’s so lame.
เธอ ชอบ เพลง นั้นเหรอ ชั้น ว่ามัน ห่วยแตก จริงๆ นะ
Thuh châwp phlayng nán rĕu? Chán wâh man hùay-dtàek jing ná.
You like song that (p)? I think it lame truly (p).

I think your brain is lame.
ชั้น ว่า สมอง นาย ต่างหาก ที่ห่วย
Chán wâh sà-măwng nai dtàhng-hàhk thêe hùay.
I think brain you on-the-contrary that-is lame.

The Original Thai-English Cognate Dictionary & Learning Tool

dance v. – เต้น – dtên
I can dance, but I don’t like to show off.
เต้น ได้ แต่ ไม่ ชอบ อวด เก่ง
Dtên dâi dtàe mâi châwp ùat gèng.
lit. dance* can but not like show off excellently

Learn Thai Top 40: How to Flirt in Thai

No need to flatter me, I’ve already fallen for you.
ไม่ต้อง ยกยอ ฉัน ก็ หลง เธอ แล้ว
Mâi dtâwng yók-yaw, chăn gâw lŏng thuh láeo.
lit. not must tempt, I (joiner) into you already

Learn Thai Top 40: Heart to Heart Talk

dtâng-jai – ตั้งใจ – v. – to intend to (lit. heart established)
I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do that. I was really drunk.
ขอโทษ ผม ไม่ ได้ ตั้งใจ ผม เมา มาก
Khăw-thôht. Phŏm mâi dâi dtâng-jai. Phŏm mao mâhk.
lit. sorry, I not did intend, I drunk a lot

Learning Easy Thai Language: Heart to Heart Talk

The mini-ebook Heart to Heart Talk, the 2nd book in our Easy Thai Top 40™ series, is now for sale. Whether you are an expat or a tourist in Thailand, Heart to Heart Talk will be an essential language resource for making the most out of your stay in the kingdom. Like our Original Thai-English Cognate Dictionary, each easy Thai entry is complimented with a colloquial sample sentence that will help you better communicate with the Thais that you meet during your trip or those who are part of your daily life as an expat.

While there are hundreds of heart (jai) words in the Thai language, only a small percentage of these are commonly used on a daily basis. And if you use one of the uncommon heart words, you may not be understood. In Heart to Heart Talk, we give you the heart talk that every Thai will understand and which covers a broad range of emotions and situations. It is all the heart talk you likely will ever need. The following is an excerpt from the introduction to Heart to Heart Talk and two easy Thai sample entries:

Welcome to Heart to Heart Talk, the 2nd mini-ebook in our Easy Thai Top 40 series. In this edition you will learn the most commonly spoken Thai “heart” (jai) words, along with related sample sentences, so that you can start today having heart to heart talks and easily remember all the vocabulary. Each entry is written both in the Thai script and an easy to understand phonetic spelling in English. The heart talk word is defined both figuratively and literally. This is followed by an easy Thai heart talk sentence, the equivalent sentence in English, and a word for word translation of the Thai into English. With this book you will see exactly how Thai heart talk sentences are formed and quickly begin creating heart to heart talks with your Thai friends, colleagues, wife, husband, or lover.

Why should you learn how to have heart to heart talks in Thailand? Well, because the language we speak is a window into the way we view the world and interact with people. In addition, sometimes a particular language seems especially suited to a certain aspect of culture. For example, the musicality of the Italian language seems tailor made for poetry and opera; the vast multicultural vocabulary of the English language makes it a useful tool for modern science; and the heart talk of the Thai language helps us communicate with others with kindness, understanding, sympathy, patience, and joy. Learning how to use heart talk not only helps you better understand the spirit of the Thai people, it helps you better understand yourself.

SAMPLE

bplìan-jai – เปลี่ยนใจ – v. – to change one’s mind (lit. change heart)
I just changed my mind. That’s all.
ฉัน เปลี่ยนใจ ไม่ มี เหตุผล
Chăn bplìan-jai. Mâi mee hàyt-phŏn.
lit. I changed mind, not have reason

jai-rawn – ใจร้อน – v./adj. – to be hot-tempered (lit. heart hot)
Hold on a sec’. Don’t be a hot head.
แป๊บ นึง นะ อย่า ใจร้อน ไป หน่อย เลย
Bpáep nèung ná. Yàh jai-ráwn bpai nòi leuy.
lit. just a second one (soften), don’t hot head go (soften) (emph.)

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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 Easy Thai Top 40 eBook: Colloquial Thai Heart to Heart Talk

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

Rewriting the Book on English Teaching in Thailand

The Ysaan Institute & LivingHour.org continue to rewrite the book on English teaching and education in Thailand with the release of student workbook versions of its popular paperbacks Generation Next (Slang & Colloquial Talk) and The Original Thai-English Cognate Dictionary & Learning tool.

The workbooks are for English students in Thailand, as well as expats learning the Thai language. The release of the two books follows the Ysaan Institute’s production of two online Thai Scholars English Reading Programs that take science and liberal arts students from a 3rd grade reading level to the college level over the course of one academic year.

“English and Thai language students both face the same problems,” says Ajarn David, an English specialist who has taught for ten years in Thailand and is an adviser to the Ysaan Institute. “More often than not the Thai and English books they use are littered with mistakes, lack word for word literal translations, and/or are filled with material that wouldn’t be spoken in the same way by the average Thai or English person on the street.

“Spoken Thai and English are much different than the written forms, yet most Thai language books and English books for Thais ignore that fact. In addition, Thai and English students both struggle with the very different ways that the English and Thai languages arrange thoughts and words, yet current language books rarely show them the differences.”

The Generation Next and Original Thai-English Cognate Dictionary workbooks address these problems by using both figurative and word for word translations with all of its material, by including sentences and dialogue that both Thai and English speakers would naturally use, and by having professional Thai and English editors work on the books together. While some English teachers in Thailand might think that their young students need to be taught more formal English first and that idiomatic talk and slang is best left for advanced students, Ajarn David disagrees.

“The current methods of teaching English in Thailand are a total failure for the vast majority of students. This isn’t only my opinion. This failure was something talked about quite publicly a number of years ago by a former Thai Education Minister, who said that everything about teaching English in Thailand needed to be radically overhauled. One could say the same thing about the teaching methods applied to learning the Thai language. Unfortunately, English and Thai language students continue to be taught in the same ineffective ways.”

“As all experienced English teachers in Thailand know, it is often difficult trying to get students interested and motivated to study English. Students often find the material either too difficult or too boring. They get frustrated easily and think that they’ll never be able to learn English. As teachers, we are continually trying to help students get over their frustration, shyness, and confusion, and have fun learning English. The book Generation Next (Slang & Colloquial Talk), which was co-authored by Sam Kittayapong, helps teachers do just that.”

“The important thing about both the Original Thai-English Cognate Dictionary and Generation Next books is that they engage students with material that interests them. You must first get students interested before any learning can take place. And just because both books focus on colloquial Thai and English, that doesn’t mean that they can’t be effective in helping teach these languages at a more formal or professional level. In addition, we don’t expect teachers to only use these books, but to use them as a valuable supplement to other language learning material.”

The Ysaan Institute provides English teachers in Thailand with free help should they decide to use either The Original Thai-English Cognate Dictionary or Generation Next (Slang & Colloquial Talk) in their classroom. The following are a few suggested sample activities:

1) Write some of the word for word English translations on the board. Then have the students try to figure out (without looking in the book) what the sentence is and how to write it correctly. This is an important activity because it gets students thinking about how thoughts and words are arranged differently in Thai and English.

2) For the Thai vocabulary words which are derived from English words, show students how the pronunciation and stress changes when the Thai language adopts an English word.

3) Have students learn the transliteration system of spelling Thai words phonetically for English speakers and randomly select different Thai words found in the book to spell phonetically. Learning to visualize the Thai language in English helps students better visualize English words too.

4)Place students in small groups and have them write new sample sentences using the slang or colloquial English words. Write them on the board and correct as needed.

5) Rewrite sample sentences and/or dialogue using more formal English, instead of the slang or colloquialisms that are used.

Contact the Ysaan Institute today at living(at)livinghour.org to order your copy of Generation Next (Slang & Colloquial Talk) or The Original Thai-English Cognate Dictionary. Teachers who order ten copies or more pay only 110* baht per copy, which is over 50% off the 225 baht price for a single copy.

*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.

Thailand Expats: Special Offer on Easy Thai Language Books

LivingHour.org would like to make a special offer to expats, teachers, and retirees in Thailand who wish to take advantage of our Learning Easy Thai language books and ebooks. We know how difficult it is sometimes for expats to acquire credit cards in Thailand, or sometimes getting Thai credit cards honored when ordering online with foreign businesses.

Therefore, we will be happy to accept ATM payment transfers from residents in Thailand.

180 Baht Special Offer*

For a 180 baht ATM payment we will send you:

1) The Original Thai-English Cognate Dictionary & Learning Tool eBook

2) The Learn Thai Top 40: Colloquial Language Expressions

3) The Easy Thai Top 40: Heart to Heart Talk

To arrange an ATM payment transfer please contact us via our Contact Page.

Hard Copy Offer: Purchase the workbook version of The Original Thai-English Cognate Dictionary & Learning Tool for only 200 baht. Again, contact us via the contact form to receive the transfer details

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