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

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.

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.

Ysaan Institute: Learn Online Courses in Thai & English

LivingHour.org is pleased to announce the establishment of the Ysaan Institute, a cyber learning center for students, scholars, and teachers in Thailand and surrounding countries. Our mission is to enhance the curriculums of schools and universities with unique online educational materials which can be integrated easily with existing courses of studies.

We are currently accepting proposals from university instructors who would like Ysaan Institute to host their courses, tests, quizzes, readings, videos, audio books, or other educational materials. We are particularly interested in proposals from university teachers involved in the fields of sustainable development, eco-travel, green living, community-level entrepreneurship, and the Thai, Isaan, and English languages.

Affordable digitalization services will be offered by the Ysaan Institute to those instructors who need help placing their educational material in a digital format which can be offered online.

We are currently working on several projects, the first two of which are the Science Scholars English Reading Certificate (SSERC) program and the Life Scholars English Reading Certificate (LSERC) program. Both programs take ESL learners slowly and systematically from a 3rd grade English reading level to the college level over a period of 30 weeks (two academic terms), with quizzes and English passages of 100 words, 250 words, and 500 words. To learn more please click on the following link:

Ysaan Institute (http://moodle.livinghour.org)

If you are a university or college instructor with a proposal (or if have any special request for learning materials), please contact us at: living(at)livinghour.org.

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.

Thai-English Translation & Editing Service – Free Quote

LivingHour.org provides outstanding Thai-English and English-Thai translation services for corporations, small businesses, and private individuals at competitive rates. Every project is handled by a native Thai fluent in English and a native English speaker who can read and speak the Thai language. LivingHour.org’s experienced staff has consulted with and edited material for such large Thai advertising agencies and corporations as Young & Rubicam, Dentsu, King Power, East West Siam, and Blue River Diamond.

Whether it is a commercial script, press release, brochure, website, or private correspondence, you can be assured that our translations are accurate and precise, and capture the nuances of both the Thai and English languages. We are especially good at translating the colloquial aspects of spoken Thai and English, and are accomplished speech writers. In addition, we are familiar in the traditional and modern forms of Thai poetry and short stories, and welcome literary translations.

No project is too small or too large.

Prices vary depending on the translation project and the speed at which it needs to be delivered. If you would like a free quotation for a Thai to English or English to Thai translation, please send us the material and a message stating how quickly you need the translation finished by to:

living (at) livinghour.org

We also provide English editing services for Thai scholars, scientists, and academics who are working on dissertations or submitting papers to international peer-reviewed journals. We have broad English editing experience across the arts and sciences, including everything from pedagogy, business management, and social psychology to nanotechnology and biophysics. Contact us to today to let us know how we can help you complete your dissertation or successfully achieve publication.

Payments for our Thai-English translation and academic editing services can be easily made via ATM transfer or Paypal.

Join the Living Hour Thai Affiliate eBook Program

Good news for those looking to make extra cash from their websites. Thanks to our relationship with e-junkie, we are happy to be able to invite international and Thailand-based bloggers and website owners to become affiliates of LivingHour.org and earn 50% in commissions on the sale of our Learn Thai Language and SBNR (Spiritual But Not Religious) ebooks.

If you operate a blog or website dealing with Thailand, Thai tourism, Thai culture, Thai language, Thai teaching or a related topic you can earn 50% commission on the sale of our new Thai language learning tool The Original Thai-English Cognate Dictionary and Generation Next (Thai Slang & Colloquial Talk) ebooks, as well as our Learn Thai/Learn Isaan Top 40 ebook series, by joining our affiliate program.

Those with websites or blogs dealing with SBNR topics related to Progressive Christianity, Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Hinduism, Agnosticism, or a related topic can earn 50% commission on the sale of our ebook The Living Hour: The Lord’s Prayer for Daily Life and our New Century Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John).

To get started as a LivingHour.org affiliate and begin making commissions on the sale of our books, click on the following link:

Join our Affiliate Program!

If you need help with setting up your affiliate account, please go here:

Help with my Affiliate Account

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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.

English-Isaan (Isan) Dictionary

Here at LivingHour.org we have several new Thai language books and eBooks in the works, in addition to our new Original Thai-English Cognate Dictionary & Thai Language Learning Tool. One such book is the first handy English-Isaan Dictionary. Isaan (sometimes spelled Isan, Isarn, or Esarn) is the name for the Northeast region of Thailand. Home to over 20 million Thais, it is the largest region of Thailand. While few Western and Asian tourists ever make it up to this part of Thailand, more foreign retirees are finding the Isaan area a quiet, simple, and beautiful place in which to settle down.

The Isaan people share much in common with their Laos neighbors, who are separated from Thailand’s northeast by the Mekong River. The Lao influence can be found in the culture, food, and of course the language–the Isaan dialect being quite similar to Lao. While Isaan sometimes has the reputation of not being the most beautiful place in Thailand, many areas are quite lush with forests, mountains, lakes, and rivers. Especially nice is the cool season, which in Isaan is actually quite cool compared to Bangkok and central Thailand.

Although the Isaan people do learn Thai while in school, the Isaan language is what is always spoken at home and among friends. So, if you are thinking of settling down in an Isaan province such as Buriram, Kalasin, Khon Kaen, Loei, Nong Khai, Sakon Nakhon, or Udon Thani (to name a few), our new Isaan Dictionary will be a valuable tool in helping you make friends with your Isaan neighbors. Even if your Thai language skills are quite good, learning some Isaan is always appreciated by the locals.

So, stay tuned for the release of our handy English-Isaan Dictionary. Although Isaan does not have a written form, we are transcribing the words into Thai script as well as a Romanized transliteration. We hope to have it released within the next couple months.

In the meantime you can add 100s of Thai words to your working vocabulary in only a week’s time by picking up the our English loanword (cognate) dictionary and learning tool for only $8.99 (print) and $3.99 (ebook). Click on the following to learn more: The Original Thai-English Cognate Dictionary.

Call for Manuscripts: SBNR & Thai Language

LivingHour.org is currently issuing a call for manuscripts. We will consider SBNR (Spiritual But Not Religious) books that involve Progressive Christianity, Buddhism, Taoism, or Islam. For a manuscript to be seriously considered it must be in keeping with the perspective of the material that you see posted on LivingHour.org—so do spend some time reading the website to make sure your submission is appropriate. We appreciate works that are both literary and accessible, books where the author exhibits a sense of humor about themselves and the world around them.

We are also accepting submissions of learn Thai language books that are original and can offer students of the Thai language something which they cannot get from other books.

Do to the amount of submissions we expect to receive, please do not expect a detailed critique of your manuscript. But we will let you know our decision usually within 2-3 weeks after receiving your submission.

Please note that our publishing program for authors is for e-books and POD books. Accepting publication with LivingHour.org means that we will edit your manuscript, prepare it for e-book and print publication, and distribute it online via Smashwords, CreateSpace, Amazon.com, and Barnes & Noble. We also will promote the book via our website, which receives thousands of visitors every month, and other online venues. In return, we keep 40% of the revenue that we receive from our distributors. The author receives 60% of this revenue as their royalty payment. There are no upfront costs for the author required.

For Thai language books wished to be purchased by expats in Thailand, we will print these locally and ship them from our Isaan office.

Submission Guidelines

Please send us a sample chapter, along with a well written cover letter that details who you are, who you see as the audience of your book, what aspects of your book make it original and compelling, and what you will do personally to help promote the book. Submissions should be made to: living [at] livinghour (dot) org.

Lastly, please do not get discouraged if we reject your manuscript. We are a small publisher and can only accept a few manuscripts each year that most closely match the mission of LivingHour.org.

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

Free Language Resources: Women Learning Thai

When it comes to finding free resources for learning Thai, the blog “Women Learning Thai” is a great place to start your search. The blog is loaded with links to free Thai language resources. The site is also filled with interviews with farangs who have conquered the Thai language, conducted by the blog’s creator Catherine Wentworth.

A quick browse of the top posts on the “Women Learning Thai” website shows the following as the most popular blog posts:

* Learn Thai Online for FREE
* Review: Thai Language Schools in Bangkok
* FREE: Quick & Dirty Thai Vocabulary Download
* Thai Language Cheat Sheets
* Thai Language Phrase Books: A Mega Review
* Google Books: Thai Learning Resources
* Top Thai Language Learning Resources
* The Easy Way for Beginners to Read and Write
* The Thai Alphabet Poem
* Thai-English Readers with Mp3s
* Thai Typing Tutors: aTypeTrainer4Mac
* Recording the Thai National Anthem
* Google Translation & Thai Dictionaries

The site also covers recent events, and includes a new post on learning Thai with the red shirt crowd. In that post she takes a Thai language article on Thaksin and the red shirts from Voice of America, and translates every single word, as well as transliterates all of it for the Thai language learner. There is then a Thai audio that is almost identical to the script, as well as an identical article in English. In total, the material runs about 24 pages long.

So, as you can see, there is a lot at this blog to get you started on learning the Thai language and “acquiring a new soul” as they say of those who master a new language. And don’t forget that over at Amazon.com you can purchase The Original Thai-English Language Cognate Dictionary & Learning Tool for your Kindle.

Or you can purchase the Smashwords Thai Learning edition for your Palm Pilot, Sony Reader, Nook, iPhone, or other portable device. More info soon on buying the print edition.

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 Language: Emotions & Feelings

The following material dealing with the Thai language and the expression of emotions and feelings is excerpted from the new easy Thai language book and eBook The Original Thai/English Language Cognate Dictionary & Learning Tool, which includes loanwords as well as similar sounding words to help you learn colloquial Thai in the quickest possible time. Within the book you’ll find hundreds of easy Thai sample sentences not included in any other Thai learning book. You will quickly and easily be better able to express your emotions and feelings with your Thai friends and colleagues.

love (think luck) v. – รัก – rák
He said it was love at first sight.
เขา บอก ว่า มัน เป็น รักแรกพบ
Kháo bàwk* wâh man bpen rák-râek-phóp.
lit. he say that it is love-first-meet

*The word wâh (ว่า) can also mean say/tell

angry adj. – โกรธ – gròt
I’m angry because there is no co-operation in this place.
ผม โกรธ เพราะ ที่นี่ ไม่ มี ความร่วมมือ สักนิด
Phǒm gròt práw thêe-nêe mâi mee khwahm-rûam-meu* sàk-nít.
lit. I angry because here not have cooperation* even a little

The word khwahm (ความ) is a prefix added to a verb or adjective to form an abstract noun. In this case, it is added to the verb cooperate rûam-meu (ร่วมมือ), which literally means join-hand, to form cooperation.

bitch (complain) v. – บ่น – bòn
Are you gonna keep bitchin’?
แก จะ บ่น ไป เรื่อย ป่ะ เนี่ย
Gae jà bòn bpai rêuay bpà* nîa
lit. you will go bitch always (question) (emph.)

*The word bpà (ป่ะ) is an informal question particle used in or not questions. It is commonly used by young Thais.

bored adj. – เบื่อ – bèua
What do you mean, you’re bored?
หมายความ ว่า ไง คุณ เบื่อ
Măi-khwahm wâh ngai khun bèua?
lit. means* that how you bored

*means (หมายความ) = măi (หมาย) mean/intend + khwahm (ความ) meaning/sense

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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

Thai Culture: Mai Pen Rai

In Thailand the ubiquitous phrase “mai pen rai” is well known to foreigners who have visited the Kingdom. Used in a variety of situations, mai pen rai is often translated as “never mind” or “it’s no big deal” in guidebooks, but a more accurate, albeit wordy, translation would be “this matter is so insignificant, let us not give it another thought.” Mai pen rai encapsulates much of what is admirable in the Thai character, and it is a phrase that one expects Jesus would have used liberally had it been available to him.

Mai pen rai¹ is perhaps most commonly used as a substitute for “you’re welcome,” a phrase which basically has no equivalent in the Thai language. You’re welcome is also a phrase that we never see Jesus using in the Gospels. The reason for this is that you’re welcome is really a command. You are welcome to do what? You’re welcome to return my kindness some day; that’s what. In other words, you’re welcome carries with it the feeling of “you owe me”.

That is not how Jesus (or Buddha) taught us to perform kindness and charity. Instead the prophet taught us to act kindly with no expectation of anything in return. We are to behave kindly because that is what we are expected to do as Sons and Daughters of God. Kindness is part of our divine natures, thus when acting kindly and generously we are tapping into that divinity.

It is for similar reasons that Thais never developed an equivalent phrase for you’re welcome. Behaving with kindness and generosity is expected of you because that is the way good people behave, and you are expected to be a good person. Mai pen rai is thus the perfect response to those who thank us. It takes the ego out of our charity and kindness, erasing the idea that there is anything special about it, and casting away any notion that we desire something in return.

Mai pen rai is ultimately an SBNR (Spiritual But Not Religious) term, and one which all Westerners (especially Progressive Christians) could benefit by using daily.

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Go to Amazon.com to purchase the e-book version of LivingHour.org’s book for Thai language learners by clicking the following link: The Original Thai-English Language Cognate Dictionary & Learning Tool.

Or purchase the Smashwords Thai Learning Edition for your Palm Pilot, Sony Reader, Nook, iPhone, or other portable device. Come back soon for information on buying the print edition.

1. Also spelled mai pehn rai, mai ben rai, and mai bpen rai [↩]

Free Thai Language Lesson: Easy Thai Top 40

LivingHour.org would like to thank all the Thai language students and tourists of Thailand who have been purchasing the paperback and ebook versions of The Original Thai-English Cognate Dictionary and Learning Tool since its recent release.

If you have purchased a copy, please email your receipt of payment to us at: living (at) livinghour.org. And we will send you a free copy of the first Thai language lesson in our Easy Thai Top 40 series: Colloquial Language Expressions.

New customers can take advantage of our free offer too. If you have yet to purchase your copy of our Thai-English cognate dictionary (which is loaded with colloquial Thai sample sentences and Thai language tips), simply purchase today the PDF version of the Thai-English Cognate Dictionary for only $3.99.

Click on the following “Buy Now” button, which will take you to our secure PayPal shopping cart provided by e-junkie. After purchasing your copy, we will send you a free copy of the colloquial Thai language expressions mini-ebook too.

Buy The Thai-English Cognate Dictionary PDF eBook for Only $3.99

If you purchase our cognate dictionary and learning tool (ebook or paperback) through Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, or any of our other retail partners please email us the receipt of your payment to receive your free learn Thai ebook.

Here are a couple samples from the easy Thai language books that you will be getting:

The Original Thai-English Cognate Dictionary & Learning Tool

bill n. – บิล – bin
Excuse me! We’ll take the bill now.
น้อง เช็คบิล ด้วย นะ
Náwng*, chék-bin dûay ná.
lit. young person, check-bill (polite) (soften)

*In restaurants you can call the attention of your waiter/waitress with the word náwng (น้อง), which is how an older person commonly addresses a young person. It is not to be used though if the server is clearly older than you.

Easy Thai Top 40: Colloquial Language Expressions

I’m just looking.
Doo cheuy cheuy.* (ดู เฉยๆ)
lit. look indifferent indifferent

*This is the expression to use with a salesperson when you don’t want to be bothered.

Thanks again for supporting LivingHour.org by purchasing our books and ebooks. All proceeds go to course and materials development at the Ysaan Institute: Sustainable Development Through Education.

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