If you’re really serious about learning the Thai language, then read below for some good beginner tips to help educate you on how to form sentences in Thai. Since the Thai and English languages share similar sentence structures, Thai grammar may not be as difficult as you think.
The Declarative Simple Present form is:
SUBJECT + VERB + OBJECT / COMPLEMENT
Below are some examples of each element.
Subjects & Objects
|
I (m) |
ผม |
pŏm |
|
I (f) |
ดิฉัน |
dì-chăn |
|
You |
คุณ |
kun |
|
It |
มัน |
man |
|
He |
เขา |
kăo |
Verbs
|
To have |
มี |
mee |
|
To go |
ไป |
pbai |
|
To come |
มา |
maa |
|
To eat |
กิน |
gin |
|
To study |
เรียน |
rian |
Forming Thai sentences, like English sentences, require the basics of a subject, a verb and an object. Let’s have a look at these following example:
- ผมกินข้าว // (pŏm gin kâao) // (I eat rice).
|
SUBJECT |
VERB |
OBJECT |
|
I |
eat |
rice |
|
ผม |
กิน |
ข้าว |
|
pŏm |
gin |
kâao |
Negation
ไม่ (mâi) is the best word to use for when it comes to negation: it is placed in front of any word we want to make negative. Thus, a negative sentence takes the following form:
SUBJECT + / mai3 (dai3) / + VERB + OBJECT / COMPLEMENT
Take the following examples; in order to make this easier for beginners, I used numbers to represent tones instead of tone markers.
- มันไม่ได้อยู่ในบ้าน // (man1 mai3 dai3 yoo2 nai1 baan3) // It is not in the house.
- เขาไม่ทานผัก // (kao5 mai3 taan1 pag2) // He does not eat vegetable.
- เธอไม่มีลูกสาว // (ter1 mai3 mee1 loog3 saao5) // She does not have a daughter.
- ผมไม่ได้อยู่ใกล้สถานี // (pom5 mai3 dai3 yoo2 glai3 sa2 taa5 nee1) // I do not live near the station.
Past Tense
There is no real difference between the Present and Past Tenses in Thai. We do not have to conjugate verbs like in Japanese, English, or Korean. The best way to distinguish between the two tenses is probably to place the word แล้ว (laew4) at the end of the sentence. แล้ว (laew4) means “already” and refers to completed actions.
For example:
- ผมไปโรงเรียนแล้ว // (pom5 bpai1 roung1 rian1 leaw4) // I already went to school.
- ผมอยู่ที่นี่มาสองปีแล้ว // (pom5 yoo2 tee3 nee3 maa1 sorng5 bpee1 laew4) // I have lived here for two years.
Continuous Tense Affirmative
Any actions which are currently happening now simply put gam1lang1 before verbs.
Subject + / gam1lang1 / + Verb + Object / Complement
For example:
- ผมกำลังไปโรงเรียน // (pom5 gam1lang1 bpai1 roung1rian1) // I am going to school.
- ผมกำลังฟังอยู่ // (pom5 gam1lang1 fang1 yoo2) // I am listening.
Future Tense
If you want to talk about your plans in the future, simply put ja2 (will) in front of verbs.
For example:
- ฉันจะไปโรงเรียน // (shan5 ja2 bpai1 roung1rian1) // I will go to school.
- ฉันจะกินข้าว // (shan5 ja2 gin1 kao4) // I will eat rice.
You can study at your own pace and improve much faster thanks to your own individual attention. However, while traditional language classes force you to study outside of class, online lessons may make you feel as though you don’t have to. The truth is that you must study outside of class if you really want to improve.
Here are my tips to get the most out of your Thai online courses. You can think of creative ways to semi-immerse yourself throughout your Thai language learning journey.
Spend time with local Thais
Making friends and regularly hanging out with Thai people is the best and easiest way to pick up the language. That way, you can also transition your textbook based learning into a more relaxed tone. Conversational Thai is the way to go!
Practice
Practice with locals or by watching music videos, game shows, or cartoons. You can also practice by downloading useful apps or using websites.
Don’t give up!
Learning a language needs time. Don't rush it and remember to have fun.
Find an online tutor
The most efficient way to learn any modern language is to make your learning as interactive as possible: live what you're learning and live among those who regularly use your new language. Remember to practice the basics and start off with the proper knowledge on the language’s phonemes and accents. As Thai is a tonal language, it's hard to study by yourself.
Did you find my article helpful? I hope that it will give you a general idea of how to start learning the Thai language. I am also more than happy to help you achieve your Thai learning goals. Please check out my teacher profile and contact me for a customized Thai course. I will help you increase your confidence in Thai, as well as improve both your grammatical and communicative skills.
