How to Learn to Speak and Read the Thai Language and Have Fun Doing It! | TIMyT 087
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- Опубліковано 8 лют 2025
- Learn to speak and read Thai and have fun doing it! www.learnthaion...
I get asked constantly about learning the Thai language. Learning to speak Thai is pretty difficult for a number of reasons. It's difficult to speak the Thai language because it's a tonal language. For foreigners that create some challenges because we talk pretty much monotone.
the other issue is because the characters or alphabet aren't characters that are easy to remember for foreigners.
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One thing I've learned over the years is that the people who could speak proficiently and fluently learned how to read the Thai language first. Even though we have a number of free resources in our RC Asia member site to learn to speak Thai I wholeheartedly believe that learning to read Thai first will help out a lot to becoming proficient. So what's the easiest way to learn all the Thai alphabet and their associated sounds? I've always recommended an online program that makes it easy to remember the characters and their associated sounds. You can check out their free lesson and you'll see that after a few minutes you're already reading Thai.
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I used the book Read Thai in 10 Days to learn to read. It took me closer to a month, but I'd still recommend the book.
What is the books name?
@@172jeejjs8 Read Thai in 10 Days
I used it too. It's brilliant!
I used it too. It's brilliant!
Sawadee...I have been to Thailand many times, and finally making the preps to moving over. Ive been watching your videos off and on over the years, and have to say, that you 2 are so good together! very relaxed, informative...thank you! My Thai -neetnoi, but not too bad... and have began to read a bit. You are right, reading really helps! I'm going to join in on the member site.
Hey thanks! Yes starting out reading really gives you one leg up when it comes to speaking. Looking back I wish I had done it that way. Hope to see you on the inside!
Many good points JC about being able to save money here and live a better life than in your home country. I takes time learning how to do that. Learning Thai not only saves you time and hassle but you save money. That has always been my number one rule. If i see English at a hotel, bike rental, restaurant or anywhere i walk away. One good example was a tourist area that had a line of restaurants with English menus. Prices ranged from 90 baht to as high as over 200 baht for a very average Thai meal. I walked a little bit to the local Thai market. Did not see or hear a word of English. Not a foreigner in sight. Had lunch for 30 baht.
Yes exactly the strategy to use to save 💲
Thanks JC! I always enjoy your videos! A pleasure to see you both! Have a great day!
Thanks Charles
hi JC,
i do enjoy your videos, because you always come up with some good piece of advice and information about life in thailand while many more videos deal with mongering, disco life and so on. i don't say i don't watch them , because i do actually, but your videos bring some kind of welcome change i appreciate. sorry for those viewers who can be unecessarily rude to you youtubers. i mean if you don't like what you are looking at, why not leave and look for another video? there are thousands and thousands of videos on youtube!
now as for "How to Learn to Speak and Read the Thai Language and Have Fun Doing It", and this is the second time i'm saying the same thing: i've learnt to write, to read and speak thai without spending a single dollar. the only thing one needs is a computer and access to the internet. there are countless thai courses, free of charges on the net, indeed! but whether you want a private teacher, attend a thai school or learn thai by yourself, i think the first thing is the MOTIVATION and then of course the DISCIPLINE&PATIENCE. again, i don't pretend i'm fluent in thai but, for instance, i've got no problems saying with the right tone "ฉี่ (chee)= to urinate because i've learnt by heart the 3 Groups in the thai alphabet: low, middle, high. i don't believe in people pretending they've learnt thai in 3 months or so. thai is very difficult, has countless homonyms and synonyms, one must have what it takes (motivation, discipline, patience) before one can speak it correctly. consonants are more important than vocals in thai, so it took me 6 months to learn(write and read) by heart the 45 thai consonants, a few of them are obsolete, though. but even after 3 years or so of learning thai, i need more than often a dictionary when i read a thai newspaper. but that is a challenge i enjoy :-)
At least you are trying and not trying a multitude of excuses as to why you can not.
@@jamesspignesi1
right! i've read ads such as "speak thai in 3 weeks". this is just scam if you ask me because those courses aren't free to begin with and besides being able to say " hello", "what is your name", "i want a glas of water"... and often with a wrong tone isn't exactly what i'd call to speak thai.
@@piquedard Lonely Planet is by far the worst. Those guide books are a joke and dangerous The best i have found are taught by Thais on UA-cam.
@@jamesspignesi1
i believe you about lonely planet! i agree with you also as for the thai taught by natives on youtube. for me it's an essential complement to my somehow literay thai. here i learn the real spoken thai
@@piquedard Give Lonely Planet to your worst enemy on Earth. My rule is use the LP as a guide book to all the places you should avoid like your life depended on it. The tourist slums, the maps, Thai language so bad its dangerous, the hotels, restaurants, travel shops, advice on scams. You do need it and will serious regret using it. You might ask well where to you stay. My travel locations are top secret as to where i live. My advice you see English signs , menus, ANYTHING RUN! I only stay in hotels and guesthouses where the Thais stay. They tend to be cheaper, better service, nicer rooms and often have a latch on the door for a second lock. I suggest you keep your places you stay a secret. Once the mobs start showing up and see you that first English sign kiss paradise good bye. Seen so many places ruined because of the LP and other sites because of their greed. Because all those sites don,t know crap about Southeast Asia.
Excellent video some great information.
I'm learning Thai but not learning to read or write Thai.
Maybe I should get this app. when it's out.
I do think the symbols shown on here are very memorable.
Thank you for uploading this.
Best wishes to you both.
I concur that reading is the best way to learn to speak the language. I can speak enough not to starve to death or get lost, but want to expand it a lot. Having been previously married to a Thai for 12 years and now living in Chiang Mai for over 2 years my progress has been pathetic. I did have a look at this course but thought it a bit silly and no help to learning the alphabet. I've also tried various apps but don't seem to get beyond about 10 letters. Some of the letters you need a degree in caligraphy to be able to reproduce 😁. I will have another go at the free foundation course and see if I can achieve a little more.
im married to a thai and still cant speak the language she wont teach me ,i recon she doesnt want me to know what she is saying hahaha
@@crispernator One of the reasons I learnt a little was so I knew what mine was saying about me. Having a Thai wife who speaks English is a negative to learning IMHO. I think as you have an in-house translator it reduces your motivation to learn her language.
You might want to check out the book "Read Thai in 10 Days", Ian. The guy who wrote it designed the curriculum and wrote all the textbooks at Duke Language School in Bangkok. He definitely knows his stuff.
@@exploring_thailand Thanks I'll take a look when I crawl out of bed in the morning.
@@IanWheldale Haha I saw in your last video that you'd been a bit under the weather lately. I hope you're feeling สบายดี soon.
I took the free part of this thai language course years ago when it was called "Learn Thai From The White Guy" and to this day I still remember most of the letters I learned back then, about 12-15 I think. BTW: It only took about 30 minutes to learn them. Using comedy sure does work when learning this stuff. LOL
I really enjoy your very interesting videos and look forward to each one. Thank you for so generously sharing your knowledge.
You're welcome
Thanks JC. Very helpful. Will give this a try. Still struggling getting beyond the basics...
Its going to take time. But just keep trying. You will never regret it once you figure it out.
@@jamesspignesi1 I know. I’m fluent in 4 (western) languages (speak, read and write) but Thai is somehow on another level... I think that's also the reason many expats don't want to learn, too much effort. They had a life of "you must do this, you must do that" behind them and come to Thailand to relax and do what they want to do.
@@TJSiam Yea and that is a big mistake here. I am on holiday/retirement therefore i do as i wish. And one of the many reasons the visas have become somewhat more difficult. The i will do as i please gang took that to a whole new level and the Thais finally decided they had had enough of our bad behavior. Thai is the only other language i ever learned to speak and i taught myself. Yet i am a complete idiot when it comes to language. It got old real fast always feeling as if i was living in a bubble completely separate from my host country Thailand. Having to play charades just trying to find a toilet or getting something to eat. Thai store owners don,t have twenty minutes trying to figure out what it is you want.
I personally get real tired of having to recuse every Thai or expat every time they want something or there is a dispute because they can not understand each other. There is really no excuse not to at least learn the basics of Thai. And stop depending on your partner wherever you found her to translate for you. The number one reason expats get taken advantage of by Thais that wish to drain your pockets is knowing Mr. Farang is oblivious to everything that is going on around them. And often referred to as ( Khway) Water buffalo. So the next time you get ripped off or you got lazy and found your woman in a bar you only have yourself to blame.
@@TJSiam The do as i wish crowd tends to get themselves into trouble. And the major reason why. Unwilling to learn Thai there is NO EXCUSE !
I did this course after you first mentioned it a few years ago. It worked just as you said at first, I learned the alphabet very fast but then it started to get complicated as you get further. This course just as others Ive tried does some things well but in the end it gets complicated. When you need to start to construct sentences it just gets messy.
Yes but try the "normal" way! YIKES it's even more difficult IMHO
If it took you 4 to 6 years to finish your university degree don't expect to learn Thai in months. I'm doing ok after six months. Every month that goes by I can read easier and speak more fluently. Just keep going. Make a commitment. It's worth it. I've heard foreigners speaking Thai close to native speakers. I'm so inspired😊.
Great video JC and Nat, really useful information, I am just about to start my reading and writing classes, with the help of Bee, my wife, hopefully I can pick it up. Talk soon JC
Next time we meet you and I will speak Thai and the girls will speak English!
retirecheapjc sounds good JC, I will try my best 😃
Thanks for sharing! I can second that the member site is the friendliest place to be on the internet, as long as you are friendly your self. I thought my wife would teach me. But that does not go well, so I might have to try this one. So maybe I might surprise some... ;-) Keep up the good work!
Yes Svein I'm waiting to talk with you again and have a conversation on Thai this year!
Thank you Nat and JC. Thank you Mr. fishing shirt. Wink Wink. Still have mine from Florida when l visited in 2003. Thai lessons sound good.
🎣 😎👍
Hi JC Nat,
Nice vlog buddy. Yep you're right about these language teaching aids from this guy, and even thougnpolitacally incorrect at times they are funny and very helpful along with some other audio and written books I am using to learn Thai. Keep up the great vloga JC.
Thanks Philip
very good and informative
I just wanted to say that there's an app you can get on your phone. All you have to do is look at the sign on your phone like you're taking a picture. The phone automatically translate the picture. Sweet. I'm learning Thai now but I do understand that learning to read first is better. In my case, I know I'm pronouncing my words correctly. How? I have a Thai girlfriend.
Maybe have everybody hold signs then! The key you missed was how much better and faster you'll learn to speak if you read it first. But maybe just use devices to communicate forever is a better option!😃
Love the channel, guys...always informative!...🙂👍
Thanks Jim 🙏
The free app "Everyday Thai" is excellent and fun.
J C your videos are fantastic thank you ,
Thank YOU🙏
People are going to philippines now from uk cheaper for us 38bht to the pound makes thailand not so cheap at the moment
Make sure that the money aspect isn't the primary or only reason you're gonna move someplace or you'll be severely disappointed in the long-term. The financial aspect should be icing on the cake not the cake itself.
Thumbs up 👍👍👍
Always great stuff and fun to watch! you guys are great! sorry not still in chaingmai cos coffee would be on me! just looked on the bottom for link to thai class and nothing there ! 0 just someone elses comment?
No link?
Being that I won't retire for at least 7 more years. I honestly believe Technology will be a game changer, currently there are apps for your cellular phone and also standalone devices translators and they will only get better with more time.
I also believe if you are going to spend any long periods of time anywhere you need to be at a minimum polite, and trying to speak the language would be part of being polite... After all who wants to have the title as "The Ugly American," where ever they go in Thailand.
You met German expats?😬
Yes good point about technology.
Thailand seems to be changing much faster than.....ex-pats income.
Got the point and enjoy the channel. Viet Nam or even Mexico seems to be a much better deal(money wise) but Then you miss out on Thai culture, ect.
Yes there are many ups and downs and pros and cons when it comes to deciding where to live out our "golden years" aren't there?
DON'T STOP WHAT YOUR DOING. ITS BEEN A GREAT HELP
Thanks
Those that attack you JC are only attacking themselves. They just don't realize it. They are unconscious. Keep up the good work!
The majority of the attacks stem from one person and his trolls from his YT channel. JC is just one of numerous channels he attacks almost on a daily basis. At least two of his trolls make a appearance on every single video. Currently there is a lawsuit filed against this man who lives in Rayong yet continues to harass all YT Thai based channels.
@@jamesspignesi1 Thanks for the info James.
@@kyotosal anytime. like i said the source is all one person
I know somebody who also has filled a contract as well. Only a matter of time. He forgets life is cheap in Thailand.
@@EscapetoThailand real cheap !
45 baht = 1.3 eu is not that cheap for a coffee.
I can buy a coffee in Germany for 2 euros = 68 baht.
you get a cafe for @1.- @ mcd,..... but i whould not call it a coffee.....
yeah if you make it at home...
@@brendanscully5787 are you living in Germany?
@@user-ov5nd1fb7s you are going to struggle - I can get a 1st world coffee for a 3rd world price in Udon...with the amount of tax you pay, I doubt Germany can compete, that said, you can come to Thailand or stay, I dont care - its not what the vid is about.
Wait till you see the price of alcohol in Thailand😬
I enjoyed watching the pretty woman working behind you!
wiki thai alphabet is all you need and a lot of time5555
There is no easy way to learn this writing system.
Common JC. Got to call you out on this one. One of your other video's (don't remember which one) You said that you were embarrassed because you were in Thailand 10 years and still did not know how to read Thai. Now you're an expert at reading Thai? Hmm.
Not sure where you ever heard me say I am an expert at reading Thai or can even read. I just said that the people that speak proficiently learn to read first. Please pay closer attention to the message.
I like you changed your wording from link to affiliated link... please JC stay neutral in your videos.
Lazy a bit... my Thai wife handle all the Thai conversation and Thai to Thai conversation her alone with any contractors we may hire, farang become invisible during the deal.
That is often the best route but you need to be able to get around by yourself
Yes that's fine Pierre as long as she was around. There could be challenging situations where she's not nearby or that you're going to need to communicate even on a basic level. For that I suggest that you use her as your teacher and mentor and spend a certain amount of time every week practicing to get proficient in at least the basic words and phrases.
bro. where do u get your jurassic park types of shirts from?
@@jamesspignesi1 excuse me?
@@jamesspignesi1 what has that to do with my question bro?
Disneyland maybe ? You have an issue with shirts.
@@jamesspignesi1 no. i like those shirts and wanted to know what brand it is.
@@microsoft1665 Well i admit i like the various colors
That was the first clip of your channel that I came across when searching about farang or any foreigner speaking or learning thai. I thought the on-line exercise you recommended was weird and annoying too.
I always want to know how foreigner think about Thai language either at the surface or at competence level.
My thoughts are grammatically, Thai is quite a logical language. The verbs do not change depending on the tense so you have กิน (gin) where in English it could be eat, ate, eaten. In Thai you define the tense in the sentence structure so will eat, eat already, this morning eat etc. The problem westerners have with the language is it is tonal. We use tones in our own language on words to be expressive such as saying really or REALLY! but the word has the same meaning. In Thai with the 5 different tones a single word will have different meanings. This is very difficult to recognise, especially when spoken at normal speaking speed. Also there are a lot of single syllable words all quite similar and in spoken Thai if they have a final hard consonant this is not really pronounced. So เด็ก (dek) sounds like de. It takes a lot of practice to train your brain to recognise sentences. And then when you try to listen to someone speaking Issan you won’t recognise hardly anything. It’s a fun and challenging language to try to learn though.
Yes I'm sure as a Thai person you don't understand the nuances and challenges for foreigners to try and learn your language. It is completely foreign to us! Pun intended. There is nothing recognizable about the characters of the Thai alphabet and the tones throw us for a complete loop. Anything, and I mean anything, that can help to simplify and make fun the process of memorization is extremely helpful. And as foreigners it is ALL an exercise in memorization. But thank you so much for your comments. It's always good to hear from Thai people.
@@EscapetoThailand Remind you JC, for us thais as a kids we needed to memorize every alphabet from scratch as well but we have advantage in speaking and listening ( so we know the exact tone to match the letters). What I want to say is when it come to memorizing the writing signs everyone starts from the same point we can't relates those signs to the other you're familiar with. When I learnt Hirakana and Katakana ( No, just learn to read at very basic step) I didn't relate the letters to anything.
By the way, I have my own idea for learning language in writing and reading. You should do both way from the very basic like memorizing all the elements and at the other end, find the application and try to crack the code (a sentence). Then you ask how to break those sentence in to words and so you memorize them in a word forms without knowing how to compose a word. the next step you just learn how to compose a syllable or word. Gradually doing these back and forth I think it will come to meet in the middle and you can get through it.
@@cytone101 Isaan has has many hardship levels for listening also depending on different local dialects too ( do you know there's not just a single dialect for Isaan?) I need to train my ear too to understand more. About the hard ending consonant like เด็ก "dek" , do you hear thai saying "เด็-" ? that's also strange, we thais always say full sound "dek" and never only เดะ "deh" no matter how fast or slow speaking I guarantee !
For tones memorizing, Thai solve the problem the way we learn naturally as a kid, remember all the tones first without knowing the writing system. when you have steady tone memory then go to the next step matching the tone with the letters. You may think further how you can adapt this way of learning for foreigner if you say "Oh no, we can't learn like a child, it wastes my time".
It’s interesting you say you always pronounce the hard ending. I agree it is there but it is not fully sounded. Only started and then softly finished so it is hardly heard. In English if you say the word “deck” the k has a prominent “kuh” pronunciation. The tones are hard for us because our brains are just not trained to differentiate words based on the tones. You can no doubt understand ไหมใหม่ไม่ไหม้ ใช่ไหม, but for us it’s just mai mai mai...
People act on social media like they do in a car 'easy to be angry behind a shield
Yes🙌
Go on, say it, Thaivisa sucks...
You need 65,000 a month in income coming in to Thailand. This is mandatory
That is one of many options.
Yes Robert one of the options. But not the only one.
"Why would anyone with money go to Thailand??"
Yes why? Better stay home.