How do I start learning Thai?

[mikenz66]

I am starting this thread so that we can collect some comments that will be helpful to someone new to learning the Thai language. Please try to use this thread for posting helpful suggestions or asking questions about learning Thai in general. If you want to ask specific questions, such as the meaning of a Thai word or phrase, please start a new thread.

There is a lot of useful learning material available on the Internet, such as at www.learningthai.com.
That site is in the process of being revised and some material is difficult to find right now so you may find it useful to look at these pages:
Speaking: www.learningthai.com/speak_thai.html
Reading: www.learningthai.com/thai_alphabet.html

You will, of course, find many suggestions if you browse or search this forum.

Though the Internet is a valuable resource, if you are serious about learning Thai the cost of an introductory book, with CDs or tapes so that you can learn the sounds, is quite small relative to the committment it will take to master a new language.

The book and CD set "Thai for Beginners" by Benjawan Poomsan Becker, and the associated Thai-English dictionary, both of which you can order from www.buythaibooks.com, provide a relatively inexpensive place to start. However, this book does not suit everyone and other books, recordings, or software may be more suitable for you.
Other books that you could start with include Teach Yourself Thai.
More extensive courses are available from Linguaphone and Pimsleur (Pimsleur covers only speaking and listening). These are relatively expensive, but if you are serious about learning it may be better to have a good, comprehensive, course to follow, rather than collecting numerous introductory books.

If you just need a few stock phrases for a holiday in Thailand you may find a Phrase Book (Lonely Planet or other publishers) to be very handy. If you get completely stuck you can always point to the message that you want to get across. (If you intend to do this make sure that the Thai phrases are written in the Thai language as well as transliterated to the western alphabet.)

If you just want to be able to speak a few phrases for your holiday you do not have to learn to read Thai. You can get by with learning the sounds and using a transliteration to the western alphabet. However, if you plan to study Thai in detail then learning to read is very useful. The Thai alphabet contains many more characters than the western alphabet, and the rules seem confusing at first, but once you know how to read it is quite logical and quite phonetic.

The Thai language uses tones and has a few sounds that are not used in English. Therefore, listening to native speakers is very important.

If possible, try find Thai people to practice your skills with. If you do not live in Thailand a Thai Temple near you might be a good place to start. (Visiting a local Temple will also give you an opportunity to learn a little more about Thai culture, which will make a trip to Thailand more interesting and rewarding.)

[Pailin]

Here are some other ideas:

1. Flashcards -- become one with the index card. I carry them almost everywhere and they have helped my vocabulary.

2. Thai School Books -- If you have the fortune of being in Thailand, you can go to book stores that sell Thai school books or training books intended for Thai Students (4th floor of Bookazine in Siam Square, Bangkok, for example). They are a little tricky because they are all in Thai, but with some navigation and hopefully a Thai friend, they introduce the language well. If you are not in Thailand, but you live near a Thai temple, they probably have a small library of books, there, too. I was able to get out of print Manee books on loan through my local temple here in Dallas.

3. Thai Music Karaoke -- It is a great way to hear words and read them at the same time. It helps a lot in learning vowells and understanding what sounds are made. It is best when it is only Thai, and if a Karaoke/English is also on the screen, try to not look at it. I would also further reccommend pop music. I wouldn't usually listen to pop music in English because I find the lyrics too simple, but when learning a new language simple is best.....believe me, I am well versed on how to say "I'm so lonely without you"

4. Be Brave -- I know this is a vague concept, but when learning a new language, at some point, you just have to jump into the deep end and try your best to swim. If we wait until we are perfect, we will never get to start. The first words I ever learned in Thai were "Water" and "Delicious". I walked around for several days gleefully pointing out anything that was remotely full of water or delicious, and with everyone I met, I told them that the water was delicious. Those might sound like very silly things to be discussing, but they gave me the confidence to try out more phrases. When I first went to Thailand, someone told me "Talk to the Chickens". I didn't quite know what that meant, but realized that it doesn't matter how your saying things...just keep talking and get as comfortable as you can with the language skills you have.

Those are some of my initial thoughts. I'd love to see what others add....

[Benesato]

I'm not all that far along the path to learning Thai, but far enough to know a couple of good ideas (apart from spending a lot of time in bars or in taxis in Bangkok - which is an excellent way to learn).

Ultimately my biggest 'pointer' is to be extremely flexible about what you take onboard.

* Don't commit to memory anything that you haven't read or heard from at least three sources. And even then, expect to have to amend it again later. If you ask even an extremely well-educated Thai who speaks English nearly fluently a question, don't take their answer for gospel.

* Always assume that your dictionary is missing a bunch of words; use 2 to 3 dictionaries at least, to be relatively sure, but even then you can't be certain.

* Remember that words in combination change meaning a lot in Thai. Just as "have to" has nothing to do with "have", so too does Thai have (not 'have to' ) heaps of equivalent phrases. thai2english.com is an excellent resource because it will distinguish phrases for you.

* As much as possible, try to learn two ways to say everything. When one way fails (and it will...one day), try it again and then try the alternative, and the odds of being understood skyrocket.

* Give yourself extremely modest goals. "I will be fluent in Thai within 3 years" is folly for any normal human. "I will be able to read a newspaper and understand most of it, write almost anything in simple to intermediate language with very few mistakes, and speak almost fluently within 5 to 8 years" is probably a realistic goal for the most diligent and studious of us...and only if we don't slack off during that time and get to spend a reasonable amount of time in the kingdom.

Benesato.

[Garro]

I have found getting rid of my UBC cable subscription to have been of great benefit to me in learning Thai. I now only watch Thai TV. It was hard at first and I am sure that it annoyed my girlfriend when I was constantly asking her to explain words, but I do this far less now.

Another benefit is that I pick up catch phrases which really amuses the Thais (especially if they realise who I am immitating). I actually really enjoy Thai TV now and some of the soaps can get quite addictive. It is also good because previously I felt guilty about watching TV because it was a waste of time but now I have an excuse.

Last year,when I neded to go back to Ireland, I ordered a load of VCDs of Thai comedies and soaps to bring with me. The great thing about them is that you can learn without realising it.

[nak_yim]

I think best ways is to find a Thai friends. From experience in learning another language is, there's no point of learning from books or cassette if you have no one to pratice it with

[leyla]

* Give yourself extremely modest goals. "I will be fluent in Thai within 3 years" is folly for any normal human. "I will be able to read a newspaper and understand most of it, write almost anything in simple to intermediate language with very few mistakes, and speak almost fluently within 5 to 8 years" is probably a realistic goal for the most diligent and studious of us...and only if we don't slack off during that time and get to spend a reasonable amount of time in the kingdom.
Benesato.

I think it depends how much you study. At the bottom of this page:
http://www.govtilr.org/PapersArchive...eadingFull.htm
you will find an estimate of classroom hours required to learn various languages. 1100 classroom hours are used to learn Thai in 44 weeks. That roughly equates to 1100 hours of serious self-study.

So if you only spend 200 hours per year studying, then I agree with your 5 to 8 year comment. 2 hours per day for 1.5 years will also get you there. Anyway, I only post this to say "don't be discouraged - you can do it!" At least your not taking Japanese or Chinese, which takes double the time.

[Marie]

I can already read some Thai. But the script has to be written clearly. I cannot read ordinary longhand (handwriting) or stylized letters (like in fancy sign boards)! A Thai friend had scribbled me a note in his penmanship and it took days before I could decipher what it meant. It could be frustrating!

Of course, I realize my need to familiarize myself more with Thai script . But may I know if there are also learners who face the same difficulty? Do you have any suggestions on how to overcome this problem?

Thanks!

[mikenz66]

I am not very good at this either. My observation is that you have to be very familiar with ALL the consonants, so that you can figure it out by elimination.

For example, you see a character that looks like an S, what it is?
The only thing that fits is ร. No other character goes back and forward like that.
u has to be น, can't be anything else. That one is easy, the loop has become just a line.

So, I think to do this you might find you need to practice writing, and paying close attention to the key features that distinguish the letters.

[treeman]

Check with your local public library. They may have different books, cd's, videos, or computer programs for you to use for free.

My local library system offers the Rosseta Stone program online for free!! I can use it whenever and wherever I want. I can use it to learn any language I want. It is normally a $300 program, but I can use it for free.

[mairu]

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