How to interrupt someone speaking

[rawvegan]

เดี๋ยวๆขอโทษน่ะครับ

This is the best line I have for interupting someone (only if I have to as a last resort) when talking to them.

I just say เดี๋ยว then pause, and เดี๋ยว again if necessary, then kortoot na krap, then I would say what I have to say.

I have over heard other thai people say เดี๋ยว เดี๋ยว back to back also, to break a conversation so they could get a word in.

I am open to suggestions on how to improve in this area.

[DogoDon]

That would probably work, but I just wanted to point out that the phrase is written เดี๋ยวเดียว , which roughly means "just a moment".

DogoDon

[Richard Barrow]

The "proper" way to do this would be to say "ขออภัย" - kor apai. I use it a lot if I go to a classroom and I need to interrupt the teacher in order to address the students. It is very formal but proper.

On the other hand, เดี๋ยวเดียว is when you are asking someone to wait - in the sense that you are asking them to stop talking or doing something because there is something else that needs to be said or done first. Be careful with this usage as I would never interrupt my superiors or elders in this manner. However, as you also said ขอโทษ then this would help soften the blow.

[aanon]

That would probably work, but I just wanted to point out that the phrase is written เดี๋ยวเดียว , which roughly means "just a moment".

DogoDon

hi dogodon,

as you said, เดี๋ยวเดียว means 'a single moment' or 'just one moment'.
but เดี๋ยว on its own is also used, even if it can sound a little more abrupt. it's used both with regular pronunciation and stretched out longer.
and เดี๋ยว ๆๆๆๆๆๆๆ is also used very often, though in practice it's not pronounced clearly on every repetition.

to be more endearing, เดี๋ยวนะคะ or similar would also work.
eg.
เดี๋ยวนะคะ เมื่อกี้บอกว่าพ่อจะไปไหนนะ?
hang on a sec, where did you just say dad is going?

if you use ขอโทษนะคะ or ขออภัยนะคะ in this situation you'll make it sound more polite.

all the best.

[Pailin]

Sorry to head off topic...

aanon... can you explain this translation a little bit more...

เดี๋ยวนะคะ เมื่อกี้บอกว่าพ่อจะไปไหนนะ?
hang on a sec, where did you just say dad is going?

I've never seen เมื่อกี้ before...can you add it any time to indicate 'just'? Can you give some more examples of how it is used?

[AomaH]

Sorry to head off topic...

aanon... can you explain this translation a little bit more...



I've never seen เมื่อกี้ before...can you add it any time to indicate 'just'? Can you give some more examples of how it is used?

Simply put, เมื่อกี้ means "just now"

For example, the old example was "เมื่อกี้บอกว่าพ่อจะไปไหนนะ?"

It means, "Where did you say you were going just now?"

[aanon]

Sorry to head off topic...

aanon... can you explain this translation a little bit more...



I've never seen เมื่อกี้ before...can you add it any time to indicate 'just'? Can you give some more examples of how it is used?

hi pailin,

aomah gave a good explanation, it means 'just now' or 'just a moment ago' etc. the fuller version is เมื่อกี้นี้ or เมื่อตะกี้นี้

some examples:

เมื่อกี้เห็นคนที่วิ่งผ่านคนนั้นไหม?
just a moment ago, did you see the person who ran past?

เมื่อกี้เธอจะพูดว่าอะไรนะ?
just a moment ago, what were you about to say?

all the best.

[Pailin]

Thanks for the examples AomaH and aanon. It is much clearer!