ละ

[Jerome]

I'm looking through my notebook of lessons I took in June and came across something that I would just like to confirm.

I've got 2 sentences written down:
ถุงละเทาไหรครับ
And
2ถุงเทาไหรครับ

Sorry if I have made a mistake above, I really am just starting and the typing is a challenge (but fun)

My question is this: I may have just forgotten to write ละ in the second sentence. Or is it that it is not needed because it denotes "one" or "each" or something like that?

Sorry for such a simple question

[alvinkhoo]

ละ isn't required in the 2nd sentence..

ถุงละเทาไหรครับ = how much (does it cost) per bag?
2ถุงเทาไหรครับ = how much does 2 bags cost?

[PeaBrain]

If I could ask for a bit more clarification, If there was no "2" at the beginning of Jerome's second
phrase, how does the "le" change the first statement compared to the second? Or does it at all?

Yet another question please. Does this refer to the bag itself or the bag and the contents?

[guava]

If I could ask for a bit more clarification, If there was no "2" at the beginning of Jerome's second
phrase, how does the "le" change the first statement compared to the second? Or does it at all?

You can think of ละ as meaning "per"

ถุงละ เท่าไหร่ครับ = how much per bag?
แก้วละ เท่าไหร่ครับ = how much per glass?

[Tod-Daniels]

Slightly off topic (although it does contain the word ละ) is the problem I have had when denoting "things" which happen repeatedly in a "defined span of time".

For example "I study Thai 3 times per week".

I recently had a Thai friend of mine (who noticed I sucked at it) explain it to me this way.

They told me it can be said in two ways, using either ต่อ or ละ in the constructs. However in the constructs the "span of time" and "number of times" are reversed.

[number of times] ต่อ [span of time]
[span of time] ละ [number of times]

3 times per week
สามครั้ง ต่อ อาทิตย์
อาทิตย์ ละ สามครั้ง

two times a month
สองครั้ง ต่อ เดือน
เดือน ละ สองครั้ง

Anyway, sorry to have dragged this off topic; I always was shaky on ละ/ต่อ when they were used with things which occurred repeatedly.

I figured I couldn't be the only one who mixed ‘em up (but maybe I am). ..

[djaidee]

Nice explanation Tod, always like your "Off-Topic-Topics"

In your examples I tend to use the second one more frequently: อาทิตย์ ละ สามครั้ง

Never used the first one so far: สามครั้ง ต่อ อาทิตย์ , but good to know this other possibility.

[whatever_works]

I enjoyed that thread and your expansion tod ty .