Archive for August, 2010
Tap Sap (English Words with Thai Pronunciation/Spelling) Posted by palmisano on Aug 27, 2010
If you can’t read or speak Thai, you’d have no idea how much English has been adapted into the Thai language. English has been adapted throughout the Thai language, but it’s all written using the Thai alphabet and so badly pronounced that the uninitiated wouldn’t notice. For example, let’s say you are walking down the…
Thai Months for the Lazy Man Posted by palmisano on Aug 23, 2010
I will assume by now you’ve learned, or at least tried to learn, the twelve months in Thai. If you’ve been studying for many years and still have trouble remembering, or still can’t spell them, then this method is for you. With all those syllables and a spelling hard to remember, I can’t blame you…
Learning to Read Thai Posted by palmisano on Aug 21, 2010
I realize quite a lot of beginners cannot yet read Thai, dramatically reducing the utility of the vocabulary lists on this blog. If you cannot yet read, I recommend making it a priority to learn the Thai alphabet. Many beginners think that they can bypass the reading and just learn speaking as a shortcut. They…
How to Cheat in Thai, part 2 of 2 (Beginner) Posted by palmisano on Aug 14, 2010
With so many scams, I couldn’t just leave you hanging with a handful of words. One of the more popular scams is called the Gem Scam. Lets say you’re a happy tourist, walking around Bangkok, heading towards a popular tourist destination. Now a Thai man walks up to you and says ‘its closed’. He answers…
How to Cheat in Thai, part 1 of 2 Posted by palmisano on Aug 9, 2010
My title to this post is a bit misleading. We aren’t going to cheat to learn Thai. Instead, we are going to learn about how to say ‘cheating’ in Thai. As any tourist to Thailand knows, you’re going to be cheated, swindled, and scammed. Entire websites are devoted to filling databases of all the scams…
Guessing the Thai Tones, part 2 of 2 (Beginner) Posted by palmisano on Aug 4, 2010
As you may know already, tone marks alone do not define the tone of the word. All consonants in each syllable influence the tone. The actual influence is determined by the location of the consonants within the syllable, whether the consonant class is low, mid, or high, whether the syllable is open or closed, and…