Archive for 'Beginner'
Losing Face Posted by palmisano on Jun 11, 2011
The concept of ‘losing face’ and ‘saving face’ (เสียหน้า sia5 naa3) will take you years to get used to, particular because western culture frowns upon it. But if you are going to keep your mental sanity from the constant attacks of cultural shock, and wish to truly integrate yourself into Thai society, you must both…
The Way of the Wai Posted by palmisano on Jun 2, 2011
I’m will assume that my readers know what the Wai is, the motion where you clasp your hands in a praying motion to say ‘hello’. At least, that’s what you are told when you first come to Thailand. However that’s very much an oversimplification, to the point of being almost completely wrong. It’s actual a…
How to read/write in Karaoke Posted by palmisano on May 22, 2011
What is karaoke? Is it standing up in front of a crowded room poorly singing a song on the video screen? Well, yes, but it has another meaning as well. In Thailand, karaoke is also those seemingly random English letters at the bottom of the Thai music video.
Mai Bpen Rai Posted by palmisano on May 20, 2011
This is another beginner article. I’d like to talk about the phrase ไม่เป็นไร (mai3 bpen1 rai1). If you do not know this phrase already, you should. There are several ways to translate it, such as ‘no big deal’, ‘whatever’, ‘no problemo’, ‘thanks, anyways’, ‘no sweat’, etc.
On The Other Hand Posted by palmisano on May 18, 2011
A phrase I hear often from my Thai friends, in English, is ‘on the other hand’. It’s a somewhat odd phrase, considering native English speakers wouldn’t use it. We could just accept it as strange and move on, but on the other hand I could explain to you why they say it.
Thai Alphabet, Vowels Posted by palmisano on May 15, 2011
Learn the Thai vowels.
Thai Alphabet Consonants Posted by palmisano on May 14, 2011
Learn the Thai alphabet.