{"id":1655,"date":"2013-03-29T18:23:57","date_gmt":"2013-03-29T18:23:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/thai\/?p=1655"},"modified":"2013-03-27T20:26:09","modified_gmt":"2013-03-27T20:26:09","slug":"how-to-use-the-future-tense-in-thai","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/thai\/how-to-use-the-future-tense-in-thai\/","title":{"rendered":"How to use the Future Tense in Thai?"},"content":{"rendered":"

I will admit the article title is misleading, in that Thai doesn\u2019t have a future tense. It also doesn\u2019t have a past tense. To refer to the future or past, one must use additional words like \u2018will\u2019, \u2018already\u2019, \u2018did\u2019, etc.<\/span><\/p>\n

Two years ago I explained how to <a href= https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/thai\/how-to-use-the-thai-word-laew\/>speak about the past<\/a>, but it appears I never explained the future. So here we go . . .<\/span><\/p>\n

To refer to the future you should use the word \u2018will\u2019 (ja2 \u0e08\u0e30). Just put \u2018will\u2019 right before the verb \u2013 exactly like in English \u2013 and your sentence automatically becomes future tense.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I will eat.<\/span><\/p>\n

Pom5 ja2 gin1<\/p>\n

\u0e1c\u0e21\u0e08\u0e30\u0e01\u0e34\u0e19<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

You will run.<\/p>\n

Khun1 ja2 wing3<\/p>\n

\u0e04\u0e38\u0e13\u0e08\u0e30\u0e27\u0e34\u0e48\u0e07<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

John will go fishing.<\/p>\n

\u0e08\u0e2d\u0e2b\u0e4c\u0e19\u0e08\u0e30\u0e15\u0e01\u0e1b\u0e25\u0e32<\/p>\n

John1 ja2 dtok2 blaa1<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I will teach him.<\/p>\n

Chan5 ja2 sawn5 hai3 kow5<\/p>\n

\u0e09\u0e31\u0e19\u0e08\u0e30\u0e2a\u0e2d\u0e19\u0e43\u0e2b\u0e49\u0e40\u0e02\u0e32<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Unlike in English, if the subject is understood through context, it doesn\u2019t need to be said. For example, if I\u2019m looking at you and ask \u2018will go?\u2019, it\u2019s obvious I\u2019m asking \u2018will you<\/em> go?\u2019<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

When will [you] go?<\/p>\n

Ja2 bpai1 meua3rai2<\/p>\n

\u0e08\u0e30\u0e44\u0e1b\u0e40\u0e21\u0e37\u0e48\u0e2d\u0e44\u0e2b\u0e23\u0e48?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[I] will be right here.<\/p>\n

Ja2 yuu2 dtrong1 nee4<\/p>\n

\u0e08\u0e30\u0e2d\u0e22\u0e39\u0e48\u0e15\u0e23\u0e07\u0e19\u0e35\u0e49<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

If you won\u2019t listen, then why [will you] ask?<\/p>\n

Taa3 mai3 fang1 ja2 taam5 tum1mai1<\/p>\n

\u0e16\u0e49\u0e32\u0e44\u0e21\u0e48\u0e1f\u0e31\u0e07\u0e08\u0e30\u0e16\u0e32\u0e21\u0e17\u0e33\u0e44\u0e21<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

You can also be more specific by adding in exactly when the action will occur.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tomorrow you will return home.<\/p>\n

Prung3nee4 kun1 ja2 glab2 baan3<\/p>\n

\u0e1e\u0e23\u0e38\u0e48\u0e07\u0e19\u0e35\u0e49\u0e04\u0e38\u0e13\u0e08\u0e30\u0e01\u0e25\u0e31\u0e1a\u0e1a\u0e49\u0e32\u0e19<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Like in English, in many cases the time can also be at the beginning or end of the sentence.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

You will return home tomorrow.<\/p>\n

Kun1 ja2 glab2 baan3 prung3nee4<\/p>\n

\u0e04\u0e38\u0e13\u0e08\u0e30\u0e01\u0e25\u0e31\u0e1a\u0e1a\u0e49\u0e32\u0e19\u0e1e\u0e23\u0e38\u0e48\u0e07\u0e19\u0e35\u0e49<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In some cases \u2018will\u2019 is assumed through context, so is left out. In the following example, it\u2019s obvious \u2018tomorrow\u2019 in in the future.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tomorrow [I will] go.<\/p>\n

Prung3nee4 bpai1<\/p>\n

\u0e1e\u0e23\u0e38\u0e48\u0e07\u0e19\u0e35\u0e49\u0e44\u0e1b<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In the following example, I use both a future tense (will) and past tense (already) together in the same sentence. The more literal definition is, \u2018In just a bit, I will already be out to eat food.\u2019 In other words, the past tense of the future.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I\u2019m about to go out to eat.<\/p>\n

Dioew5 ja2 aawk2 bpai1 gin1 kaaow3 laew4<\/p>\n

\u0e40\u0e14\u0e35\u0e4b\u0e22\u0e27\u0e08\u0e30\u0e2d\u0e2d\u0e01\u0e44\u0e1b\u0e01\u0e34\u0e19\u0e02\u0e49\u0e32\u0e27\u0e41\u0e25\u0e49\u0e27<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The above example doesn\u2019t quite translate very well to English. But it\u2019s basically implying the person is seconds\/minutes from leaving to get something to eat.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I will admit the article title is misleading, in that Thai doesn\u2019t have a future tense. It also doesn\u2019t have a past tense. To refer to the future or past, one must use additional words like \u2018will\u2019, \u2018already\u2019, \u2018did\u2019, etc….<\/p>","protected":false},"author":59,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[10208],"tags":[1890,4763,275300,10993,119,155,10177,275302,275299],"class_list":["post-1655","post","type-post","status-publish","hentry","category-beginner","tag-already","tag-context","tag-did","tag-future","tag-past","tag-tense","tag-thai","tag-tomorrow","tag-will"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/thai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1655","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/thai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/thai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/thai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/59"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/thai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1655"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/thai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1655\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1657,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/thai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1655\/revisions\/1657"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/thai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1655"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/thai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1655"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/thai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1655"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}