Learn how ask someone whether he or she "can do" something
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Pim: สวัสดีค่ะ(sà-wàt-dii khâ) |
| Ryan: Ryan here! Thai Absolute Beginner Season 1, Lesson 17 - This Thai lesson is Can You Speak English? In this lesson, you'll learn about the verb "can," "ได้(dâai)." |
| Pim: "ใช่ค่ะ(châi khâ)," "that's right!" |
| Ryan: So, "khruu" Pim, where does this conversation take place? |
| Pim: "บนรถแท็กซี่ค่ะ(bon rót tháek-sîi khâ)," "in a taxi." "คุณสตีฟกำลังคุยอยู่กับคนขับรถแท็กซี่(khun sà-dtíip gam-lang khui yùu gàp khon khàp rót tháek-sîi)," "Steve is talking to a taxi driver." "เอาล่ะค่ะ ไปฟังบทสนทนากันเลยดีกว่า(ao lâ khâ bpai fang bòt sŏn-thá-naa gan looei dii gwàa)" Let's listen to the conversation! |
Lesson conversation |
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| คนขับรถแท็กซี่: สวัสดีครับ จะไปที่ไหนครับ (sà-wàt-dii khráp jà bpai thîi-nǎi khráp) |
| สตีฟ: สวัสดีครับ ไปตึกไทยแลนด์ประกันภัยครับ (sà-wàt-dii khráp bpai dtùek thai-laaen bprà-gan-phai khráp) |
| คนขับรถแท็กซี่: คุณพูดภาษาไทยได้ด้วย (khun phûut phaa-sǎa-thai dâai dûuai) |
| สตีฟ: ไม่เชิงครับ พูดได้แค่นิดหน่อยเท่านั้น (mâi-chooeng khráp phûut dâai khâae nít-nàuy thâo-nán) |
| คนขับรถแท็กซี่: (หัวเราะ) คุณพูดได้ดีเลย ((hǔua-ráw) khun phûut dâai dii looei) |
| สตีฟ: แล้วคุณพูดภาษาอังกฤษได้ไหมครับ (láaeo khun phûut phaa-sǎa ang-grìt dåai mái khráp) |
| คนขับรถแท็กซี่: ผมเหรอ (หัวเราะ) พูดไม่ได้เลย (phǒm rǒoe khráp (hǔua-ráw) phûut mâi dâai looei) |
| Ryan: Once again slowly. |
| คนขับรถแท็กซี่: สวัสดีครับ จะไปที่ไหนครับ (sà-wàt-dii khráp jà bpai thîi-nǎi khráp) |
| สตีฟ: สวัสดีครับ ไปตึกไทยแลนด์ประกันภัยครับ (sà-wàt-dii khráp bpai dtùek thai-laaen bprà-gan-phai khráp) |
| คนขับรถแท็กซี่: คุณพูดภาษาไทยได้ด้วย (khun phûut phaa-sǎa-thai dâai dûuai) |
| สตีฟ: ไม่เชิงครับ พูดได้แค่นิดหน่อยเท่านั้น (mâi-chooeng khráp phûut dâai khâae nít-nàuy thâo-nán) |
| คนขับรถแท็กซี่: (หัวเราะ) คุณพูดได้ดีเลย ((hǔua-ráw) khun phûut dâai dii looei) |
| สตีฟ: แล้วคุณพูดภาษาอังกฤษได้ไหมครับ (láaeo khun phûut phaa-sǎa ang-grìt dåai mái khráp) |
| คนขับรถแท็กซี่: ผมเหรอ (หัวเราะ) พูดไม่ได้เลย (phǒm rǒoe khráp (hǔua-ráw) phûut mâi dâai looei) |
| Ryan: Once again with the English. |
| คนขับรถแท็กซี่: สวัสดีครับ จะไปที่ไหนครับ (sà-wàt-dii khráp jà bpai thîi-nǎi khráp) |
| Ryan: Good morning. Where to? |
| สตีฟ: สวัสดีครับ ไปตึกไทยแลนด์ประกันภัยครับ (sà-wàt-dii khráp bpai dtùek thai-laaen bprà-gan-phai khráp) |
| Ryan: Good morning. To the Thailand Insurance building. |
| คนขับรถแท็กซี่: คุณพูดภาษาไทยได้ด้วย (khun phûut phaa-sǎa-thai dâai dûuai) |
| Ryan: You can speak Thai. |
| สตีฟ: ไม่เชิงครับ พูดได้แค่นิดหน่อยเท่านั้น (mâi-chooeng khráp phûut dâai khâae nít-nàuy thâo-nán) |
| Ryan: No, not really. Just a little. (modest expression) |
| คนขับรถแท็กซี่: (หัวเราะ) คุณพูดได้ดีเลย ((hǔua-ráw) khun phûut dâai dii looei) |
| Ryan: (laugh) You're pretty good. |
| สตีฟ: แล้วคุณพูดภาษาอังกฤษได้ไหมครับ (láaeo khun phûut phaa-sǎa ang-grìt dåai mái khráp) |
| Ryan: Can you speak English? |
| คนขับรถแท็กซี่: ผมเหรอ (หัวเราะ) พูดไม่ได้เลย (phǒm rǒoe khráp (hǔua-ráw) phûut mâi dâai looei) |
| Ryan: Me? (laughs) I can't speak it at all. |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Pim: "สวัสดีค่ะไรอัน(sà-wàt-dii khâ rai-ân)" "You seem troubled!" |
| Ryan: "สวัสดีครับครูพิม(sà-wàt-dii khráp khruu phim)." "Yes." This evening I have a very important appointment downtown, but my car is still in the garage. How am I supposed to get there on time? |
| Pim: You can use mass transportation, such as "รถบัส(rót bât)," "buses." If "รถบัส(rót bât)" are too complicated for you, you should use "รถแท็กซี่(rót tháek-sîi)," "taxis," or "รถตุ๊กตุ๊ก(rót dtúk-dtúk)," "dtúk-dtúk" then. |
| Ryan: I don't think I could go by bus. I just don't know which transfers I'd have to make. And "รถตุ๊กตุ๊ก(rót dtúk-dtúk)" sometimes give me a headache from the exhaust fumes, so I'd rather not use one today. "รถแท็กซี่(rót tháek-sîi)" sounds good, but isn't it hard to catch a taxi on Friday evenings? Even if I get one, I'm not sure I'll be on time considering the traffic. |
| Pim: Umm…you have a point. What about going by "มอเตอร์ไซค์รับจ้าง(maaw-dtôoe-sai ráp-jâang)," "motorcycle taxis?" It will sneak its way through even the worst traffic and bring you to your destination in no time! |
| Ryan: That's a good idea! Where can I catch "มอเตอร์ไซค์รับจ้าง(maaw-dtôoe-sai ráp-jâang)" around here? |
| Pim: Just go to the main road. You can find one very easily here in Bangkok. The riders usually wear flashy vests, like orange, red, or pink. Oh, it costs about a hundred baht from here to downtown by "มอเตอร์ไซค์รับจ้าง(maaw-dtôoe-sai ráp-jâang)." Remember that when haggling on the fare. |
| Ryan: "ขอบคุณครับครูพิม(khàawp-khun khráp khruu phim)," "thank you very much." |
| Pim: "ไม่เป็นไรค่ะ(mâi bpen rai khâ)," "you're welcome." Okay, on to the vocabulary. |
| VOCAB LIST |
| Ryan: Let's take a look at the vocabulary and phrase list for this lesson The first word is: |
| Pim: ตึก (dtùek) [natural native speed] |
| Ryan: Building. |
| Pim: ตึก (dtùek) [slowly - broken down by syllable]. ตึก (dtùek) [natural native speed] |
| Ryan: Next. |
| Pim: นิดหน่อย (nít-nàuy) [natural native speed] |
| Ryan: Little. |
| Pim: นิดหน่อย (nít-nàuy) [slowly - broken down by syllable]. นิดหน่อย (nít-nàuy) [natural native speed] |
| Ryan: Next. |
| Pim: ดี (dii) [natural native speed] |
| Ryan: Good. |
| Pim: ดี (dii) [slowly - broken down by syllable]. ดี (dii) [natural native speed] |
| Pim: เลย (looei) [natural native speed] |
| Ryan: At all or to the extent of. |
| Pim: เลย (looei) [slowly - broken down by syllable]. เลย (looei) [natural native speed] |
| Ryan: Next. |
| Pim: ไปที่ไหน (bpai thîi-nǎi) [natural native speed] |
| Ryan: Where to? |
| Pim: ไปที่ไหน (bpai thîi-nǎi) [slowly - broken down by syllable]. ไปที่ไหน (bpai thîi-nǎi) [natural native speed] |
| Ryan: Next. |
| Pim: เท่านั้น (thâo-nán) [natural native speed] |
| Ryan: Only. |
| Pim: เท่านั้น (thâo-nán) [slowly - broken down by syllable]. เท่านั้น (thâo-nán) [natural native speed] |
| Ryan: Next. |
| Pim: ไปที่ (bpai thîi) [natural native speed] |
| Ryan: Go to. |
| Pim: ไปที่ (bpai thîi) [slowly - broken down by syllable]. ไปที่ (bpai thîi) [natural native speed] |
| Ryan: Next. |
| Pim: ไม่เชิง (mâi-chooeng) [natural native speed] |
| Ryan: No, not really. |
| Pim: ไม่เชิง (mâi-chooeng) [slowly - broken down by syllable]. ไม่เชิง (mâi-chooeng) [natural native speed] |
| Ryan: Next. |
| Pim: แค่นิดหน่อย (khâae nít-nàuy) [natural native speed] |
| Ryan: Just a little. |
| Pim: แค่นิดหน่อย (khâae nít-nàuy) [slowly - broken down by syllable]. แค่นิดหน่อย (khâae nít-nàuy) [natural native speed] |
| Ryan: Next. |
| Pim: ได้ (dâai) [natural native speed] |
| Ryan: Can do. |
| Pim: ได้ (dâai) [slowly - broken down by syllable]. ได้ (dâai) [natural native speed] |
| KEY VOCABULARY AND PHRASES |
| Ryan: Let's have a closer look at the usage for some of the words and phrases from this lesson. And the first phrase is? |
| Pim: "ไปไหน(bpai năi)" |
| Ryan: "Where to?" or "Where are you going?" |
| Pim: "ไปไหน(bpai năi)" is a casual way of saying "ไปที่ไหน(bpai thîi năi)." It is the phrase that you are usually asked by drivers of any hired transportation. You can reply to the driver "ไปที่(bpai thîi)," "go to," followed by your destination. For short, you can drop the word "ที่(thîi)" and say only "ไป(bpai)" plus the location. For example, "ไปสุขุมวิท(bpai sù-khŭm-wít)" or "ไปมาบุญครอง(bpai maa-bun-khraawng)." |
| Ryan: Can we hear these phrases again? Listeners, please repeat after "khruu" Pim. "Where to?" |
| Pim: "ไปไหน(bpai năi)" [pause] |
| Ryan: "Go to." |
| Pim: "ไปที่(bpai thîi)" [pause] "ไป(bpai)" [pause]. |
| Ryan: Next, we have a phrase. |
| Pim: "ไม่เชิง(mâi chooeng)" |
| Ryan: "Not exactly in that way," "not quite like that," or "that's not really the case." |
| Pim: Usually you would say "ไม่เชิง(mâi chooeng)" in two situations. The first one is when someone flatters you and you want to be modest. Then you say "ไม่เชิง(mâi chooeng)." You can also say "ไม่เชิง(mâi chooeng)" in a situation when you agree with something to some extent, but not completely. For example, "ไรอัน คุณชอบอาหารเผ็ดใช่ไหมคะ(rai-ân khun châawp aa-hăan phèt châi mái khá)" "you like spicy food, don't you?" |
| Ryan: "ไม่เชิงครับ(mâi chooeng khráp)," "not really." Okay, listeners. Please repeat the phrase after "khruu" Pim. "Not quite." |
| Pim: "ไม่เชิง(mâi chooeng)" [pause] |
| Ryan: Next, we have a word that you'll hear very often. |
| Pim: "เลย(looei)" |
| Ryan: "At all" or "to the extent of." |
| Pim: Actually, "เลย(looei)" has so many meanings and can be used in many different situations. In negative statements, "เลย(looei)" is put after verbs or adjectives and means "not at all." For example, "มี(mii)" is "to have," and "เงิน(ngoen)" is "money." So "ไม่มีเลย(mâi mii looei)" means? |
| Ryan: "I don't have any money at all." But when used in a positive sense, it can mean "certainly," "so much so," or "to such an extent." |
| Pim: That's right. For example, if you actually are a big fan of spicy food, and I asked you "คุณชอบอาหารเผ็ดไหมคะ(khun châawp aa-hăan phèt châi mái khá)," you could answer… |
| Ryan: "ชอบมากเลย(châawp mâak looei)," "I really love it!" Okay, listeners. Please repeat this phrase again after "khruu" Pim. "I love it so much!" |
| Pim: "ชอบมากเลย(châawp mâak looei)" [pause] |
Lesson focus |
| Ryan: Okay, let's move on to the grammar section. In this lesson, we'll learn more about the use of the verb "ได้(dâai)," "can" or "be able to." |
| Pim: "ใช่ค่ะ(châi khâ)," "right." In lesson six, we learned the word as part of a phrase, "ได้ไหม(dâai mái)," meaning "can you…?" or "is it possible to…?" In this lesson, we will talk about it in more detail, including a set of adverbs often used to indicate the degree of one's ability. |
| Ryan: Let's start with reviewing how to use the word "ได้(dâai)." |
| Pim: Okay. When you place "ได้(dâai)" after any verb, it means that you can do that verb. For example, "ว่ายน้ำ(wâai-náam)" means "to swim." Ryan, tell me what "ว่ายน้ำได้(wâai-náam dâai)" means? |
| Ryan: It means "can swim." |
| Pim: Very good. Then, we can negate the word "ได้(dâai)" by putting the word "ไม่(mâi)" in front of it to form the phrase "ไม่ได้(mâi dâai)," which means "cannot." |
| Ryan: So I'd say "ผมว่ายน้ำไม่ได้(phŏm wâai-náam mâi dâai)" when I want to say "I can't swim." |
| Pim: Very good. |
| Ryan: "Khruu" Pim, please remind us of how to ask if someone can do something or not. |
| Pim: "ได้เลยค่ะ(dâai looei khá)," "all right." In that case, we will add the question word "ไหม(mái)" to the end to make the sentence a yes or no question. How would you say "Can you swim?" |
| Ryan: "คุณว่ายน้ำได้ไหม(khun wâai-náam dâai mái)" |
| Pim: Okay. Now we'll learn about some of the most common adverbs that often follow "ได้(dâai)" to modify it. We will start with "อย่างไร้ที่ติ(yàang rái thîi dtì)," "perfectly," and "อย่างยอดเยี่ยม(yàang yâawt-yîiam)," "excellently." For example, "ไรอัน คุณพูดภาษาอังกฤษได้อย่างไร้ที่ติ(rai-ân khun phûut phaa-săa ang-grìt dâai yàang rái thǐi dtì)" means? |
| Ryan: "Ryan, you can speak English perfectly." Well, of course, I'm American, right? |
| Pim: Ha ha ha, it's just an example! Next, we have adverbs with a lesser degree of quality that the previous two. "ดีมาก(dii mâak)" means "very well" and "ดี(dii)" means "well." |
| Ryan: Okay. Are there any words meaning "moderately" in Thai? I'd like to use it to express my ability of speaking Thai. |
| Pim: Of course. We say "พอสมควร(phaaw-sŏm-khuuan)" for "moderately." |
| Ryan: So I can say "ผมพูดภาษาไทยได้พอสมควร(phŏm phûut phaa-săa thai dâai phaaw-sŏm-khuuan)." |
| Pim: That's right. And when you want to be modest when expressing your ability to do something, you can use "แค่นิดหน่อย(khâae nít-nàuy)," "just a little bit." For example, "ดิฉันเล่นกอล์ฟได้แค่นิดหน่อยค่ะ(dì-chăn lên gáwp dâai khâae nít-nàuy khâ)" "I can play golf just a little bit." |
| Ryan: Then, what about adverbs for negative statements, like "poorly" and "not at all?" |
| Pim: We say "แย่(yâae)" for "poorly." For "not at all," as we just learned in the vocabulary section of this lesson, we can put the word "เลย(looei)" after "ไม่ได้(mâi dâai)." For example, "ภาษาจีน(phaa-săa jiin)" is "Chinese," so "เขาพูดภาษาจีนไม่ได้เลย(khăo phûut phaa-săa jiin mâi dâai looei)" means? |
| Ryan: "He can't speak Chinese at all." Okay, listeners. Let's repeat these adverbs after "khruu" Pim. "Perfectly" |
| Pim: "อย่างไร้ที่ติ(yàang rái thîi dtì)" [pause] |
| Ryan: "Excellently." |
| Pim: "อย่างยอดเยี่ยม(yàang yâawt-yîiam)" [pause] |
| Ryan: "Very well." |
| Pim: "ดีมาก(dii mâak)" [pause] |
| Ryan: "Well." |
| Pim: "ดี(dii)" [pause] |
| Ryan: "Moderately." |
| Pim: "พอสมควร(phaaw-sŏm-khuuan)" [pause] |
| Ryan: "Just a little bit." |
| Pim: "แค่นิดหน่อย(khâae nít-nàuy)" [pause] |
| Ryan: "Poorly." |
| Pim: "แย่(yâae)" [pause] |
| Ryan: "Not at all." |
| Pim: "ไม่ได้เลย(mâi dâai looei)" [pause] |
| Ryan: Now, let's review. Listeners, how would you say "He can play the piano excellently?" I'll give you a hint that "play the piano" is "เล่นเปียโน(lên bpiia-noo)." [pause] "Khruu" Pim, the answer is? |
| Pim: You would say "เขาเล่นเปียโนได้อย่างยอดเยี่ยม(khăo lên bpiia-noo dâai yàang yâawt-yîiam)." |
| Ryan: Okay, that's all for today's lesson. |
| Pim: "มีคำถามอะไรไหมคะ(mii kham-thăam a-rai mái khá)" |
| Ryan: "Do you have any questions?" |
| Pim: If you do, please let us know in the comment section. "แล้วพบกันใหม่ค่ะ(láaeo phóp gan mài khâ)" |
| Ryan: See you next time. |
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