As a new Thai language-learner, do you find it hard to make conversation with native speakers? Because speaking Thai as often as possible is a great way to acquire the language, knowing the most common questions and answers in Thai conversations will be very helpful for you.
In this lesson, you’ll learn about asking questions in Thai and how you can answer them yourself. Knowing these common Thai questions and answers will give you the confidence you need to practice speaking more often!
However, before we start our list of the top ten questions in Thai, there are a few things you need to know first.
Table of Contents
1. An Overview of Asking Questions in Thai
First things first! We’ll answer some common Thai grammar questions that learners have, and introduce you to the basic vocabulary you should know.
- คำถาม (kham-thǎam) is “question” in Thai.
- คำตอบ (kham-dtàawp) is “answer” in Thai.
1 – Thai Question Marks
When going over the topic of Thai questions, many learners wonder “Are there question marks in Thai?” The answer is yes, there are question marks in the Thai language.
In Thai, question marks are called ปรัศนี (bpràt-sà-nii) and เครื่องหมายคำถาม (khrùueng-mǎai-kham-thǎam). In normal conversations, people usually use เครื่องหมายคำถาม (khrùueng-mǎai-kham-thǎam). ปรัศนี (bpràt-sà-nii) is rarely used in daily conversation; it’s only used in academic contexts.
That said, there’s no rule about asking questions in Thai grammar that requires you to put a question mark after your question. Thai people really only put question marks after a question to show that they’re really in doubt and want to know the answer.
2 – Pronouns Used in Thai Questions and Answers
When you ask or answer questions in Thai, you can use both names and pronouns, so you’ll find it easier if you know some Thai pronouns. Below are some examples of pronouns often used in Thai questions and answers.
Thai pronouns for “you“:
- คุณ (khun) is used in formal or business situations. It can be used with both males and females.
- นาย (naai) is used in casual situations. It can be used with males only.
- เธอ (thooe) is used in casual situations. It can be used with females only.
Thai pronouns for “I“:
- ฉัน (chǎn) is used when the speaker is female.
- ผม (phǒm) is used when the speaker is male.
You’ll find throughout this lesson that Thai people often omit the subject from the sentence, so don’t be surprised if you don’t hear any name or pronoun when speaking with natives.
3 – Making Questions and Answers Formal
To make a sentence formal in Thai, put the word ครับ (khráp) or ค่ะ (khâ) at the end of a sentence when speaking. ครับ (khráp) is used when the speaker is male, while ค่ะ (khâ) is used when the speaker is female.
Keep in mind that there’s a special rule when it comes to questions: for females, instead of using ค่ะ (khâ), you put คะ (khá) after questions.
Now, let’s start learning ten common Thai phrases and questions.
2. Our Thai Questions and Answers List
1. What’s your name?
The first question you should learn is how to ask for someone’s name. This is an easy question to ask in Thai, and it’s a great way to start a conversation with someone you don’t know.
1 – Thai question
Question pattern:
pronoun for “you” / noun + ชื่ออะไร
pronoun for “you” / noun + chûue-à-rai
“What is your name?”
2 – Thai answers
Answer pattern 1:
pronoun for “I” + ชื่อ + ___
pronoun for “I” + chûue + ___
“My name is ___.”
Answer pattern 2:
ชื่อ + ___
chûue + ___
“My name is ___.”
Answer pattern 3:
Just say your name.
Additional Note:
Patterns 2 and 3 are short versions of pattern 1, which is the full answer. Of the three patterns, pattern 1 is the most formal, followed by pattern 2, with pattern 3 being the most casual.
3 – Examples
Example 1
Thai question:
ลูกค้าชื่ออะไรคะ
lûuk-khaa-chûue-à-rai-khá
“What is the customer’s name?” (You are talking to the customer.)
Thai answer:
ผมชื่อป้องศักดิ์ครับ
phǒm-chûue-bpâawng-sàk-khráp
“My name is Pongsak.”
Example 2
Thai question:
เธอชื่ออะไร
thooe-chûue-à-rai
“What is your name?”
Thai answer:
กิ๊ฟ
gíp
“Gip.”
2. Where are you from?
To learn more about someone, one of the best Thai language questions to ask is “Where are you from?” There are a few ways to ask this question, shown below.
1 – Thai questions
Question pattern 1:
pronoun for “you” / noun / name + มาจากที่ไหน
pronoun for “you” / noun / name + maa-jàak-thîi-nǎi
“Where are you from?”
Question pattern 2:
pronoun for “you” / noun / name + เป็นคนจังหวัดอะไร
pronoun for “you” / noun / name + bpen-khon-jang-wàt-à-rai
“Which province are you from?”
Question pattern 3:
pronoun for “you” / noun / name + เป็นคนประเทศอะไร
pronoun for “you” / noun / name + bpen-khon-bprà-thêet-à-rai
“Which country are you from?”
Additional Note:
When Thai people are asked where they come from, they often answer with the name of the province they grew up in. Thus, you can use pattern 2 specifically with a Thai person. Pattern 3, as you can guess, is used with foreigners.
2 – Thai answers
Answer pattern 1:
pronoun for “I” + มาจาก + ___
pronoun for “I” + maa-jàak + ___
“I come from ___.”
Answer pattern 2:
มาจาก + ___
maa-jàak + ___
“I come from ___.”
Answer pattern 3:
Just say the name of your hometown or country.
Additional Note:
Patterns 1 through 3 can be used to answer all of the questions above. Patterns 2 and 3 are the short versions of pattern 1, which is the full answer. Pattern 1 is the most formal, followed by pattern 2, with pattern 3 being the most casual.
Answer pattern 4:
pronoun for “I” + เป็นคน + name of province or country
pronoun for “I” + bpen-khon + ___
“I come from ___.”
Answer pattern 5:
คน + name of province or country
khon + ___
“I am ___.”
Additional Note:
Patterns 4 and 5 are used to answer question patterns 2 and 3 only. As you can see, pattern 5 is the short version of pattern 4.
3 – Examples
Example 1
Thai question:
เดวิดมาจากที่ไหน
dee-vìt-maa-jàak-thîi-nǎi
“Where are you from?” (You are talking to David.)
Thai answer:
มาจากออสเตเรียครับ
maa-jàak-áawt-dtee-riia
“I come from Australia.”
Example 2
Thai question:
นักเรียนเป็นคนจังหวัดอะไร
nák-riian-bpen-khon-jang-wàt-à-rai
“Which province are you from?” (You are talking to a student.)
Thai answer:
คนลพบุรีค่ะ
khon lóp-bù-rii khà
“I come from Lopburi.”
3. Do you speak ___?
This is one of the best Thai questions for foreigners. Knowing the language skills of other parties makes it easier to communicate, in case you can speak the same language. ^^
1 – Thai question
Question pattern:
pronoun for “you” / noun / name + พูดภาษา___ได้มั้ย
pronoun for “you” / noun / name + phûut-phaa-sǎa-___-dâi-mái
“Do you speak ___?”
2 – Thai answers
Answer pattern 1:
ได้
dâi
“Yes.”
Answer pattern 2:
ได้นิดหน่อย
dâi-nit-nàauy
“Yes, a little bit.”
Answer pattern 3:
ไม่ได้
mâi-dâi
“No.”
3 – Examples
Example 1
Thai question:
ลดาพูดภาษาจีนได้มั้ย
lá-daa-phûut-phaa-sǎa-jiin-dâi-mái
“Does Lada speak Chinese?”
Thai answer:
ได้นิดหน่อย
dâi-nit-nàauy
“Yes, a little bit.”
Example 2
Thai question:
น้ำตาลพูดภาษาอังกฤษได้มั้ย
nám-dtaan-phûut-phaa-sǎa-ang-grìt-dâi-mái
“Does Namtarn speak English?”
Thai answer:
ได้ หนูเคยไปเรียนที่อเมริกา 3 ปี
dai nǔu-khooei-bpai-riian-thii-a-mee-ri-gaa-saam-bpii
“Yes, I do. I have studied in the United States for three years.”
4. How long have you been studying ___?
To continue the conversation, you can ask this question in Thai.
1 – Thai questions
Question pattern 1:
pronoun for “you” / noun / name + เรียนภาษา___มานานเท่าไหร่แล้ว
pronoun for “you” / noun / name + riian-phaa-sǎa-___-maa-naan-thâo-rài-láaeo
“How long have you been studying ___?”
Question pattern 2:
pronoun for “you” / noun / name + เรียนภาษา___มากี่ปีแล้ว
pronoun for “you” / noun / name + riian-phaa-sǎa-___-maa-gìi-bpii-láaeo
“How many years have you been studying ___?”
2 – Thai answers
Answer pattern 1:
pronoun for “I” + เรียนมา ___ ปี / เดือน
pronoun for “I” + riian-maa-___-bpii / duuean
“I have studied for ___ years / months.”
Answer pattern 2:
เรียนมา ___ ปี / เดือน
riian-maa-___-bpii / duuean
“I have studied for ___ years / months.”
Answer pattern 3:
pronoun for “I” + เรียนมาตั้งแต่อายุ ___ ปีแล้ว
pronoun for “I” + riian-maa-dtâng-dtàae-aa-yú-___-bpii-lâaeo
“I have studied since I was ___ years old.”
Answer pattern 4:
เรียนมาตั้งแต่อายุ ___ ขวบ / ปีแล้ว
Riian-maa-dtâng-dtàae-aa-yú-___-khùuap / bpii-lâaeo
“I have studied since I was ___ years old.”
Pattern 2 is the short version of pattern 1, and pattern 4 is the short version of pattern 3. The subject of the sentence is omitted as Thai people assume you already know who you’re talking about.
ขวบ (khùuap) and ปี (bpii) are both numeric classifiers of age. ขวบ (khùuap) is used for ages under thirteen years old, while ปี (bpii) is used for ages thirteen years old and above.
3 – Examples
Example 1
Thai question:
มิกิเรียนภาษาไทยมานานกี่ปีแล้วคะ
mí-gì-riian-phaa-sǎa-thai-maa-naan-gìi-bpii-láaeo-khá
“How many years has Miki studied the Thai language?” (You are talking to Miki.)
Thai answer:
เรียนมา 2 ปีแล้ว
riian-maa-sǎawng-bpii-láaeo-khà
“I have studied Thai for two years now.”
Example 2
Thai question:
คุณเรียนภาษาอังกฤษมานานเท่าไหร่แล้วครับ
khun-riian-phaa-sǎa-ang-grìt-maa-naan-thâo-rài-láaeo-khráp
“How long have you studied English?”
Thai answer:
ฉันเรียนภาษาอังกฤษมาตั้งแต่อายุ 3 ขวบค่ะ
chǎn-riian-phaa-sǎa-ang-grìt-maa-dtâng-dtàae-aa-yú-sǎam-khûuap-khà
“I have studied English since I was three years old.”
5. Have you been to ___?
This is another conversational Thai question you should know, and you’re likely to hear it from travel enthusiasts!
1 – Thai question
Question pattern:
pronoun for “you” / noun / name + เคยไปประเทศ___มั้ย
pronoun for “you” / noun / name + khooei-bpai-bprà-thêet-___-mái
“Have you been to ___?”
2 – Thai answers
Answer pattern 1:
เคย
khooei
“Yes, I have.”
Answer pattern 2:
ไม่เคย
mâi-khooei
“No, I haven’t.”
3 – Examples
Example 1
Thai question:
คุณป้าเคยไปประเทศญี่ปุ่นมั้ยคะ
khun-bpâa-khooei-bpai-bprà-thêet-yîi-bpùn-mái-khá
“Have you been to Japan?” (You are talking to your aunt.)
Thai answer:
เคยจ๊ะ ปีที่แล้วป้าไปเที่ยวที่โตเกียวมา
khooei-já pbii-thîi-láaeo-bpâa-bpai-thîiao-thîi-dtoo-giiao-maa
“Yes, I have. I traveled to Tokyo last year.”
Example 2
Thai question:
เธอเคยไปอยุธยามั้ย
thooe-khooei-bpai-à-yút-thá-yaa-mái
“Have you been to Ayutthaya?”
Thai answer:
ไม่เคย แต่อยากไปมากนะ
mâi-khooei dtàae-yàak-bpai-mâak-ná
“No, I haven’t. But I really want to go there.”
6. What do you do for work?
If you’re asking questions in Thai to get to know more about someone, asking about their occupation is a must. Good news: This conversational question in Thai is very easy.
1 – Thai question
Question pattern:
pronoun for “you” / name + ทำอาชีพอะไร
pronoun for “you” / name + tham-aa-chîip-à-rai
“What do you do for work?”
2 – Thai answer
Answer pattern:
pronoun for “I” + เป็น ___
pronoun for “I” + bpen ___
“I am a(n) ___.”
3 – Examples
Example 1
Thai question:
คุณธัญญ์ทำอาชีพอะไรคะ
khun-than-tham-aa-chîip-à-rai-khá
“What does Than do for work?” (You are talking to Than.)
Thai answer:
ผมเป็นวิศวกรครับ
khun-than-tham-aa-chîip-à-rai-khá
“I am an engineer.”
Example 2
Thai question:
นายทำอาชีพอะไร
naai-tham-aa-chîip-à-rai
“What do you do for work?”
Thai answer:
ผมเป็นครู
phǒm-bpen-khruu
“I am a teacher.”
7. Do you like ___ food?
Asking someone about their food preferences is a fantastic way to get to know someone, and to find common ground.
1 – Thai question
Question pattern:
pronoun for “you” / noun / name + ชอบอาหาร___มั้ย
pronoun for “you” / noun / name + châawp-aa-hǎan-___-mái
“Do you like ___ food?”
2 – Thai answers
Answer pattern 1:
ชอบ
châawp
“Yes, I do.”
Answer pattern 2:
ไม่ชอบ
mâi-châawp
“No, I don’t.”
Answer pattern 3:
เฉย ๆ
chǒoei-chǒoei
“Indifferent.”
3 – Examples
Example 1
Thai question:
คุณครูชอบอาหารอินเดียมั้ยคะ
khun-khruu-châawp-aa-hǎan-in-diia-mái-khá
“Do you like Indian food?” (You are talking to a teacher.)
Thai answer:
ชอบครับ หอมกลิ่นเครื่องเทศดี
châawp-khráp hǎawm-glìn-khrûueng-thêet-dii
“Yes, I do. The spices smell nice.”
Example 2
Thai question:
โคลอี้ชอบอาหารไทยมั้ย
khloo-îi-châawp-aa-hǎan-thai-mái
“Do you like Thai food?” (You are talking to Chole.)
Thai answer:
เฉย ๆ เพราะฉันทานเผ็ดไม่ได้
chǒoei-chǒoei phráw-chǎn-thaan-phèt-mâi-dâi
“I’m indifferent because I can’t eat spicy food.”
8. What are you doing?
This question can be used to start a conversation with someone, and to show that you’re interested in their life.
1 – Thai question
Question pattern:
pronoun for “you” / noun + ทำอะไรอยู่
pronoun for “you” / noun + tham-à-rai-yùu
“What are you doing?”
2 – Thai answers
Answer pattern 1:
pronoun for “I” + กำลัง + verb + อยู่
pronoun for “I” + gam-lang + verb + yùu
“I am ___ now.”
Answer pattern 2:
verb + อยู่
verb + yùu
“I am ___ now.”
Additional note:
Pattern 2 is the short version of pattern 1. The subject of the sentence is omitted as Thai people assume you already know who you’re talking about.
3 – Examples
Example 1
Thai question:
นักเรียนทำอะไรอยู่คะ
nák-riian-tham-à-rai-yùu-kha
“What are you doing?” (You are talking to a student.)
Thai answer:
หนูกำลังทำการบ้านอยู่ค่ะ
nǔu-gam-lang-tham-gaan-bâan-yùu-khà
“I am doing homework now.”
Example 2
Thai question:
แม่ทำอะไรอยู่
mâae-tham-à-rai-yùu
“Mom, what are you doing?”
Thai answer:
อาบน้ำอยู่
àap-nám-yùu
“I’m taking a shower.”
9. What is wrong?
To ask someone what’s wrong, there are a few different questions in Thai that you can use.
1 – Thai questions
Question pattern 1:
เกิดอะไรขึ้น
gòoet-à-rai-khûen
“What’s happened? What’s wrong?”
The literal meaning of this pattern is “What’s happened?” You ask this when you sense that something bad has happened and you want to know what it is.
Question pattern 2:
มีปัญหาอะไรรึเปล่า
mii-bpan-hǎa-à-rai-rúe-bplào
“Is there any problem?”
This is another way to ask “What’s wrong?” when you sense that something bad happened.
2 – Thai answers
Answer pattern 1:
Explain your problem or issues.
Answer pattern 2:
ไม่มีอะไร
mâi-mii-à-rai
“Nothing wrong, no problem.”
3 – Examples
Example 1
Thai question:
เสียงดังอะไรกัน มีปัญหาอะไรรึเปล่า
sǐiang-dang-à-rai-gan mii-bpan-hǎa-à-rai-rúe-bplào
“What is that loud noise? Is there any problem?”
Thai answer:
ไม่มีอะไร ของตกเฉย ๆ
mâi-mii-à-rai khǎawng-dtok-chǒoei-chǒoei
“No problem. Something just fell.”
Example 2
Thai question:
เกิดอะไรขึ้น ทำไมเธอถึงร้องไห้
gòoet-à-rai-khûen tham-mai-thooe-thǔeng-ráawng-hâi
“What’s wrong? Why are you crying?”
Thai answer:
มีคนบอกว่าแฟนนอกใจฉัน
mii-khon-bàawk-wâa-faaen-nâawk-jai-chǎn
“Someone told me my boyfriend cheated on me.”
10. How much is ___?
Asking for the price of products and services is an important conversational skill to have in any country. Here are the Thai questions and answers you can use!
1 – Thai questions
Question pattern 1:
noun / pronoun + ราคาเท่าไหร่
noun / pronoun + raa-khaa-thâo-rài
“How much is noun/pronoun?”
Question pattern 2:
noun / pronoun + ราคากี่บาท
noun / pronoun + raa-khaa-gìi-bàat
“How much is noun/pronoun?”
Despite having the same meaning, pattern 1 is more formal than pattern 2.
2 – Thai answers
Answer pattern 1:
noun / pronoun + ราคา ___ บาท
noun / pronoun + raa-khaa-___-bàat
“Noun / pronoun is ___ Baht.”
Answer pattern 2:
___ บาท
___-bàat
“___ Baht.”
Pattern 2 is the short version of pattern 1.
3 – Examples
Example 1
Thai question:
กะหล่ำปลีราคากี่บาท
gà-làm-bplii-raa-khaa-gìi-bàat
“How much is the cabbage?”
Thai answer:
30 บาท
sǎam-sìp-bàat
“30 Baht.”
Example 2
Thai question:
รถคันนี้ราคาเท่าไหร่ครับ
rót-khan-níi-raa-khaa-thâo-rài-khráp
“How much is this car?”
Thai answer:
รถคันนั้นราคา 500,000 บาทค่ะ
rót-khan-nán-raa-khaa-hâa-sǎaen-bàat-khà
“That car costs 500,000 Baht.”
11. Conclusion
You’ve just finished learning the basics about how to ask questions in Thai. If you can remember all of these common questions and answers, you have all you need to practice your Thai speaking and listening skills through conversations with Thai people. We hope this article has been very helpful for you!
Now that you’ve finished this lesson, you may be curious about related topics such as question words in Thai, which you can learn on ThaiPod101.com as well. Of course, there are other interesting lessons for you to study, such as Thai Girl’s Dream Job and Thai Jokes. Don’t forget to visit ThaiPod101.com and check out new lessons as they become available.
Before you go, practice writing some of these Thai questions and answers in the comments section, and answer the questions about yourself. We look forward to hearing from you!
