When a baby starts learning their native language, animal names are one of the first word categories their parents teach them. As a Thai learner, you’ll find it beneficial to learn the names of animals in Thai early on—this is a natural way to expand your vocabulary, and doing so will help you start conversations with native speakers. After all, who doesn’t love talking about their pets or favorite animals?  In this article, we’ll teach you the names of common animals in Thai. This includes: PetsFarm animalsWild animalsMarine animalsBugs and insectsBirdsReptiles and amphibians In addition, we’ll teach you what to call the different body parts of animals and what sounds animals make according to Thai onomatopoeia. Make sure to... Show more

Who doesn’t have a phone these days?  In Thailand, nearly 90% of the population owns a mobile phone and uses it on a daily basis. While chat applications and social media have grown in popularity over the years, phone calls are still an important means of communication. It’s through phone calls that we make appointments, stay in close contact with friends and family, ask for information, and complete other essential tasks.  Because telephone communication is such an integral part of life, learning even a few basic Thai phone call phrases will greatly benefit you as a language learner.  In this article, you’ll learn how to make a phone call in Thai. We will cover a variety of phrases and expressions you’ll need for answering the... Show more

When you start learning any language, it’s important to begin by memorizing the most basic words and phrases. You need words to form sentences, and practicing sentence formation is the best way to gain an understanding of the language’s grammar. In other words, the basics serve as a foundation on which you can build up your language skills.  In this lesson, you’ll learn the most useful Thai words for beginners along with their pronunciation. We’ve categorized the words on this list according to their part of speech, so you’ll get to see and start memorizing all of the essentials in one place. → If you’re just starting out, remember that ThaiPod101 also has a series of Thai beginner lessons to help you get your foot in the door! ... Show more

A good portion of conversation time is spent thinking about what to say next. Sometimes, we find ourselves searching for just the right word or figuring out how to respond to someone’s comment. These natural pauses in speech are often "filled" with small, usually meaningless words and expressions that make the lull feel less awkward for both parties.  Thai filler words play a large role in the day-to-day conversations of native speakers, so it’s an important topic for Thai learners to study once they have the basics down. Being able to use filler words correctly will help you sound more like a native speaker and allow you to better understand Thai conversations.  In this article, you’ll learn more about what filler words are and... Show more

There are several words and phrases that students of a foreign language learn early on:  Hello. Thank you. I’m sorry. And… I love you. Depending on how long you’ve been studying the language, you might already know how to say "I love you," in Thai. But are you familiar with the more nuanced expressions, or how to take your romantic relationship a step further?  Knowing love expressions in Thai is essential. Love is one of the most important emotions anyone could feel, so you should absolutely learn how to express it.  In this article, we’ll teach you several essential Thai love phrases you can use in various situations. Whether you want to woo a Thai love interest or strengthen your existing relationship with a native... Show more

One of the first words a baby learns to say is "no."  It turns out that this little word will come in handy for the rest of our lives! We use it to express our needs, wants, and boundaries on a daily basis. Whether saying no comes as naturally to you as breathing or you consider yourself a people-pleaser, one thing is certain:  As a Thai learner, it’s crucial that you learn how to negate in Thai!  "Negation" refers to the act of making a positive (or affirmative) statement negative, and this is a crucial skill to have for any conversation. It allows you to tell others no, answer questions negatively, and much more.  In this article, we’ll teach you everything you need to know about Thai negation. You’ll learn about the rules... Show more

So, you’re thinking about learning a foreign language...but you’re not quite convinced that it’s worth the time and effort. Or maybe you’re aware of the benefits bilingualism can bring, but you’re not sure which language you should pursue.  If you’re feeling stuck and need that extra push to start working toward your linguistic aspirations, you’ve come to the right place!  In this article, we’ll give you 10 compelling answers to the question "Why learn Thai?"  Some of the reasons we list can be applied to any foreign language (career opportunities and personal growth), while others are unique to Thai (familiarity with the Thai culture and better access to the country).  Let’s dig in! Why should you learn Thai? ... Show more

Being able to express the timing of an action is a key skill to acquire when learning a foreign language. Did it happen yesterday? Is it going to happen next year? Or maybe it’s happening right now, as you read this? In most languages, tenses are used to accomplish this. A tense is a grammatical concept that can be applied to verbs through conjugation. For example, in English you could express the past, present, and future this way: I walked.I am walking.I will walk. But there’s some good news for Thai learners: There are no Thai tenses you need to learn! Thai is a tenseless language and we have other (much simpler) ways of expressing time as it relates to actions. Thai has no tenses to worry about. Table of Contents... Show more

If you’re like most aspiring language learners, you’ve probably asked this all-too-common question at some point: How long does it take to learn Thai?  Thai is not an easy language to learn, especially for a native English speaker. You’ll have to learn a whole new reading and writing system, study a new set of grammar rules, and—most difficult of all—get the hang of Thai pronunciation. Fortunately, the grammar part is pretty simple as there’s no verb conjugation to worry about (tense, mood, and gender play no role here).   Taking the language’s difficulty into consideration, what kind of time commitment should you expect?  In this article, we’ll take a look at the three different levels of Thai fluency: beginner, intermediate, and... Show more

Thai people have been using metaphors in day-to-day life for a very long time, so it’s not surprising that proverbs are so prominent in the Thai language today. As a learner of the language, you can greatly benefit from studying Thai proverbs. Doing so will not only help you sound more like a native speaker, but it will also give you more insight into Thai culture and the way Thai people think.  In this lesson, we’ll go over the characteristics of Thai proverbs and present you with a list of the top thirty Thai proverbs and sayings you should learn. Each proverb on our list is accompanied by a detailed explanation and an example of how to use it properly.  Enjoy! Table of Contents An Introduction to Thai Proverbs Good... Show more