Learn how to say "you" in Thai
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Intro |
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| Hi everybody! Jay here. Welcome to Ask a Teacher, where I’ll answer some of your most common Thai questions. |
| The Question |
| The question for this lesson is: How many ways can you say “you” in Thai? |
| Explanation |
| Just like the word “I,” we have many words to say “you” in Thai. Today, we’re going to learn about the different words that you might encounter in Thai conversations and expand your vocabulary when addressing the person you’re talking to. |
| The first word you probably learn when addressing the person you’re talking to is คุณ Khun. It’s the most general word as it can be used both formally and informally. For example, the sentence คุณทำอะไรอยู่ (Khun tham arai yuù “What are you doing?”) can be said from an employee to his client. You can make it more formal by adding ครับ or ค่ะ (khráp/khâ) at the end of the sentence. Khun can also be used in front of names to add a degree of politeness to the sentence. For example, คุณสมชาย Khun Somchai (“Mr. Somchai”). |
| When with friends or someone you’re close with, we usually use เธอ thooe, แก gaae, เอง eeng, or มึง mueng. The degree of formality in these 4 words are ranked respectively, with ter being the most polite. Mueng is usually used with guu, another word for “I” in Thai that we discussed in a previous lesson. For example, มึงจะไปไหน (mueng ja bpai nǎi) or เธอจะไปไหน (thooe ja bpai nǎi), “Where are you going?” The sentences have the same meaning but different connotations. แก gaae and เอง eeng are still informal, but they should be used with friends. |
| ลื้อ léu is commonly used by Thai-Chinese people in Thailand. ท่าน thàn is a very formal word to say “you.” It’s commonly used when you're talking to someone you respect or who’s of a higher status. For example, สวัสดีครับท่านอาจารย์ (sà-wàt-dii khráp thàn aa-jaan, “Hello, professor”). Just like Khun, it can be used at the front of someone’s name to add a sense of politeness as well. For example, ท่านนายกเป็นคนตลก thàn naa-yók bpen kon dtà-lòk. (“The Prime Minister is a funny person.”) |
Outro |
| When using มึง mueng, be sure to use it with close friends or someone you know really well, as the word can be offensive when used with strangers. |
| Pretty interesting, right? |
| If you have any more questions, please leave a comment below! |
| Bye! สวัสดี ค่ะ (sà-wàt-dii khâ) |
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