Learn about formal Thai
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| Michael: How does formal Thai work? |
| Arnon: And when is it used? |
| Michael: At ThaiPod101.com, we hear these questions often. Imagine the following situation: Thanakit Thongtong, a high-school student, meets the mother of his neighbor friend, Karen Lee. He says, |
| "Mrs. Lee, how are you?" |
| Thanakit Thongtong: คุณลี สบายดีไหมครับ (khun lii sà-baai dii măi khráp) |
| Dialogue |
| Thanakit Thongtong: คุณลี สบายดีไหมครับ (khun lii sà-baai dii măi khráp) |
| Karen Lee: สบายดี ขอบคุณค่ะคุณละสบายดีไหม (sà-baai dii khàawp khun khâ khun lá sà-baai dii măi) |
| Michael: Once more with the English translation. |
| Thanakit Thongtong: คุณลี สบายดีไหมครับ (khun lii sà-baai dii măi khráp) |
| Michael: "Mrs. Lee, how are you?" |
| Karen Lee: สบายดี ขอบคุณค่ะคุณละสบายดีไหม (sà-baai dii khàawp khun khâ khun lá sà-baai dii măi) |
| Michael: "Fine, thanks. How are you?" |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| Michael: Several languages in Asia attach particles at the end of almost every sentence to convey politeness. If you have noticed, Thanakit and Karen made use of such words in the dialogue. Before we take a closer look at our dialogue, however, It should be said that Thai uses a complex system to ensure that the right amount of politeness is used where it is appropriate. This is usually done with the help of words called "polite" particles. |
| [Recall 1] |
| Michael: Now, let's review our dialogue to better understand this concept. |
| Do you remember how Thanakit Thongtong says, "Mrs. Lee, how are you?" |
| (pause 4 seconds) |
| Arnon as Thanakit Thongtong: คุณลี สบายดีไหมครับ (khun lii sà-baai dii măi khráp) |
| Michael: Here, Thanakit ends his greeting with |
| Arnon: ครับ (khráp) |
| Michael: This is the polite particle in this sentence. Without this, it will make the speaker sound rude. |
| [Recall 2] |
| Michael: Now, let's take a look at our second sentence. |
| Do you remember how Karen Lee says "Fine, thanks. How are you?" |
| (pause 4 seconds) |
| Arnon as Karen Lee: สบายดี ขอบคุณค่ะคุณละสบายดีไหม (sà-baai dii khàawp khun khâ khun lá sà-baai dii măi) |
| Michael: This time, we see Karen Lee ending her greeting with |
| Arnon: ค่ะ (khâ) |
| Michael: This is also a polite particle. But how is it different from the one used by Thanakit? The two polite particles we've just covered are the two most important and most common polite words used in Thai. As mentioned, they must be attached at the end of sentences to convey politeness. These two words are gender-specific. If you are male, you should use this word |
| Arnon: ครับ (khráp) |
| Michael: If you're female, you should use the word |
| Arnon: ค่ะ (khâ) |
| [Summary] |
| Michael: In summary, the Thai language makes use of "polite" particles that are added at the end of sentences to convey politeness. The two most common ones are |
| Arnon: ครับ (khráp) |
| Michael: which is used if the speaker is male, and |
| Arnon: ค่ะ (khâ) |
| Michael: which is used if the speaker is female. Both particles are added at the end of sentences to make the sentences more polite and formal. They should be used when addressing an elderly person, a person you respect, or someone you've just met and want to show respect to. For instance, if you're female and you want to know where the restroom is, you can say, |
| Arnon: ห้องน้ำอยู่ไหนคะ (hâwng náam yùu năi khá) [SLOW] ห้องน้ำอยู่ไหนคะ (hâwng náam yùu năi khá) |
| Michael: or "Where is the toilet?" The English translation may not sound as polite, but the sample sentence made in Thai indicates otherwise. If you're male, you simply change the ending and say |
| Arnon: ห้องน้ำอยู่ไหนครับ (hâwng náam yùu năi khráp) [SLOW] ห้องน้ำอยู่ไหนครับ (hâwng náam yùu năi khráp) |
| Michael: You can also use the same polite particles when giving a response. If you're male, you can say |
| Arnon: อยู่ตรงนี้ครับ. (yùu dtrong níi khráp) [SLOW] อยู่ตรงนี้ครับ. (yùu dtrong níi khráp) |
| Michael: which means "It is over here." If you're female, you can say |
| Arnon: อยู่ตรงนี้ค่ะ. (yùu dtrong níi khâ) [SLOW] อยู่ตรงนี้ค่ะ. (yùu dtrong níi khâ) |
| Michael: which means the same thing. Only this time, the ending is changed so that it's appropriate for the female speaker. Keep in mind that people who are very close to each other don't necessarily use these two polite particles or any polite particle for that matter. Again, these words are more appropriate for formal situations or in situations when you want to show respect to the person you're talking to. That said, using it too often when having a conversation with a person you're comfortable with can be awkward. |
| Michael: It's good to remember that these two polite words don't have a direct translation in English. However, they can sometimes be used to translate the expressions "please" and "thank you." |
| Expansion/Contrast |
| Michael: Let's review. Respond to the prompts by speaking aloud. Then, repeat after Arnon focusing on pronunciation. |
| Do you remember how Thanakit Thongtong says "Mrs. Lee, how are you?" |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Arnon as Thanakit Thongtong: คุณลี สบายดีไหมครับ (khun lii sà-baai dii măi khráp) |
| Michael: Listen again and repeat. |
| Arnon as Thanakit Thongtong: คุณลี สบายดีไหมครับ (khun lii sà-baai dii măi khráp) |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Arnon as Thanakit Thongtong: คุณลี สบายดีไหมครับ (khun lii sà-baai dii măi khráp) |
| Michael: And do you remember how Karen Lee says "Fine, thanks. How are you?" |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Arnon as Karen Lee: สบายดี ขอบคุณค่ะคุณละสบายดีไหม (sà-baai dii khàawp khun khâ khun lá sà-baai dii măi) |
| Michael: Listen again and repeat. |
| Arnon as Karen Lee: สบายดี ขอบคุณค่ะคุณละสบายดีไหม (sà-baai dii khàawp khun khâ khun lá sà-baai dii măi) |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Arnon as Karen Lee: สบายดี ขอบคุณค่ะคุณละสบายดีไหม (sà-baai dii khàawp khun khâ khun lá sà-baai dii măi) |
| Cultural Insight/Expansion |
| Michael: There are many variations in the spelling and pronunciation of the two polite particles we've just learned. For instance, while |
| Arnon: ครับ (khráp) |
| Michael: is the formally correct way to pronounce the word, you will almost always hear it pronounced as |
| Arnon: คับ (kháp) |
| Michael: in most parts of Thailand. In some instances, the vowel for both polite particles is lengthened so that they sound more informal and friendly. For male speakers, that's |
| Arnon: คร๊าบ (khráap) |
| Michael: and, for female speakers, that would be |
| Arnon: ค่า (khâa) |
| Michael: This style of pronouncing both words is often heard after short statements, such as |
| Arnon: สวัสดี (sà-wàt-dii) |
| Michael: "Hello," |
| Arnon: ขอบคุณ (khàawp khun) |
| Michael: "Thank you," |
| Arnon: บาย (baai) |
| Michael: and "Bye." |
Outro |
| Michael: Do you have any more questions? We're here to answer them! |
| Arnon: แล้วพบกันใหม่เร็วๆนี้ครับ (láaeo-phóp-gan-mài reo-reo-níi khràp) |
| Michael: See you soon! |
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