ng for me.Originally Posted by Tungsten
I still can't trill the rr, try as I do. I think I have a tied tongue. Without that trill your voice goes very much non-authoritative. What makes Portuguese so easy is the Rs are an H .. carro is caho.
^ this.
To date i cant fucking pronounce the word "Snake" in Thai without 3 Thais correcting me.
pee you!
In my 12 years in Thailand I have mastered ...I mean mastered nearly ... four Thai phrases. All of them useless and silly. And that's just about it. I am a pathetic and lazy learner of all things.
I manged nicely without any words beyond the simple greetings for five years.
If I had to do it again, I'd definitely try to learn the language.
Good luck.
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Getting the tones right is something many people talk about but for me (not having started reading yet) the main problem is hearing Thai language properly. The words for tens of thousands, the provincial capital or for yesterday all seem quite similar at first. Another problem is hearing individual sounds at the end of words, particularly g or k sounds that are not pronounced like we're used to.
YouTube is a great way to learn: search for Mod and Wee. They have dozens of lessons and the great thing about video is you can get them to repeat a phrase as many times as you like plus you can compare the modelling of the pronunciation from more than one native speaker.
I learned some basic vocabulary this way before I came out here, but then I was immersed in Isaan, Thai and a little (northern) Kmer so it got confusing for a while. A year later when I got to Bangkok I was ahead of the game given my time here but now it's frustrating how much English I'm having to speak.
It's not just about having to speak English in school or having them speak it to you in foreigner ghettos that frustrates, it's also that out in the sticks they are much more shy but in BKK even in very informal situations off the beaten track the Thais are very eager to speak English. Quite often one finds oneself in a two-language conversation, which is kinda fun over a beer and is usually accompanying mutual vocabulary teaching but it's nice when you can get back to being around Thais who are happy for you to be speaking 100% Thai.
I found my Thai learning had slowed down when I first came to BKK so now I make a point of watching those videos if I sit down to eat at home and by actively seeking out Thai/Isaan/Kmer language when I chip into town I'm back on track. Unless I need to communicate something impractical at that moment or beyond my ability I ALWAYS speak Thai to Thai people no matter where I am (outside school, of course).
Another thing that I did was sack off the phrases and phrase books. Instead I actively sought out vocabulary for the building blocks of communication, ie. I/he/we/they... like/want/eat/... where/how/what... and I immediately tried to form my own sentences. You'll be surprised at how similar much of the subject-object type grammar is and will mostly get into the swing of remembering to put the adjectives in the right place. The Thais will really appreciate your making the effort and they'll help you out a lot - even the girl in 7/11 - so your mangling of the language begins turning into things you begin to recognise all around you.
Then you hit a difficult patch where they think you understand more than you do, but eventually you'll realise you just spurted forwards again, and once again it'll probably be down to key vocabulary building blocks, except now it's more about the cement in between.
That's how I look at it, how I approached it. Others might have what they think are better ideas but it worked for me. The moment I decide to commit to Thailand I would learn to read and write as well.
I just told Thai people that I was tone deaf as a result of the war. That I would love to learn their lovely nuanced sing-a-long language but the tinnitus that rages within makes that impossible. They buy it. Every time.
get david smyth's beginner book on learning thai - t'is the holy grail of learning thai. i spent a year learning using that book and despite only actually living in thailand for 1 1/2 years can read newspapers/books. the only thai - written books that are any good are any of benjawan poomsan becker's books
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.
No man, you're on the ten-year plan.
How long is a piece of string? Everyone has different abilities. My Thai was fairly basic ... until GF No,2 who spoke about 10 words of English. After 10 months living with her there was a vast improvement. Being competent in your own language helps too.
Glad you agree.
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