“Hello” in Thai is สวัสดี (sà-wàt-dee)[2] X Research source “Goodbye” in Thai is บ๊ายบาย (báai baai) or ลาก่อนนะ (laa gòn ná) “How are you?” in Thai is สบายดีไหม (sà-baai dee măi) “Have a nice day” in Thai is มีวันที่ดี! (Mī wạn thī̀ dī)
“Where is the bathroom?” in Thai is ห้องน้ำอยู่ไหน (hông náam yòo năi) [3] X Research source “How do you say _____ in Thai” is ภาษาไทย . . . พูดว่าอย่างไร (paasăa tai . . . pôot wâa yàang-rai) “Is there a restaurant near here?” in Thai is ร้านอาหารที่ใกล้ที่สุดอยู่ไหน? (ráan aa-hăan têe glâi sùt yòo năi?)
“Thank you” in Thai is ขอบคุณ (kòp kun) “Please” in Thai is ขอ . . . (Kor . . . )
One website that might help is thai-language. com. [6] X Research source It shows you both the Thai script and English letter versions of Thai words, as well as what they should sound like.
The reason you need to practice speaking in a language to learn it, which is what immersion does, is because your brain will process language more like a native speaker. [7] X Research source If you aren’t living in Thailand, it will be more difficult to be “immersed,” but finding a native speaker to converse with on a regular basis will help more than silently studying the language. If you don’t know anyone from Thailand in your city, visit places where you may meet a Thai person, such as at a college, a market, a local restaurant, a church, or classes at a community center. You can also try to find Thai speakers you can video chat with online. You may find Thai speakers in Facebook groups, or ask people you know on social media if they have any Thai friends who might be willing to Skype with you.
Look at the grammar structure. Ask yourself, where do adjectives and verbs occur in a sentence? For example, in Spanish, the adjective usually comes after the noun, whereas in English, the adjective usually comes before. In Thai, the verb structure is simpler than European languages, but its tones and sounds are extremely important. How you say a word can change the meaning. [8] X Research source
Make daily, bi-weekly, or weekly appointments with your Thai friend so that you don’t get behind in practice.
Since simple sentences in Thai can be easier than the same sentences in English and Romance languages, start with simple greetings like “hello” (sa-wat-dee) and “how are you” (sa-baai dee mai). [9] X Research source Focus on getting your pronunciations of new words correct. Ask your friends who speak Thai to help you.
If you write in Thai, this may also help you understand the language so that you can speak it with more accuracy.
Costs once you are inside Thailand are pretty reasonable. There are 35 Thai baht to 1 US dollar, and a high-end hotel costs 3,000B per night (or about $85 USD). [10] X Research source A plane ticket to Bangkok, Thailand, from Los Angeles in the U. S. , for example, is about $900 round trip in August. The same ticket from London is about 585GBP ($860 USD). [11] X Research source Try to stay with a Thai family so that you can be exposed to Thai all day. See if Thailand has programs like Airbnb[12] X Research source and Couchsurfing[13] X Research source to get space in a Thai home.
For example, the University of Washington in Seattle has a Department of Asian Languages and Literature that offers courses in Thai. [14] X Research source There are online schools like Thai Style USA that offer you an online learning environment to master the Thai language. [15] X Research source
For instance, Thai speakers make their statements formal by adding a particle to the end of each sentence. If a male is speaking, he adds a “krahp” to the end of a sentence to sound formal, and a female speaker adds “kha” to the end of a sentence. [17] X Research source
If you are in a live class, play games in Thai to practice.
