Levels of Probability in the Thai Language
How to Use Levels of Probability in a Sentence
Negative Sentence Structure
Note: These examples are words in English but sentences in Thai. So, if you would like to say, for example, “No flood” or “It doesn’t flood”, you can’t just add “ไม่” /mai/ in front of น้ำท่วม.
Quiz (แบบทดสอบ)
There are 2 ways to say the year 2023 in Thai:
[[⭐️Always say “ปี” /pee/ ( = year) before the numbers.]]
💁♂️1) Informal Style💁♂️
2-0-2-3 = pee sorng sun sorng sam
You can say this in chats and conversations.
In Thailand, we use the Buddhist calendar, so 2023 is:
2-5-6-6 = pee sorng ha hok hok
You can also say only the last 2 digits for the Thai year 25xx:
6-6 = pee hok hok
🤵2) Formal Style🤵
2,023 = pee sorng-pan yee-sib sam
You will hear this in the news reports and formal events.
⭐️⭐️⭐️However, you will also often hear Thai people call the year 2023 by using the formal style but with the spoken language: /pee sorng-pan yeeb-sam/😁 in informal conversations.
Here’s why: the years like ปี 2000 /pee sorng-pan/ and ปี 2010 /pee sorng-pan sib/ are easier and shorter than the informal style. But it’s very long to say 1999 as /pee nueng-pan kao-roy kao-sib kao/, so Thai people usually just say 1-9-9-9 /pee nueng kao kao kao/.
✏️Note: Although the Buddhist calendar is officially used in Thailand, Thai people are also very familiar with the Gregorian calendar.
Answer: A&C
Here’s the Thai basic grammar about the word “เป็น” /pen/.
✔️เป็น + NOUN
🚺เป็นผู้หญิง /pen pu-ying/
🚹เป็นผู้ชาย /pen pu-chai/
Common Grammar Mistake:
❌เป็น + ADJECTIVE
Kati is beautiful.
❌กะทิเป็นสวย /Kati pen suay/
✔️กะทิสวย /Kati suay/
Kati is kind.
❌กะทิเป็นใจดี /Kati pen jai dee/
✔️กะทิใจดี /Kati jai dee/
Korn is tall.
❌กรเป็นสูง /Korn pen sung/
✔️กรสูง /Korn sung/
Don’t add เป็น /pen/ before an adjective. Thai language is very simple!
Answer: B
To answer “no” in every ยัง /yang?/” question, repeat the word “ยัง /yang/”.
Q: _ _ _ ยัง /_ _ _ yang?/
= Have you _ _ _ ?
A: ยังไม่(ได้) _ _ _ /yang mai (dai) _ _ _/
= I haven’t _ _ _.
Or you can say in short:
A: ยัง /yang/
= No/Not yet.
You can’t say ไม่ยัง /mai yang/. It doesn’t make sense in Thai language.
Answer: B
To answer “no” in every ยัง /yang?/” question, repeat the word “ยัง /yang/”.
Q: _ _ _ ยัง /_ _ _ yang?/
= Have you _ _ _ ?
A: ยังไม่(ได้) _ _ _ /yang mai (dai) _ _ _/
= I haven’t _ _ _.
Or you can say in short:
A: ยัง /yang/
= No/Not yet.
You can’t say ไม่ยัง /mai yang/. It doesn’t make sense in Thai language.
- ไปไหน ไปไหนมา – quiz
Answer: B
- ไปไหน ไปไหนมา – เฉลย
It’s called “tenses” in English but it’s about “directions” in the Thai mindset.
ไป /pai/ = go
มา /ma/ = come
When the other person is going somewhere, you ask:
ไปไหน /pai nai?/
When the other person went somewhere and came back, you ask:
ไปไหนมา /pai nai ma?/
When someone’s gone somewhere and hasn’t come back yet, you ask other people:
👤ไปไหนแล้ว /pai nai laew?/
Or 👤ไปไหน /pai nai?/
Answer: B
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