Making Out in Thai: A Thai Language Phrasebook & Dictionary (Fully Revised with New Manga Illustrations and English-Thai Dictionary)

by John Clewley, Benjawan Jai-Ua, and Michael Golding

Ratings:

171 pages1 hour

Summary

Making Out in Thai is a fun, accessible and thorough guide to Thai as it's really spoken in Bangkok, Chiang Mai and throughout Thailand.

This is your guide to modern spoken Thai as it is used in everyday interactions in Thailand today—including many colorful expressions and informal phrases not found in any other Thai phrasebook.

This fully revised edition of Making Out in Thai features a pronunciation guide for beginners to be able to speak like a native speaker, updated notes on Thai language and culture, even more useful phrases for getting around Thailand and for shopping and ordering a meal and handy tips about communicating with Thais on all sorts of levels.

The phrases are organized according to typical situations and encounters, including: Starting a Conversation Discussing Likes and Dislikes Sharing a Meal Going Out on the Town Developing a Romantic Relationship The phonetic pronunciation given for each phrase helps you pronounce it correctly; and in a pinch, you can show the Thai script version to the person you are speaking to. An English-Thai dictionary has also been added to vastly increase your vocabulary, while the new manga illustrations bring the phrases to life and show how they can be used in real-life situations. Making Out in Thai brings you to a whole new level of fluency and communication!

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Publisher: Tuttle PublishingReleased: Dec 19, 2013ISBN: 9781462913961Format: book

Book Preview

Making Out in Thai - John Clewley

Introduction

So you want to speak phaasăa thammadaa (phaasăa thammadaa) or common Thai like the Thais do, but you're scared of the five tones, the funny script, and the fact that you didn't do so well in high school French. You may have tried different Thai language learning books, but you just can't deal with all the funny-looking tone systems, the funky grammar and the far-out rules. And then what the books tell you seems far from what you hear when you're with Thais in the office or at bars. They seem to use phrases that somehow didn't find their way into those Thai language grammar-based textbooks!

You're frustrated; you want to meet Thais and say some authentic Thai while you're at it. Well, forget your worries and let this little book serve as your guide to the back streets and secret passageways of the language! Don't worry too much about the tones, they'll come with practice. And while you're about it, there's a barrowful of help here too so that you don't say suay bad luck instead of sŭay pretty!

If you just want to talk to Thais on a day-to-day basis, you're going to have to break out of that strict grammar mould You're going to listen more, become receptive to language and be more aware of the earthier currents in your communication. We all know what benefits you'll gain from following these true and tried tips. This book will guide you in your quest, and give you a taste of Thai tones too. So read on...

INFORMATION

As you see from the difference between suay and sŭay, Thai is a tonal language. It has five tones: mid or level, low, falling, high and rising—this is the order the Thais use. While the tone on an individual word can be vitally important, in general context, tones are not something to worry about. You can give the context by carefully noting then pronouncing the phrases in this book. The section on pronunciation tips will help you do this. As for the tones, you'll learn those next, but try to find a Thai friend

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