Thailand annually attracts more and more Russians who go there not only as tourists, but also for permanent residence. And many migrants are wondering how to learn Thai.
Why learn a language?
Before you wonder how to learn the Thai language, you need to decide why to do it. Proper goal setting will allow you to quickly learn speaking and prevent discomfort from the language barrier. It could be:
- travel;
- business;
- migration.
How to learn a language?
If the goal is clear, then you need to start learning the lexical minimum. This concept was introduced by the Swedish polyglot Erich Gunnemark, who believed that when learning any language, you need to master:
- lexical minimum (about 400 words);
- phrase minimum;
- grammatical minimum.
The same can be said about the Thai language - words and minimum phrases must be learned thoroughly in order to answer without thinking and hesitation. Practice shows that you can learn from 10 to 50 words a day.
Features of the Thai language
The Thai language has the following features:
- words are written together, only sentences are separated by spaces;
- there is no inflection in it, that is, there is no declension, conjugation;
- function and meaning of the word determines its place in the sentence;
- the meaning of a word also directly depends on the tone of the voice - a word spoken in a descending or rising tone will have a different meaning (there are 5 keys in Thai - descending, ascending, low, high and neutral);
- most of the words are borrowed from Sanskrit, Pali, Old Khmer, Chinese and English;
- Vocabulary is very rich - depending on the context and style of speech, concepts can be expressed in different words.
Based on the peculiarities, it is, of course, possible for a Russian speaker to learn the Thai language quickly and independently, but the process will have a number of difficulties. To avoid them, initially you need to try to listen to Thai speech, communicate with native speakers and practice a lot. The Thai for Beginners course includes mastering the alphabet, the correct use of tones and learning the lexical minimum.
Alphabet and Grammar
The Thai alphabet is a mixture of the alphabets of 3 languages - Thai, Pali and Sanskrit. Total: 76 letters, some of which have the same pronunciation.
Grammar is the framework of any language, as it allows native speakers and foreigners to understand each other. But unlike Russian, Thai does notinflections, and the main thing here is the correct setting of the tone.
Thai Verbs
The list is based on the most frequently used words in the English language.
| Pronunciation in Thai | Russian translation |
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List of required words: adjectives
| Pronunciation in Thai | Russian translation |
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Required minimum words for a tourist
Thai language for tourists includes the words you need to travel around the country. When speaking, you need to add at the end of the sentence: khrap (men) and kha (women). These words are an analogue of the Russian ending - take those in verbs, have lunch, etc.
- Sawatdi / Lacon - Hello / Goodbye.
- Cop kun - Thank you.
- Sabay di mai - How are you?
- Whose aray - What's your name?
- Phom Chew - My name is.
- Khotkot - Sorry.
- Dee tai thi dai hop khun - Nice to meet you.
- Mi khrai phut pahasa angkrit (ratsia) - Does anyone sayin English (in Russian)?
- Ni Thao Rai? - How much is it?
- Mai pheng / Pheng maak - Inexpensive / Expensive.
- Ni arai - What is it?
- Tai rup give mai? - Can I take a photo?
- Yu thi nai ? - Where is it?
- Tea / Mei Chai - Yes / No.
- Naam plao - Water.
- Cafe - Coffee.
- Cha - Tea.
- Roon - Hot.
- Yen - Cold.
- Aroy maak - Very tasty.
- Mai Phet - Not spicy.
- Ko check beat - Please check.
If you doubt the correct intonation during pronunciation, you can use the translator with audio pronunciation, which can be downloaded to your phone or tablet in advance.
Resources for learning Thai
When learning a language, one should not bypass the achievements of modern technology. These include everything related to the Internet:
Thai language learning aids range from grammar and vocabulary sites to music and movie sites.
- Youtube channels - a search query returns hundreds of answers for those who want to learn Thai through user channels. But there are only a few leaders. Among them is a little girl, Eva, who will teach the alphabet. On the next channel, you can already move from letters to conversation and dialogues. On the teacher's channel of Siam Sunrise School, you can learn to read in Thai in just 6 hours - that's 18 lessons of 20 minutes. Teacher Anatoly Borets promises to teach speaking without an accent with the correct setting of tones.
- Public and social media groups are another good way to learn Thai. The advantage of publics is that here you can share knowledge or, conversely, learn new things from other people who are learning the language. One of the popular publics in VK is called "Thai language", which offers materials on Thai, films, links and music in the original.
- Apps for phone and tablet. Language learning is hard to imagine without digital materials such as audio, video and vocabulary. Therefore, developers are on the alert and create programs that make it easier to learn the Thai language. iPhone owners can download the L-Lingo app, which allows you to learn a language through pictures and audio with pronunciation from native speakers. You can test your success with tests. For owners of phones based on the Android OS, the Thai with Nemo app is suitable - 100 phrases, a dictionary, a phrase book and a recording studio for practicing pronunciation will allow you to learn the Thai language without any problems.
There are many ways to learn a language. The main thing is to choose a convenient one for yourself and, having developed a plan, follow it daily.
