News Headlines from Sanook

I'm going to try something different today. I've taken a screen shot of the Thai news website, Sanook. It's a great place to practice your Thai as you're sure to find something that interests you. As well as current events, they've also got stories about sports, health, fashion, celebrities and much more. The headlines are short for those who want quick Thai practice and you can always go and click the links to get the full story if you want something deeper.

Thai Oil Drilling Petition

Today's post isn't so much a lesson as a call for help. I received the following email in Thai yesterday about PTT's plans to conduct further drilling close to the island of Samui in the future. I thought I'd translate it for you so you could join in on the petition and hopefully give this group the chance to preserve the Gulf of Thailand in the future. Read on and click the links I've provided if possible. Thanks.

Some Thai Language Temple Signs

If you're living in Thailand, chances are that you'll visit a temple or two throughout the year. While there, you'll notice plenty of Thai language signs for you to practise with. To help you out, I'll go through three that I saw at Don Muang Temple. First, we'll look at the red sign above. Since it's written in the standard Thai font already, I'll just skip straight to the new vocabulary.

Unusual Job Poster in Bangkok

  

As we've seen before, some Thais still prefer more traditional methods of recruitment. While walking around my neighbourhood the other day, I saw this unusual job poster and thought I'd share it with you. We'll go over the translation too, hopefully allowing you to pick up some new words in the process.

Koala March Shake Lesson

A recent trend in the Thai community is to take a box of Koala March biscuits (as pictured above) and shake them until they've all been mixed together. Typically, these little biscuits are koala-shaped but after the vigorous shaking, they take on a slightly different form. Let's watch a video in Thai of someone who's done this to two flavours of Koala March. Listen closely and see how much you can pick up on the first few viewings.

Union Mall Restaurant Notice

One of my favourite restaurants in Union Mall, รวยแซ่บ (Ruuay Saaep), recently stuck these signs to all of their tables. Since it's a short notice, I thought it'd make for another good lesson for this blog. Hopefully, this will teach you some extra words and sentence structures along the way. As well as this, I really recommend that you check this restaurant out. If you're at Pahonyothin MRT station, visit Union Mall and prepare to pamper your tastebuds.

Cute Condo Sign

I noticed this sign stuck up on the bulletin boards in my condo's lifts. Although, it's only a short sentence, I still felt it was cute and creative enough to share with my readers.

Thai Language Reading Test

As you know, sometimes the Thai language's missing vowels can make reading quite difficult. This fact isn't forgotten on the Thais themselves, some of whom have created some incredibly confusing reading tests for native speakers. The above is just one example of this and, as you can see, it consists of very few written vowels.

MRTA Notice, Part 2

 

In our last lesson, we looked at a notice placed by the MRTA in the motorcycle parking lot at Ladprao Station. Because of its size though, I decided to leave it until now to examine the two smaller signs that were posted alongside the larger notice. For your education and information, I've written the second half of the lesson below!

MRTA Notice, Part 1

 

For today's lesson, I'm going to look at a sign I spotted in the motorcycle parking area at Ladprao MRT station. Since this is a relatively large block of text, I'll first translate each sentence including the transliterated words for your information.

Food Court Poster

When practising Thai, it is important to learn the different fonts that people use. To help you here, I'll go over the above poster that I saw at the Union Mall Food Court on Lad Phrao Road. I'll write out the words in standard font, adding the transliterated Thai as well as the meanings underneath.

Koh Sichang T-shirts

Over the long weekend, I took a trip to the island of Koh Sichang. I'd really recommend it too, as there was plenty to see and do. Chinese temples, old palaces, beaches, viewpoints and great food were all there. It's also the closest island to Bangkok and you can get there in a few hours by stopping off in Sri Racha first.

While I was there, I took some photos of some of the more humorous t-shirts that they sold on the island. For your entertainment and education, here's the English explanation about three of the best that I saw.

Bangkok Job Poster

While walking around Victory Monument in Bangkok, I noticed this poster stuck to a pillar. I thought I'd share it here since it's a good chance to learn a few different job types found in Thailand. For those actually looking for work, I'd recommend looking online instead. Those employers will be slightly more modernised!

Music Lesson, No 1: รักต้องเปิด (แน่นอก)

In the past week or so, a new song, รักต้องเปิด (แน่นอก) or Rak Dtawng Bpeert (Naaen Ok), has exploded across Thailand, forming an army of satisfied fans while angering some more conservative Thais. In this lesson, I thought I'd go over the lyrics to the song so you know what all the fuss is about. Before we go into more detail, watch the video and see how much you can pick up.

Street Signs, Part 3

This is a sign from one of the MRT (subway) stations in Bangkok. While written in Thai, this offers important information for English speakers as well. Let's go through each of the Thai words and sentences to see what it says.

Controversial Thai TV Ad: Skin Whitening Drink

Let's do something a bit different for today's Thai lesson. A few days ago, a television advertisement for a skin whitening drink, L-Gluta Berry Plus, by the company, Verena, caused some controversy in Thailand as it was deemed racist (specifically towards Africans and African-Americans). I thought I'd go through the script so you could understand what's going on in the clip.

First, here's the ad so you can watch it. See how much you can pick up in the first listen.

To Be in the Thai Language

Like in English, the verb 'to be' in Thai is more complicated than others, following its own unique set of rules. Thus, it's important for new learners to memorise the different forms so that you can then use this word in the proper manner. Luckily, there are only three situations you need to remember so that you can speak as naturally as possible.

Street Signs, Part 2

Thanks to Bangkok holding gubernatorial elections a few months ago, plenty of signs can be seen on the streets, placed there by the main political parties. Here are two of them so that you can practise your reading again.

Top Ten Nicknames in Thailand

Today I thought I'd combine a reading lesson with something a bit more informative. The above image contains a list of the top ten nicknames in Thailand. Those with Thai friends should be able to tell whether their parents had some good imaginations or not after reading this!

Thailand's Missing Vowels

One of the most common complaints by those learning to read the Thai language is that there are so many missing vowels. While most are written down, some are completely omitted, leaving the reader to guess what they are. Fortunately, there are two simple rules that you can use to help you remember what the missing vowel sound is.

Street Signs, Part 1

Welcome to another reading lesson! This time, we've got a sign that uses two different fonts. This will be a good chance for you to test your skills and see how well you can recognise the various characters written in two separate styles. Before looking below, read the sign above and see what you can understand.

Condo Signs, Part 1

For today, let's do a little bit of reading practice. I spotted the above sign on the entrance to my condo and thought it'd be a good start. It's not too long and hence won't scare anyone away from trying to read! You can probably guess the meaning from the picture as well, so that helps.

Some Thai Slang

This photo has been shared quite a bit on Facebook recently, so I thought I'd explain what the words and language mean to my farang readers. This is basically a list of recent Thai slang that's become popular. If you want to speak or chat online in a natural manner, these are the words to use. In the picture, the Thai slang is in the left column while the proper Thai phrase is on the right. I've added the English translations below.

Saying Bpaw Bplaa (ป)

Another consonant which is not found in the English language is ป (which I'll write as bp). This letter actually sounds like a combination of two seperate English consonants, b and p. It is subtly different though and first time learners will have to get the pronunciation correct in order to properly speak Thai in an understandable manner. Follow the mouth techniques below and you should be able to say each consonant (b, bp and p) in the right way.

Saying Dtaw Dtao (ต) and Dtaw Bpa-dtak (ฏ)

The sound created by the Thai consonants ต and ฏ (which I write as 'dt') isn't found in the English language. When spoken, it sounds a combination of 'd' and 't', making it difficult for first-time learners to say. The trick is to place the tongue in the right place and breathe in the proper manner. To point out the difference, here I will go over how to say 't', 'dt', and 'd' in a Thai accent. By following these rules, you should be able to say each of these consonants in a discernible manner.

Saying Ngaw Nguu (ง)

While the 'ng' sound is found in English, it is always said at the end of words such as running, sang and bring. This causes difficulties for some Thai learners, as numerous Thai words also begin with this consonant. Some common words beginning with 'ng' are found below:

Thai to English Transliteration

Before jotting down any knowledge here, it will be helpful to write down my system for converting Thai letters into English. This will cover all vowels and consonants in a consistent manner for beginners interested in learning the language. It is recommended that you memorise the Thai alphabet too, since this will help your studies and make your life in Thailand a lot easier.