Learning Thai

I will be coming over to Phuket on 22nd Feb. for 9 nights , with a further 3 visits planned for this Year and would like to learn to speak a little bit of Thai language.
I need to find a teacher who can organise some form of syllabus around my times that I am there. I already know a few words , but not enough to hold a conversation or understand what Thais are saying , except the odd word here and there.
If anyone knows of a school or better still a private tutor and the fees , please provide details.
I will be at Coyote Bar on Soi Seadragon , if any board members are around at this time.
Chok Nee Krup
Tom

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Originally Posted by tomyam

I will be coming over to Phuket on 22nd Feb. for 9 nights , with a further 3 visits planned for this Year and would like to learn to speak a little bit of Thai language.
I need to find a teacher who can organise some form of syllabus around my times that I am there. I already know a few words , but not enough to hold a conversation or understand what Thais are saying , except the odd word here and there.
If anyone knows of a school or better still a private tutor and the fees , please provide details.
I will be at Coyote Bar on Soi Seadragon , if any board members are around at this time.
Chok Nee Krup
Tom

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when u at coyote do me a favor and say hi to freddy from steve,tell him i will be back in april,tell him i was 1 who was at his bar every night he will no who i am.also say hi to goi and nee from me,and tell nee to tell her sister noo to fone me please.if u dont mind of course.
steve

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Originally Posted by tomyam

I will be coming over to Phuket on 22nd Feb. for 9 nights , with a further 3 visits planned for this Year and would like to learn to speak a little bit of Thai language.
I need to find a teacher who can organise some form of syllabus around my times that I am there. I already know a few words , but not enough to hold a conversation or understand what Thais are saying , except the odd word here and there.
If anyone knows of a school or better still a private tutor and the fees , please provide details.
I will be at Coyote Bar on Soi Seadragon , if any board members are around at this time.
Chok Nee Krup
Tom

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I find the best way to learn is while you are poking one of the b/g's , they will teach you all you want to know if you show an interest in their language and culture and there's no quicker way to learn than practical learning rather than theory from a book , by the way ...tomyam , did you know that your name is the same as some food in LOS ?? Tom yam kung is a spicy green curry and there are many soups , such as tom yam talay , which is a spicy seafood soup , i hope you sleep better in that knowledge :D

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Originally Posted by r3aps

when u at coyote do me a favor and say hi to freddy from steve,tell him i will be back in april,tell him i was 1 who was at his bar every night he will no who i am.also say hi to goi and nee from me,and tell nee to tell her sister noo to fone me please.if u dont mind of course.
steve

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Hi Steve , yeah thats no problem , though i don't know either Goi or Nee , but i,m sure that Ae the mamasan will know who they are.

To Butterflyblonde ,
The problem with learning Thai from a bargirl is that you end up with a smattering of Thai ,Lao ,Khmer and also it's a dead give away where and from whom you learned the lingo. Now this may not present a problem if you only frequent the bar scene in and around Patong , but as I have business and property interests in Thailand I need to learn proper Thai.

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Originally Posted by tomyam

Hi Steve , yeah thats no problem , though i don't know either Goi or Nee , but i,m sure that Ae the mamasan will know who they are.

To Butterflyblonde ,
The problem with learning Thai from a bargirl is that you end up with a smattering of Thai ,Lao ,Khmer and also it's a dead give away where and from whom you learned the lingo. Now this may not present a problem if you only frequent the bar scene in and around Patong , but as I have business and property interests in Thailand I need to learn proper Thai.

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a will no me,tell her its steve and ask how om is
steve

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Originally Posted by tomyam

Hi Steve , yeah thats no problem , though i don't know either Goi or Nee , but i,m sure that Ae the mamasan will know who they are.

To Butterflyblonde ,
The problem with learning Thai from a bargirl is that you end up with a smattering of Thai ,Lao ,Khmer and also it's a dead give away where and from whom you learned the lingo. Now this may not present a problem if you only frequent the bar scene in and around Patong , but as I have business and property interests in Thailand I need to learn proper Thai.

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I was joking but i guess you didnt pick up on that , if you want to learn thai why dont you buy one of the many thai books online that also come with audio cassette tape so that you can listen to how the words are pronounced?? Chok Dee Krahb
Ps..Thats good advice you gave regarding setting up a thai bank account on another post here , i may consider that in future , if i want to set one up , all i need is the address ?? so if i get my thai g/f's address i can use that ? wont they ask me if i live and work in thailand and need to provide proof of this ? if so , how do i get around that ?? would appreciate any tips you can give ;)

Try "euroTalk interactive" brand "Talk now for beginers..."

Really good and they have a Thai series - Am using it for Inodenisian right now and getting good results but a bit of pillow talk will really ramp up your learning curve and give you something else to do with the ladies in between times...

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Originally Posted by butterflyblonde

I was joking but i guess you didnt pick up on that , if you want to learn thai why dont you buy one of the many thai books online that also come with audio cassette tape so that you can listen to how the words are pronounced?? Chok Dee Krahb
Ps..Thats good advice you gave regarding setting up a thai bank account on another post here , i may consider that in future , if i want to set one up , all i need is the address ?? so if i get my thai g/f's address i can use that ? wont they ask me if i live and work in thailand and need to provide proof of this ? if so , how do i get around that ?? would appreciate any tips you can give ;)

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Yes , you can use your Thai g/f's address , but bear in mind that your ATM card (VISA Electron debit card ...valid for 10 YEARS) and PIN No. will be sent to that address and can take up to 2 Weeks to arrive. You can request to collect your card and PIN from the Branch , I did this but they still posted it. TIT!!!
You do not need any work permit or visa in order to open a simple savings account , only if you want to open a current account do you need work permit and non-immigrant visa.
It is also better if you open an account at the same bank/Branch as your g/f.

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Originally Posted by butterflyblonde

Tom yam kung is a spicy green curry

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No it isn't....

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Originally Posted by Schmeen

No it isn't....

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Yes, i checked it out and your right , i got mixed up with something else beggining with tom yam which is a type of curry . tom yam kung is a soup
http://www.thaiwaysmagazine.com/thai..._yam_kung.html

Nothing called Tom Yam would be a curry.

Tom means soup.....Yam is essentially a mixture of the spices used to make this....Naam Prik pao, Lemon, Galangal, Lemon Grass, Makroot....eyc.

Tom Kha Kai .... Chicken soup based on galangal
Tom Yam Talae .... Tom Yam with seafood
Tom Yam Kung .... Tom Yam with prawns.

Green Curry would be....

Kaeng Kiew Warn Kai....Keang being curry....Kiew being green....Warn being sweet (though literally this is not sweet, more likely to mean not spicy (as such)) Kai being chicken

I opened a bankaccount 2 years ago at the Bangkok Bank. I didn`t need a adres from a thai girl and while they were getting everything ready they also asked me if I wanted an normal bankcard (only thailand) or someothers where I could take money with in other countries too and the third type was a visacard. I took the one just for using in Thailand. At that time they took out a blank card slipped it thru a card reader and I was asked to form my secret code. Than I had to do this again to confirm the number and I had my card and account ready to use. Maybe they changed their policy by now but it was verry easy for me that time to get one.

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Originally Posted by Schmeen

Nothing called Tom Yam would be a curry.

Tom means soup.....Yam is essentially a mixture of the spices used to make this....Naam Prik pao, Lemon, Galangal, Lemon Grass, Makroot....eyc.

Tom Kha Kai .... Chicken soup based on galangal
Tom Yam Talae .... Tom Yam with seafood
Tom Yam Kung .... Tom Yam with prawns.

Green Curry would be....

Kaeng Kiew Warn Kai....Keang being curry....Kiew being green....Warn being sweet (though literally this is not sweet, more likely to mean not spicy (as such)) Kai being chicken

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yes , when i did a search after seeing his name because i remebered the name tom yam , some of the sites kept mentioning curry but after looking back at them i see the curry parts are something seperate on the sites, i do remember eating the shrimp version one time in patong but i didnt know it was called tom yam kung at the time , i liked it very much and now i know what its called i can order it myself , thanks for clearing that up for me ;)

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Originally Posted by Schmeen

Kaeng Kiew Warn Kai....Warn being sweet (though literally this is not sweet, more likely to mean not spicy (as such)) Kai being chicken

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Not a culinary expert, but isn't Green curry sweet? I thought it had coconut milk in it?

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Originally Posted by Coolhand

Not a culinary expert, but isn't Green curry sweet? I thought it had coconut milk in it?

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It does....actually naam kratit..as opposed to naam maphao.....creamed coconut....but there is sweet and then there is sweet.....

I find it hard to describe anything with green chilli paste and makeur phuang in as sweet, also i checked with a Thai who said they would consider the word to indicate it's lack of spicyness as opposed to it's sweetness.

Trust me on this one Green Curry can be super hot...

There is a restaurant in the middle of Phuket Town where you don't see many farangs and all the waiteress dress like school girls - Or they could actually be school girls working part time.

Fancy enough place but can't remember the name sorry... AGain if you've got the readies hire a driver and get a tour for a day...

Anyway had a green chicken curry there and nearly died - Then they brang out the Tom Yam soup and finished the old mouth once and for good. Fantastic...

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Originally Posted by Bafana

Trust me on this one Green Curry can be super hot...

There is a restaurant in the middle of Phuket Town where you don't see many farangs and all the waiteress dress like school girls - Or they could actually be school girls working part time.

Fancy enough place but can't remember the name sorry... AGain if you've got the readies hire a driver and get a tour for a day...

Anyway had a green chicken curry there and nearly died - Then they brang out the Tom Yam soup and finished the old mouth once and for good. Fantastic...

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Maybe some food with green curry are spicy but try som-tam – than you know what is spicy. :D
You get it in the little street opposite of Soi Eric. But be carefully it is very very spicy for a farang!!!!

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Originally Posted by Werwolf

Maybe some food with green curry are spicy but try som-tam – than you know what is spicy. :D
You get it in the little street opposite of Soi Eric. But be carefully it is very very spicy for a farang!!!!

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I usually get som tam for a small food market area off nanai road , very cheap meal indeed , i usually have it with fish or BBQ chicken but im not sure about the chicken this year because of this terrible bird flu, i remember the 1st time i tried som tam and will never forget how slowly but surely the heat turned up several degrees in my mouth , ouch!!! i also cut my tongue on one of those crab claws you find in it , it seems to be a one of the thai peoples favourite cheap meals , som tam, fish and stick rice (or sticky rie as they say)
i also like that noodle soup you can by at those roadside places with plastic chairs , the soup with some kind of grey/brown coloured meat balls , noodles and veg and topped off with plenty of fish sauce , brown sugar and whatever else they put in those little silver pots (like that orange coloured stuff , dont know what it is but i like it). i forget the name of the soup though but im sure someone here can tell me .

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Originally Posted by r3aps

when u at coyote do me a favor and say hi to freddy from steve,tell him i will be back in april,tell him i was 1 who was at his bar every night he will no who i am.also say hi to goi and nee from me,and tell nee to tell her sister noo to fone me please.if u dont mind of course.
steve

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Just got back . tonight ... both noo & nee are in pattaya now , no one seems to have there phone number ,so could not pass your message on , freddie says hello and see you in April...

BB

Certianly sounds like....

kwuay diew naam....(depending what is in it)

the first word is very difficult yo pronounce from it's written form, it sounds more like Quit when spoken, but it's correct translitertion is as above.

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Originally Posted by tomyam

Just got back . tonight ... both noo & nee are in pattaya now , no one seems to have there phone number ,so could not pass your message on , freddie says hello and see you in April...

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cheers mate.noo is actually in bangkok now working in a tailors and nee is getting married this saturday and moving to uk in about a month.spoke to both of them a few days ago.anyway cheers for passing on the message.
steve

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Originally Posted by Werwolf

Maybe some food with green curry are spicy but try som-tam – than you know what is spicy. :D
You get it in the little street opposite of Soi Eric. But be carefully it is very very spicy for a farang!!!!

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Try some thai spaghetti if you want spicy. You can take different sauces I know one of them is spicy.

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Originally Posted by beuk

Try some thai spaghetti if you want spicy. You can take different sauces I know one of them is spicy.

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I did try also thai spagetti with the spicy souce.
But som-tom is more spicy. You can choose som-tom with 2 or more chilli.
I tried it with 10 chilli. ;) A bg does eat it with 25 chilli :p

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Originally Posted by tomyam

I will be coming over to Phuket on 22nd Feb. for 9 nights , with a further 3 visits planned for this Year and would like to learn to speak a little bit of Thai language.
I need to find a teacher who can organise some form of syllabus around my times that I am there. I already know a few words , but not enough to hold a conversation or understand what Thais are saying , except the odd word here and there.
If anyone knows of a school or better still a private tutor and the fees , please provide details.
I will be at Coyote Bar on Soi Seadragon , if any board members are around at this time.
Chok Nee Krup
Tom

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if you want to learn thai language during your stay in phuket i recommend patong language school. I learned thai there some years ago. Don`t know how much they take for an hour now, but i think not to much.

http://www.phuket-languageschool.com/

chook dii khap. ta kun phood dai, khun me sanuk maag maag.

Hugo

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Originally Posted by hugos

if you want to learn thai language during your stay in phuket i recommend patong language school. I learned thai there some years ago. Don`t know how much they take for an hour now, but i think not to much.

http://www.phuket-languageschool.com/

chook dii khap. ta kun phood dai, khun me sanuk maag maag.

Hugo

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Just got back yesterday , did the language lessons at Patong language school , you were right they are very good , have already booked my next set of lessons in May , had kroo Tin as my teacher , price was 295 baht per lesson.
sawatdee khrup.

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Originally Posted by hugos

if you want to learn thai language during your stay in phuket i recommend patong language school. I learned thai there some years ago. Don`t know how much they take for an hour now, but i think not to much.

http://www.phuket-languageschool.com/

chook dii khap. ta kun phood dai, khun me sanuk maag maag.

Hugo

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Hugo,

I attempted Thai about a year ago. I love the language but put it on hold for the last year. As a refresher for me your ending

"chook dii khap. ta kun phood dai, khun me sanuk maag maag"

Does it mean - If you speak Thai you make me happy?

Thanks,
Life

Hey guys!

Try: www.learningthai.com

When I started too learn Thai i used this page.

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Originally Posted by Life

Hugo,

I attempted Thai about a year ago. I love the language but put it on hold for the last year. As a refresher for me your ending

"chook dii khap. ta kun phood dai, khun me sanuk maag maag"

Does it mean - If you speak Thai you make me happy?

Thanks,
Life

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It means:

If you can speak thai, you have very much fun.

"sanuk" means not only fun. It has more meanings like "feel good" or "comfortable".

Hugo

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Originally Posted by hugos

It means:

If you can speak thai, you have very much fun.

"sanuk" means not only fun. It has more meanings like "feel good" or "comfortable".

Hugo

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Hugo,

Khap Koon Khap!

Pom chop poot pasa Thai. Chop pooying kon thai, sanuk, sanuk! Pooying kon thai swai Mak!

Choke dee mate,
life

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Originally Posted by Life

Hugo,

Khap Koon Khap!

Pom chop poot pasa Thai. Chop pooying kon thai, sanuk, sanuk! Pooying kon thai swai Mak!

Choke dee mate,
life

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I know I'll be accused of being picky, but your transliteration is awful.

I don't know if it comes from your inability to pronounce correctly or not

Khap Koon Khap????

The first and third words sound nothing alike and certainly should not be transliterated in the same way.

You are also leaving several important bits out of your sentences

In addition...sanuk does most definately not mean comfortable...that word would be sabaay more often associated with feeling well, but also at ease or comfortable.

yeah that was pretty picky ;)

at least its good to see people visiting another country and making an effort to learn the native language.

I still reckon the best way to learn is at the bar and in bed - No need to pay for lessons as you are already on the books so to speak...

BTW why do people have to be so picky about exact wording and the likes - The point of learning Thai or any other language is for fun (Unless your working there). So who cares if its a little off as long as the message gets across and the other person your talking too enjoys it...

I always have fun learning a bit of the local lingo and it makes up for the boring times when you are resting or building up your strength. Like I said I'm doing Indonesian right now and its a blast. All you need is a small phrase book, a pocket two way dictionary and some willing victoms - Have fun...

Waaaaaaay back - I bought the Linguaphone course.
It cost a few bob - but without a shadow of a doubt it was worth it.!

I get many compliments on how good my Thai is, and I'm even told I speak 'chaat' --- in english---> 'clearly'.


There is also an EXCELLENT course on the written language. I mean excellent as it really explains the use of tones (long and short) and basically the whole structure of the grammar.

After I learned to read and write Thai - my language skills really took off. I guess it was because I was reading evrything I saw. Menus, newspapers, streetsigns etc............

Anyway - didn't mean to rabbit on - but the course was good for me!
Best of luck to anyone who tries it .
(I'm not associated with Linguaphone in any way.)

I learned Swahili from a Linguaphone course because I needed another foreign language apart from French to work for what was then the EEC. Swahili is quite easy compared to Thai but nevertheless I mastered it in a couple of months with the Linguaphone course.

On a trip to Kenya I was faced with a gun toting local and was quite proud as I was able to say. "Please lower your machine gun and don't shoot me. I am a Tourist in your country." He was so surprised that he fired off a couple of shots in the air but let us pass unharmed!

Good course but you do have to stick at it and it is boring without some personal interaction.

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Originally Posted by Bafana

I still reckon the best way to learn is at the bar and in bed - No need to pay for lessons as you are already on the books so to speak...

BTW why do people have to be so picky about exact wording and the likes - The point of learning Thai or any other language is for fun (Unless your working there). So who cares if its a little off as long as the message gets across and the other person your talking too enjoys it...

I always have fun learning a bit of the local lingo and it makes up for the boring times when you are resting or building up your strength. Like I said I'm doing Indonesian right now and its a blast. All you need is a small phrase book, a pocket two way dictionary and some willing victoms - Have fun...

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Couldnt agree more Bafana.I learnt some basic Arabic just to be able to give directions to taxi drivers,barter in the souks and exchange pleasantries.The other person always appreciates you trying to converse in their lingo even if you make a bit of a b...s up of it.Like you say unless for business or living there another language should be fun.Mind you as you get older it becomes damn hard to retain what you learn!

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Originally Posted by Schmeen

I

In addition...sanuk does most definately not mean comfortable...that word would be sabaay more often associated with feeling well, but also at ease or comfortable.

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Your right, my english is awful. Sabai is better for "feeling well".

Hugo